At approximately one square mile in size (638.72 acres), Santa Barbara Island is the smallest of California's Channel Islands. It is located 38 miles from the nearest mainland coast, and 24 miles from Santa Catalina, its closest island neighbor. In 1980, Santa Barbara Island became one of five islands included in Channel Islands National Park, the only National Park in Southern California to date.
Geologists think this island was formed by underwater
volcanic activity. Pressures beneath the earth's surface uplifted this island
which has never had a land bridge to the mainland or the other islands. During
different periods of the uplifting process, wave erosion caused several marine
terraces which are evident today. The island was submerged during the Pliocene
or early Pleistocene eras, and therefore the colonization by plants and animals
began only within the last several hundred thousand years. The island is
made up of tuff and breccia type rocks. The soils of the terraces consist
mostly of silt and clay.
Santa Barbara Island is roughly triangular in
outline and emerges from the ocean as a giant twin-peaked mesa with steep
cliffs. Marine terraces slope away from the two rounded hills, Signal Peak
and North Peak. Offshore, there are two named rocks, Shag Rock off the northerly
shore, and Sutil Island off the southwest end. Santa Barbara Island has no
well developed sandy beaches. A few narrow rocky beaches surround the island
at various points, and most of these are submerged at high tide. Precipitous
cliffs drop to the sea around most of the island. Along the eastern side
of the island are six named canyons: Cliff Canyon, Landing Cove, Cave Canyon,
Middle Canyon, Graveyard Canyon and Cat Canyon.
Archaeological evidence shows that the island was inhabited, at least on a seasonal basis, by Indians, perhaps as a result of population growth on larger neighboring islands such as Santa Catalina. Due to the lack of firewood, water and basic subsistence materials, this island would be less desirable than some of the others. Given this islands central location, it may have served as an important stop over point for inter-island travel. The Gabrielino Indians spoke a Shoshonian dialect and inhabited the Southern Channel Islands and adjacent mainland.
In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a portuguese sailor, set sail from Navidad, Mexico with the purpose of exploring the west coast of New Spain. He was the first European visitor to the Channel Islands. He made no mention of the island.
In 1602 Sebastian Vizcaino, a Spaniard, sailed the west coast of California. He bestowed the name Santa Barbara on the channel after the martyred Roman virgin whose feast day was December 4th, a day which found him anchored off the mainland coast. Vizcaino also gave the name to the easternmost of the Anacapa Islands but it was not until 1793 that George Vancouver, an english explorer, finalized the names of the eight Channel Islands.
In 1821 Santa Barbara Island became a possession of Mexico after a successful revolt from Spain and with California statehood in 1850, unclaimed and uninhabited Santa Barbara Island changed ownership from the Mexican government to the United States. Shortly thereafter, a U.S. Coast Survey team visited Santa Barbara Island, and in 1871 a survey station point was established atop the islands highest point, Signal Peak. For the remainder of the 19th century, this small oceanic outpost was occupied seasonally by fisherman, transient seal hunters and Chinese lobster trappers. In the 1890s, H. Bay Webster, lessee of Anacapa Island, built a cabin on a Santa Barbara Island promontory which today bears his name. In 1909, the island was officially leased by the U.S. government to J.G. Howland for $26 a year for five years. Although his lease forbade subletting, Howland sold fishing rights to Japanese and Chinese fisherman, and rented island space to an abalone pearl propagation business.
In 1914 when the Howland lease expired, Alvin Hyder of San Pedro, California became the second lessee, paying $250 for his five year lease. The subsequent development of Santa Barbara Island became an extended Hyder family affair. Alvin Hyder and his wife and two children were soon joined on the island by Alvin's two brothers, Clarence and Cleve, and their respective families. As many as 17 people lived on this small island which provided no fresh water and little protection from the weather.
To eke out a living on Santa Barbara Island, the Hyders
imported horses, mules, rabbits, ducks, geese, turkeys and chickens. Time
and again chickens were blown out to sea before they could be cooped at the
onset of high winds. The raising of sheep for wool and meat became the mainstay
of Hyder operations. Building materials, supplies, water and livestock were
hauled to the island by Alvin aboard his boat, Nora, To supplement
the family income, he hauled animals and supplies to and from the other islands.
During the "dry years" of Prohibition, Alvin Hyder was well known for his
prowess and agility in rum-running the length of the Southern California
coast.
In 1919 after the Hyder lease expired, Santa Barbara Island was again advertised by the government for lease to the highest bidder. Alvin Hyder was outbid by Abbot Kinney of the Venice Chamber of Commerce who bid $1250. Kinney dreamed of a public camping and fishing development. The Hyders however were determined to remain on the island. In 1920, Kinney failed to pay his lessee fee, and his lease was revoked. It was not until 1922, after nine years of stubborn determination followed by failure, that the Hyders packed their things and moved to the mainland.
In 1929 a navigational light was installed on the northwest corner of the island. The unmanned acetylene lantern equipped with a flasher was installed on a white wooden pyramid 190 feet above sea level. It protected shipping along the Hawaiian Island and Trans-Pacific route which follows a course six miles north of the island. This light remained in service until 1986 when a solar powered battery operated light was installed.
From 1942 through 1946 the island served as a
military outpost and a point of early warning against a possible Japanese
attack. Miscellaneous buildings, barracks a a boat landing facility were
constructed.Motor vehicles and dirt roadways appeared during this occupation.
In the 1960s, a photo-tracking station was set on the island by the Navy
until it was turned over the the National Park Service. Today the site serves
as housing for the National Park Service staff and as a small visitor center.
In 1993 the Santa Cruz Island Foundation sponsored a small museum on Santa Barbara Island in Channel Island National Park facilities.
There are no trees on Santa Barbara Island, and
only a few shrubs. The vegetative aspect is that of herbaceous plants and
grasses, verdant in the spring and appearing dry and brown in the hot summer.
The island supports about 120 different species of plants, about 30% of which
are introduced weeds. There are fourteen endemic species or subspecies of
plants which occur on Santa Barbara Island and at least one other California
Channel Island.
There are three plants restricted to Santa Barbara Island. They are a low shrubby buckwheat (Eriogonum giganteum compactum), a small succulent (Duleya traskiae), and and annual poppy (Platystemon californicus ciliatus).
The sunflower (Asteraceae) and grass (Poaceae) families comprise the largest portion of the flora of this island. Of the 120 different plant species, 30 are in the sunflower family and 22 are grasses.
There is only one terrestrial mammal on Santa Barbara Island. The endemic subspecies of deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus elusus). Predators to the mouse include various species of hawks and owls but the deer mouse has no mammalian predators.
Marine mammals common to Santa Barbara Island include California sea lions, harbor seals and northern elephant seals. Otters were a common sight in the early 19th century but due to over hunting they were exterminated from the island.
The island night lizard is the only reptile found on this island. This endemic Channel Island reptile is also found on San Nicolas and San Clemente. The 1973 Endangered Species Act lists this lizard as threatened.
At least seventy types of birds are reported.
Among the more interesting are peregrine falcons, California brown pelicans,
horned larks, three types of owls, Costa's and Allen's hummingbirds, Xantus'
murrelets, Cassin's auklets, and both black and ashy storm petrels. The horned
lark, orange-crowned warbler, and house finch are Channel Island endemics.
The endemic Santa Barbara Island song sparrow (Melospiza melodia graminea) is thought to be extinct. In 1959 a fire destroyed much of the bird's habitat and it survived only another eight years.This sparrow was one of the smallest forms of song sparrow, differentiated by its very grey back.
Continue the island tour...
San Miguel Santa Catalina San Nicolas San Clemente
For further information regarding the Santa Cruz Island Foundation or the history of the California Channel Islands email us or contact us at:
Santa Cruz Island Foundation
1010 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara, Ca. 93101
(805) 963-4949
Copyright 1996
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