Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf was the scene of an historic 150-year celebration Saturday.
Several hundred people gathered to observe and take part in events such as a scavenger hunt, face painting, chowder tasting and concerts.
The event was hosted by the City of Santa Barbara. The city set up bleachers so people could watch the concerts throughout the day, including Doublewide Kings, Tequila Mockingbird and Opera Santa Barbara.
Also offered were free rides on the Little Toot for children younger than age 12. The day concluded with fireworks from the wharf.
The wharf was built in 1872 by John Peck Stearns to facilitate the transfer of cargo and people from ships to shore, according to stearnswharf.org. It’s the oldest working wood wharf in California.
Up until the 1870s, Santa Barbara was “virtually cut off from the outside world” by its natural barriers of the ocean and the mountains, according to stearnswharf.org.
In 1867, Stearns moved to Santa Barbara and opened a lumberyard at the foot of State Street. He noted that the town needed a long wharf so that ships could tie up at low tide.
“In 1872, with the financial backing of Colonel William Welles Hollister, Stearns completed the Wharf and Santa Barbara’s isolation from the outside world was over,” the city’s website states.
The wharf is 2,300 feet long and has 2,307 pilings. It’s home to 17 businesses, including three restaurants, a shellfish market, a bait and tackle shop, tourist-oriented shops, a Channel Islands exhibit hall, and a marine museum.
The wharf survived fires in 1973, 1986 and 1998, and massive storms in 1983 and 1987.
Click here for more information about the history of Stearns Wharf.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
