The 18,000 acre Whittier brush fire in Santa Barbara County destroyed 16 homes, and 30 other structures.
Still, it threatened many times more buildings than that before firefighters stopped the flames.
One of the buildings in the path of the flames was a former stagecoach stop turned tavern which is more than 130 years old. The popular lunch, dinner and cocktails spot came through the inferno intact, and it just reopened Wednesday.
For the first time in a week and a half, Pedro Marquez is in the kitchen of a historic tavern atop San Marcos Pass, making a frying pan full of popular beer batter onion rings.
There’s a big sigh of relief for the owners of Cold Spring Tavern, its staff, and its customers, because it was threatened by the 18,000 acre Whittier brush fire.
Wayne and Joy Wilson own the historic restaurant, which has been in the family for more than seven decades. As the fire burned east from the Lake Cachuma area towards San Marcos Pass, Wilson admits he didn’t know whether the tavern would survive, but he says he’s grateful to firefighters, and everyone else who expressed support for them.
The tavern is more than a business. It’s a landmark. It’s near the summit of San Marcos Pass, off of Stagecoach Road. If you’ve never visited, the tavern is actually the centerpiece of a series of old wooden buildings. The indoor dining area has a rustic wood floor, walls covered with old signs and photos, and an old fashioned two piece door. Long before it became a popular lunch, dinner, and drinking spot, and hangout for weekend motorcyclists, it played a key role in Santa Barbara County’s history. It was a stagecoach stop.
Almost as soon as it reopened midday Wednesday, customers showed up for lunch. Sandi Hine drove from Moorpark with family, and friends to have lunch at the landmark, and says they weren’t disappointed.
As staff members busily get orders ready in the tiny kitchen, Cold Spring Tavern General Manager Donna Mudge admits everyone is relieved to have the historic buildings safe and sound, and to be back on the job.
Debbie Wilson, part of the family which owns the tavern, says while the last ten days were pretty tense, it’s been heartening to see how concerned the community has been about it.
Cold Spring Tavern is always busy on weekends, when it becomes a popular go-to spot for motorcyclists, but this Sunday the crowd is expected to be huge, with people coming to celebrate the tavern surviving the blaze intact.
