| Emma Wood State Beach | |
|---|---|
 Lifeguard tower and campsites overlooking the ocean | |
   | |
| Location | Ventura County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Ventura, California |
| Coordinates | 34°17′7″N119°19′32″W / 34.28528°N 119.32556°W /34.28528; -119.32556 |
| Area | 112 acres (45 ha) |
| Established | 1957 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
| Website | Official website |
Emma Wood State Beach is aCalifornia State Beach inVentura, California. It is located on theSanta Barbara Channel on the west side of theVentura River estuary and south of the railroad tracks of theCoast Line and theUS Highway 101 freeway.[1]
The beach is named after Emma Grubb Wood who once owned the 8,000 acres (3,237 ha) Taylor Ranch. The beach is popular for walking, fishing, swimming, andsurfing. It also includes a primitive campground forrecreational vehicles and the remains ofWorld War II artillery emplacements.
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The park is named for Emma Grubb Wood (May 23, 1881-September 19, 1944). Wood was the daughter of Alice Taylor Grubb, the owner of the Taylor Ranch (originally theRancho Cañada de San Miguelito), an 8,000-acre sheep ranch on which oil was discovered in the 1930s. When Alice Taylor Grubb died in 1936, she left the ranch to her daughter Alice and son Percy. Percy, who was unmarried, committed suicide in December 1937 by carbon monoxide poisoning in a garage owned by Emma Wood's husband, Adrian "Buddy" Wood.[2][3]
Wood died in 1944 inCarpinteria. At the time of her death, her land holdings, which included the Taylor Ranch, were valued at $8 million.[4]
Adrian Wood inherited the Taylor Ranch from Emma, and in 1956, Adrian, gave land totaling 112-acre (45 ha) with 7,600 feet of ocean frontage to the State of California. The land became the Emma Wood State Beach,[5] which opened in 1957.[6]
Emma Wood State Beach is popular for walking, fishing, swimming, andsurfing.[7][8]
The Wood property and the adjoining Seaside Wilderness Park (owned by the City of Ventura) include multiple ecosystems, including sand dunes, a flood plain, cobblestone beach, riparian woodland, and wetlands.[9] At the eastern edge of the beach, the Ventura River estuary attracts a variety of wildlife, includinggreat blue herons.[8] A total of 300 plant species and 233 species of birds have been identified in the area.[9] The Ocean's Edge Trail runs through both the Wood and Seaside properties.[9] Dolphins are also sometimes seen off the coast from the beach; theLos Angeles Times in 1997 wrote that Emma Wood is the "best bet" for dolphin watching.[10]
The beach includes the remains of two artillery installations built in 1942 in response to theBombardment of Ellwood, a Japanese submarine attack on theEllwood Oil Field.[11]
The park also include a primitive campground forrecreational vehicles. There are no sewage, water, or electricity connections, and no tent camping is allowed.[8][12]
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