Stearns Wharf

Named for its builder, local lumberman John Peck Stearns, the wharf served the passenger and freight shipping needs of California's South Coast for over a quarter century.

Despite the great convenience offered by the wharf, Santa Barbara remained a fair-weather harbor with an acute need for a breakwater.

[2] When the railroad reached Santa Barbara in 1877, Stearns added another spur to the wharf, providing a necessary transport link to his lumberyard and the nearby Southern Pacific Depot.

Since its beginning, Stearns Wharf has had several natural and economic disasters, from the big earthquake in 1925 to a fire in 1973 which caused its closing.

[1] Currently, 17 businesses on the Wharf open to the public including: restaurants, museums, souvenir shops an ice cream parlor and candy store.