During the 1870's and 1880's, a small village of scrap lumber and driftwood stood at the base of these cliffs. Known as China Beach or China Cove, it was established by Chinese fishermen who set their nets by boat and hauled their daily catch onto the beach by hand for drying and selling. By 1890, the expanding resort industry and waves of anti-Chinese sentiment had forced the last of the Chinese fishermen out of Santa Cruz County.