Castle Rock in 1872
In 1872, Stearns Wharf was newly completed and Santa Barbara was easy to reach by sea. A visitor to Santa Barbara that year described one of the most famous landmarks of Santa Barbara.
"The extreme eastern end of this Mesa is called Castle Rock, and around it, the coastline curves to the northeast, forming a little bay. Thus, although Santa Barbara is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, its outlook to the sea is not to the west, or even to the south, but to the southeast. If we would get a view of the ocean directly to the southwest, we must first climb the Mesa." — Santa Barbara Daily Press, December 28, 1872
Castle Rock once stood about where the entrance to the harbor walkway is today. Only the Mission and the Presidio were photographed more often. The rock was demolished in the late 1920s.