ON THE SAND SEASON Story by Lea Boyd
To the east of the yawning mouth of Carpinteria Creek, a cluster of campsites hosts visitors from up and down the coast, people who pitch tents, roast marshmallows and relish the gritty sand between their toes.
Little do these campers know that their temporary slice of beachside property once held an exclusive beach club called Cerca del Mar, the pride of a little beach town with cosmopolitan dreams. Hundreds of locals fixed their hopes on the Cerca del Mar in the late 1920s, but its brief blaze of glory turned to a flicker and eventually fizzled altogether. In 1927, Carpinteria was modernizing and expand-
ing while impressive crops of walnuts, lima beans and lemons drove its growing economy. The safe and welcoming beach had been discovered, and visitors parked along the dunes to camp for weeks or months of the summer.
Edward B. Coyle had arrived in town the year be-
fore, convincing locals that the seaside town needed an exclusive social club, a pleasure pier and cottages
ABOVE, sitting pretty above the high tide mark, Cerca del Mar, pictured here in 1936, was located at the mouth of Carpinteria Creek, an area that is occupied today by Carpinteria State Beach campsites.
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to house sea-seeking visitors from the stifling interior of the state. Construction of the great clubhouse began in 1927, and residents eagerly anticipated the opening of Cerca del Mar, a venue that the Carpinteria Herald reported “seems to be destined to become the live spot of this section of the two counties, Santa Barbara and Ventura.” As if foreshadowing future complications, the first of
many snags caught the project before construction was complete. Financial backing for the club fell through, and Coyle was left with building costs far beyond his means. Local residents, however, stepped in and invest- ed in the project—one that seemed destined to succeed. When the doors of Cerca del Mar Clubhouse swung
open on Aug. 25, 1928, orchestra music poured out and hundreds of dinner guests poured in. Santa Bar-
COurTesy OF CarPINTerIa vaLLey museum OF HIsTOry
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