Sign: A Busy Port of Call

Sign: A Busy Port of Call

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Prisoners Harbor has bustled with activity for thousands of years.

Chumash swiftly plying the waters in tomols; curious European explorers setting foot on the island for the first time; abandoned Mexican prisoners searching for a way to escape; bleating sheep and rolling wine barrels racing down the pier; Navy landing crafts unloading cargo on the beach; and hopeful birders seeking a glimpse of the island scrub-jay near the largest coastal wetland on the islands. For thousands of years Prisoners Harbor has welcomed a diversity of visitors to its calm and protected shores.

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In 1542 at least 1,200 Chumash lived in 10 villages along Santa Cruz Island's coast. Xaxas , one of the largest villages, was located here for over 5,000 years and served as a major port of trade and a departure point for cross channel travel.

Recognized as the island's best harbor, ranchers began developing this area they called "La Playa" in the 1860s by constructing the first large wharf in Santa Barbara County. Although repaired, modified, and rebuilt many times, the pier has always been the island's main artery.

The area before you was the location of the harbor's earliest corrals. As the ranch transitioned from sheep to cattle in the 1940s, new corrals were built across the road on the filled-in wetland. When the wetland was restored in 2011, the corrals were returned to their original location.

In 1887 the double warehouse was constructed using stone and bricks quarried and manufactured on the island. A narrow-gauge rail system transported wool, wine, and other supplies from the warehouse to the end of the pier for shipment to the mainland.

An adobe ranch house was first constructed here in the mid-1800s and was later enlarged into an elegant, ten-room residence. Although it was torn down in 1968 after extensive flood damage, historic plantings such as agave and ornamental flowers still mark its former location.

Today, Prisoners Harbor continues to serve as the gateway to the island. To preserve the harbor's resources, the National Park Service has restored the coastal wetland, rebuilt the pier, repaired historic ranch structures, and protected archeological resources.