The cross has been replaced several times, including known instances in the early 1860s under the supervision of Father John Campala, in 1912 by the E. C. O.

[3] In his 1930 history, "San Buenaventura: The Mission by the Sea", Father Zephyrin Engelhardt rejected the traditional story:"The first Cross was planted there, so the settlers will say, by Fr.

[1] Shortly thereafter, the cross was rebuilt under the supervision of Father John Campala, also known as Padre Juan, who was then the presiding priest at the Mission San Buenaventura.

[1] After the 1875 storm, Ventura de Arnaz, then approximately 16 years old, climbed the hill with her father to survey the damage.

The logs were hewn and cured at the Peoples' Lumber Company under the supervision of Selwyn Shaw, a local builder who also designed the mount for the new cross.

[7] The Ventura Free Press described the ceremony at length on its front page and concluded: "Never has the town seen such an outpouring of people.

Several speeches were given, and an original poem about the cross was read by John S. McGroarty, who was later designated as California'a poet laureate.

[9][10] In 1915, residents of Ventura began an annual tradition of walking up the hill to the cross for an Easter sunrise service.

An article in the Los Angeles Times opined: "The red outline makes a striking image on the hillside.

Two other Christian crosses in San Diego County were ordered removed that year (one on Mount Soledad in San Diego, the other on Mount Helix in La Mesa) by a federal judge who ruled that they violated the "no-preference" clause in the California Constitution.

Ventura's City Attorney Bob Boehm attempted to assert that, more than a religious icon, the Serra Cross was "a time-honored landmark" with a historic character.

[3] The debate over removal of the cross dominated Ventura County newspaper coverage and editorials through the spring and summer of 2003.

[22] On June 8, a group called Bikers for Christ held a Saturday morning rally in front of City Hall to support the maintenance of the cross.

As part of the settlement, the City agreed to sell the cross and a one-acre parcel beneath it in an auction open to all bidders.

[26] The settlement was approved by the Ventura City Council on a 6-to-1 vote with Councilman Neil Andrews contending that the restrictions on future owners were "capricious" and part of an effort "to strip public life of religion.

[28] In September 2003, a non-profit historic preservation group, San Buenaventura Heritage, purchased the cross and the one-acre site for $104,216.87.

[30] According to the Conservancy's web site, the group is "interested in preserving and maintaining the Serra Cross Park for a variety of personal reasons; we value the Park for the sake of historic preservation and/or are interested in the cross as a religious icon and a landmark attraction to other communities and tourists.