Next time you’re at Goleta Beach, look toward UCSB and notice the dark rock formation at the base of the bluffs. The lovely location once was the scene of blood and carnage, all in the name of commerce.
A shore whaling station was located here for about 20 years starting in 1870 to help provide Americans with whale oil for heating and lamps. If you think oil derricks are ugly, this will blow your mind.
Whaling was a disgusting and messy process, and there were no rules or regulations about how it was done. Since only the outer layer of fat was what they could sell, the rest of the gigantic mammal was left to rot right there on the beach.
Blood, guts and bones were washing around in the breakers for weeks, or until the tide was high enough to carry it all out to sea. The stench was unbearable as the meat slowly decayed on the beach and in the shallows, much to the enjoyment of the seabirds and the sharks.
Meanwhile, thick oak groves that once covered the Isla Vista mesa were decimated to provide firewood for the “try-pots” that melted the whale fat down into oil, and you can imagine the air quality from all that melting fat!…