Sordid History of Pleasure Point

February 21, 2008 – 5:21 pm

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: Pleasure Point, Roadhouse, rumrunner, sex — admin @ 5:21 pm

A recent spat between local historians has unearthed some seedy nuggets of Live Oak lore. It all began with a fight over whether the Pleasure Point Roadhouse should be designated as historically significant or simply as an old fixer-upper that had lived out the last of its days. The County Supes resolved that debate on Feb. 12 when, in a 3-2 vote, they designated it an old fixer-upper, or in legal parlance, a NR6. This simply means the Roadhouse is not considered a historical resource by the county. If they had designated it as such, it would have granted an increased level of protection to the century-old structure, restricting the ability of property owner Leila Naslund to build whatever her heart desires on the land. What she will build on the land now, and whether or not the Roadhouse will be left standing, is still an open question. But in the course of this argument, some of the history of how Pleasure Point became so darn pleasurable was uncovered.
According to a report written by local historian Ross Gibson, before the days of Prohibition, Pleasure Point was known officially as Soquel Point. That innocent title didn’t last long. Apparently, the remote location of this beachfront resort was perfect for law-dodging rumrunners, prostitutes and other folks looking to make a quick buck selling pleasurable sensations to the summertime tourists rolling through town.
Gibson reports a Dr. Norman Sullivan as writing, “During Prohibition, the Roadhouse became a Speak-Easy, with rumrunners bringing booze ashore and burying it at Menzel’s Cozy Cove Beach.”
There is less evidence to support the assertion of prostitution, but the man who built the Roadhouse, John Henchy, was known to deal commercially in the sex biz. Before coming to Pleasure Point he had run a brothel and saloon in San Francisco. It seems that around these parts, you just can’t keep the fun from roaring on.