Point Sal State Beach | park, mining

 beach, park, mining

Point Sal State Beach is located in the northwestern part of Santa Barbara County, near the city of Guadalupe. The park consists of approximately 80 acres and includes just over 1 1/2 miles of ocean frontage. Lands above the beach and rocky shoreline have extremely steep slopes, and numerous landslides are evident. Prime examples of coastal sage and chaparral communities occur on these slopes. Giant coreopsis is abundant in the area and dominates wildflower displays in the spring.

Views of the coastline, beach and rugged mountain slopes are exceptional. Lion Rock, located offshore, is an important bird-roosting site and is also used by sea lions and other marine mammals.

Recreational activities at Point Sal SB include fishing, beach combing, hiking, nature study, photography, picnicking and sunbathing. Because of extremely dangerous rip currents, occasional shark sightings, and the absence of Lifeguard service, swimming is not recommended. Persons found camping in the park are subject to citation, arrest, or eviction by Park Rangers. Because of security concerns at adjacent Vandenberg Air Force Base, Air Police also strictly enforce the no camping rule at Point Sal SB. The park has no picnic tables, toilets or other recreational facilities.

The beach was the site of a wharf and placer gold, chromite, and platinum mining operation during the 1850s. At one time appreciable quantities of gold were recovered from the ocean beaches in western Santa Barbara County. The most productive year for which there is a record is 1889, when the county's gold output was valued at $41,000 (at $35/Toz or less), much of which may have come from these beaches. Gold and very small amounts of Platinum occur as fine grains in thin layers of black sands. These deposits are more or less continuous between Point Arguello on the south and the mouth of the Santa Maria River on the north. The most productive ones have been at Surf and Point Sal (shown as a “cape” by the USGS). Much of this area is now part of Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The wharf once located here was partially destroyed by a tsunami on 22 Nov 1878.

www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=605
www.theweekendminer.com/Surf-PointSalMineinSantaBarbara...
wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/web_tsus/18781122/narrative1.htm
cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LJ19090410.2.10
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/history/santabarbara/m...