Rincon Point and the California Dream

Bates and Burns will recount Rincon Point’s transformation from a scruffy, unpopulated beach into the legendary surf spot of today. They'll discuss the Chumash village of Shuku, the Mexican land grant Rancho El Rincon, the evolution of surfing, and some of the families who have shaped Rincon.

Local writer and historian Vince Burns worked in book and database publishing for many years. Vince has written a book on global terrorism and (with Stephen Bates) Rincon Point, available here: https://amzn.to/3RtorUO. He has a doctorate degree in History from the University of Wisconsin.

Stephen Bates is a professor of journalism at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is the author of five books as well as articles in the Washington Post Magazine, the Atlantic, and American Heritage. He holds an A.B. and a J.D. from Harvard University. His great-grandfather acquired Rancho El Rincon in 1885, and it remained in the family for more than a century.