Becher's Bay Pier

Becher's Bay Pier

Tim Hauf, timhaufphotography.com

Boat visitors must climb from the boat up a steel-rung ladder to a pier at Becher's Bay on Santa Rosa Island. When the pier is closed, landings are via skiff onto the beach.

Historical Information
For nearly 150 years, Santa Rosa Island owners maintained a pier to accommodate shipping cattle, sheep, and supplies. The first pier on Santa Rosa Island was constructed in June 1859, presumably at Bechers Bay near or at the present site of the pier. George R. Barclay, captain of the steamer Goliah, constructed the pier for a fee of $500 plus almost $1,500 in materials. By the end of the year this first wharf was destroyed in a storm.

The second ranch pier at Bechers Bay was built by the More family around 1872 or 1873 and it may have been entirely rebuilt in 1913. The pier underwent major repairs in 1945 undertaken by a contractor for the Army Corps of Engineers. Ranch crews repaired the decking in 1983 with lumber salvaged from the Air Force pier at Johnsons Lee. As of 1984 the pier was described as approximately 572 feet long, with the width varying from 20 feet 3 inches to 37 feet at the end.

The pier endured constant battering by surf and swells. With the pier a vital part of the lifeline between island and mainland, maintenance was a regular part of cowboy life. At times, the structural integrity of the pier was questionable. Margaret Vail Woolley spoke of the risks of walking on the pier "wondering if you're going to be flung into the ocean:"

"Every several years, there would be a storm that was strong enough to throw the boards off the dock so there'd be a big blank space. A lot of the boards would wash ashore down the coast and the cowboys would go get ‘em and bring ‘em back and stick them on again . . . Every now and then the pilings had to be replaced or repaired . . . and that was a kind of a casual program that went on year after year. They just patched together enough to use and then wait for it to blow up again, which made sense. "

Shortly after purchasing the island, the NPS rehabilitated the pier in 1987 to increase safety and provide better visitor access. These repairs were considered temporary, and in 2012 the park completed the construction of an entirely new pier on the same footprint as the old pier.

One of the most infamous island events occurred on the pier on June 31, 1884, when A. P. More, the island owner at the time, killed Ah You, the island cook. A newspaper initially reported that Ah You, who had been working on the island for about 16 months, felt ill and wanted to leave the island on the schooner Santa Rosa, which was docked at the pier. More accosted him and, after "the drawing of weapons," shot the man in the head. Ah You died after arriving at the mainland.

An inquest revealed a number of probable inaccuracies in the news article. According to information gathered at the hearing, Ah You had been working unhappily as a laborer and wished to leave the island. Failing to inform More of his plans, he attempted to sneak aboard the schooner, but was seen by More who ordered that You's belongings be removed from the schooner. Ah You allegedly attacked More with a knife, inciting More to shoot Ah You in the head. Participants in the inquest seemed to favor More over the Chinese employee. Nevertheless, the case was thrown out because the shooting occurred out on the pier some 30 feet seaward from the low-tide line, where jurisdiction could not be defined.

For more detailed historical information and citations, please refer to the Historic Resource Study: Island Legacies - A History of the Islands within Channel Islands National Park