Becher's Bay

Becher's Bay

Tim Hauf, timhaufphotography.com

Becher's Bay is the main port of entry to Santa Rosa Island. The bay provides some protection from the strong northwest winds. The bay contains a pier and beautiful, wind-swept, white-sand beach. 

Place Name
According to Channel Islands historian Marla Daily, Becher's Bay, as we know it today, has had a variety of different names throughout history.

An 1871-72 US Coast Survey map lists it as More's Harbor. An unpublished US Coast Survey map by Stehman Forney from 1873 simply lists it as N.W. Anchorage. Yet another US Coast Survey map from 1882 labels it as Bechers Bay. News accounts in 1877 and 1910 and a 1952 US Geological Survey Map describe it as Beechers Bay. However, the 1974 and 1993 US Geological Survey maps list it as Bechers Bay.

The Santa Barbara historian Clif Smith speculated that the bay was named for explorer and naval officer Sir Edward Belcher (who was stationed off the west coast in the 19th century), and the name was just misspelled.

Given all this, it's probably best just to follow island rancher Al Vail's advice to Marla Daily: "Either one works, but I've always called it Bechers and spelled it that way."