Santa Cruz Island An Illustrated History 

The most 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.”

Santa Cruz Island An Illustrated History is available for purchase on this site through PayPal (signed and shipped by John himself), Amazon,  Chaucer’s Bookstore, Santa Barbara Arts, PlumGood Store.

“John Gherini weaves natural history, cultural history, and his own family’s generations on Santa Cruz Island into a fully-realized tapestry of one of the most complex and beautiful locations among our National Parks. This is more than a splendid coffee-table book; it educates even while it illuminates.”

• James F. Brooks,
  Professor of History and Anthropology,
  University of California, Santa Barbara

“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