The only comprehensive illustrated history of Santa Cruz Island.

This two-volume book contains nearly 600 images, many of which have never been published. Santa Cruz Island An Illustrated History explores the geologic origins of the island and traces the cultural history from the native inhabitants, over 13,000 years ago.

The book details the ranching operation on the island, from wine production and cultivation of  Zinfandel grapes to herds of sheep that roamed the island.  This book also discusses the establishment of the Channel Islands National Park in 1980 and its current efforts to preserve and protect the island.

“John Gherini is the perfect individual to tell this tale. A descendant of one of the families who shaped twentieth-century Santa Cruz Island and a person with deep roots in the Santa Barbara Channel region, John brings an insider’s knowledge to this complex story.”

— Robert M. Senkewicz,
Professor of History
Santa Clara University

Santa Cruz Island An Illustrated History is available for purchase direct through this website via PayPal (see below), on Amazon, at Chaucer’s Bookstore, Tecolote Book Shop, Santa Barbara Arts & PlumGood Store.

About the Island

Rising from the waters of the Pacific off the southern California Coast, Santa Cruz Island captures the imagination. Once home to a large Chumash population, in the nineteenth century it became a self-sufficient island rancho. As with all islands of beauty and size, it attracted people from the coastline.

The attractions of the island, however, routinely led people into conflict, wrapping it in a shroud like its morning fog. The modern history of the island would witness the passion to own it, to protect it, to use it and to fight over it.

For the first time a thorough history of Santa Cruz Island‘s tumultuous past is provided. In pre-Columbian times it was a source of wealth to the indigenous peoples—the place where they made their shell bead money. During the Spanish-Mexican period it was a smuggler’s haven, where fur hunters avoided the customs officials.

As a land grant, it passed through the hands of Andres Castillero, William E. Barron, and eventually was purchased by Justinian Caire. The island flourished under the direction of Caire and his family. It was a secluded paradise off the Santa Barbara Coast, with extensive sheep and cattle holdings, as well as an esteemed winery.

Seeds of conflict were sown by Justinian Caire‘s will when the island was divided between family members. The Stantons, Rossis, Gherinis, the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy all were involved over time. The tortured legal and family disputes are recounted for the first time in this important new work.

Island ranching, hunting and recreation, and environmental challenges are described in detail. Recent historical events involving the establishment of the Channel Islands National Park are explored, as well.