It was the end of an era on Santa Cruz Island (Image: courtesy of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation)
By Betsy J. Green
California had been “dry” since July 1 of 1919, and this caused a big adjustment for local vintners, even out on the Channel Islands where wine had been produced since the late 1800s.
“The long-established wineries of Santa Cruz Island, 30 miles off the coast of this city, probably will be dismantled … and the vats, casks, and other equipment sold to South American companies.” [Spoiler alert – the entire United States would go dry in January, 1920.]
“There is on the island, one of the best collections of old handmade and hand-carved Spanish casks … The island’s present store of wine is being shipped to Japan.” The winery was not used again, and is currently being converted into a museum.
Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1919 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the sixth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at
Interesting they didn’t get on the bandwagon some other wineries did, making wine for religious use. That whole probation era was not terribly successful, plenty of “rum runners” to fill the void. But it did bring in the criminal element, like Al Capone, to make big money. At least it didn’t last as long as the senseless laws against cannabis.