The name change and designated area then known as La Conchita are crucially important to any understanding of the region today and its geologic history.

"Punta Gorda", Spanish for massive point, referred to the outstanding feature of this coastal area, a large rock promontory.

What is now the community of La Conchita was originally part of the 4,460-acre (18.0 km2) Mexican land grant Rancho El Rincon given by Governor José Figueroa to Teodoro Arrellanes in 1835.

It was during this time that major portions of the old ranchos were subdivided and sold off by heirs to an increasing number of arriving immigrants and settlers.

Ablett, born in England, was well known as a druggist in Santa Barbara and a key figure in the homesteading activity of the Punta Gorda area from the 1880s on.

At this time, the La Conchita section of the Southern Pacific railroad coast route was almost completed and the village of Punta was established.

Among the founding families of Punta were the Callis from Kentucky; the Mullins from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada; and the Gaynors from Ireland.

The "causeway," a timber pile trestle with a 16-foot-wide (4.9 m) roadway, was built as part of the Rincon Sea Level Road, a cooperative project between Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

During the severe drought of 1898, news accounts detailed the record number of livestock being driven north to pasture and to early market as well as the constant drilling efforts for sources of artesian water to ease the plight of the farmers.

Robert Bates and Andrew Bailard purchased land in La Conchita in hopes of finding oil in the area.

Edward C. Ramelli, bought land that had a resort hotel called the Mussel Rock Inn and property in La Conchita at the water's edge in 1923.

[4] La Conchita del Mar was promoted as an affordable seaside paradise with lots available starting at $200, which included oil rights.

Joseph Gallardo, a native of Mexico, worked for the railroad as a watchman and Eleanor has vivid memories, as well as photographs, of all the years she attended the Punta Gorda (one room) Schoolhouse in La Conchita.

At that time, Richardson remembers his family as having the only "real house in La Conchita", an adobe, whose foundation can still be found just south of town.

The family moved there in the winter of 1932 and were part of a growing Pacific Islander community working the farms and ranches of the major landowners of the region.

Both Pete Richardson and Dick Talaugon attended Punta Gorda School, the one-room schoolhouse in La Conchita.

Prior to demolition of the building, part was salvaged and moved to its present location in La Conchita at 6746 Ojai Street.

It once had a glass-enclosed dance floor over the water, eventually lost to the winter surf and attracted such Hollywood celebrities as Marie Dressler, Warner Oland and opera singer Lotte Lehmann.

In the early 1950s the La Conchita cottages on the beach were either relocated or demolished when the highway was widened after the state acquired additional property.

1971- Highway 101 completed 1975- La Conchita Ranch Co. started to farm the plateau, a marine terrace above the community, for citrus and avocado.

1985- Seaside Banana Gardens established in La Conchita Until its forced closure in 1998, after the financial impact of the 1995 mudslide led to it losing its lease,[7] the Seaside Banana Gardens operated by Doug Richardson (and his partner Paul Turner) were a leading attraction in La Conchita.

Although it was widely assumed that bananas could not be commercially grown in California, the garden cultivated over 50 exotic varieties in the unusual microclimate of the area.

Brown was a member of the class-action lawsuit filed against La Conchita Ranch as a result of the 1995 mudslide, and some of his works depict the cataclysmic events of that day rendered in his signature style.

[8] 1991- "A 1991 slide, far milder than the [March 1995 mudslide], prompted many homeowners to build safety precautions [such as retaining walls and mud-flow channels] against the mud.

1.5 months later the 2005 landslide occurred, during which he was responsible for two live rescues, for which he was awarded the Medal of Valor by the Ventura County Fire Department and the State of California.

[10] The LCCO has worked with Local, State and the Federal Government officials to resolve the landslide situation that has affected the community since 1995.

In March 2006 Governor Schwarzenegger announced the allocation of $667,000 for a "comprehensive study to examine how to ensure the safety of the beachside community."

The village of La Conchita is along a portion of the coast prone to mudslides, and sits beneath a geologically unstable formation.

In 1909, a devastating mudslide occurred approximately one-half mile north of the town, and in 2005 slides closed Highway 101 in both directions, trapping residents.