Santa Catalina Island (California)
Santa Catalina Island often shortened to Catalina Island or Catalina, is a rocky island, part of the Channel Islands, off the coast of Southern California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island covers an area of about 75 square miles, measuring 22 miles long and 8 miles across at its widest point. The island's highest peak is Mount Orizaba, rising to an elevation of 2,097 feet. The island is situated in the Pacific Ocean, 29 mi south-southwest of Long Beach, California. Politically, Catalina Island is part of Los Angeles County in District 4. Most of the island's land is unincorporated and is thus governed by the county.
Catalina was originally inhabited and used by many different Southern California Tribes. The first European colonists to arrive on the island claimed it for the Spanish Empire. Over the years, territorial claims to the island transferred ownership to Mexico and then to the United States of America. The island was used for otter hunting and gold-digging, before successfully being developed into a tourist destination in the 1920s. Since the 1970s, most of the island has been administered by the Catalina Island Conservancy.
In the 2020 census, Santa Catalina Island's population was 3,715 people, 93 percent of whom live in the island's only incorporated city, Avalon. The second center of population is the unincorporated village of Two Harbors at the island's isthmus. Development also occurs at the smaller settlements of Rancho Escondido and Middle Ranch. The remaining population is scattered over the island between the two population centers.
Today, it can be reached via ferry services from mainland California, with the most common departure point being the city of Long Beach. The island also has an airport, the Catalina Airport in the Sky.
Catalina Island is known for its diverse ecosystems, which include coastal scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands, grasslands, and coastal marine environments. It is also home to various native and introduced species, both on land and in the surrounding waters. Unique species include the island fox and the Catalina two striped garter snake. The city of Avalon, California, located on the island's eastern side, is the primary population center and serves as the hub for tourism. Catalina Island has a Mediterranean climate, with wet winters and warm, dry summers. Throughout the year, Catalina Island hosts a variety of events and activities, including the Catalina Wine Mixer, the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival. A tourist-drawing area, Catalina is heavily reliant economically on revenue from its annual visitors.
History
Archeological evidence of human settlement dates back to 7000 BC. Prior to the modern era, the island was inhabited by the Tongva, who had the villages Chowigna and Guashna, regularly traveled back and forth to Catalina for trade. The Tongva had settlements all over the island, with their biggest villages being at the Isthmus and at present-day Avalon, Shark/Little Harbor, and Emerald Bay. They were renowned for their mining, working and the trade of soapstone which was found in great quantities and varieties on the island. This material was in great demand and was traded along the California coast. The island was valued for its natural resources, but was also respected by the Tongva as an important "ceremonial center" with connections to the village of Povuu'nga, located in present-day Long Beach.During European colonization, the first European to set foot on the island was the Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, who sailed to the west coast in the name of the Spanish crown. On October 7, 1542, he claimed the island for Spain and named it “San Salvador” after his ship. Over half a century later, another Spanish explorer, Sebastián Vizcaíno, arrived at the island on the eve of Saint Catherine's day of 1602. Vizcaino renamed the island in the saint's honor. The colonization of California by the Spanish greatly contributed to the decline of the Pimugnans because of diseases brought by the Spanish from Europe. By the 1830s, the island's entire native population had been forced to the mainland on the Spanish missions or to work as ranch hands for the many private land owners.
In the late 18th century, the Franciscan friars considered building a mission on Catalina, but abandoned the idea due to the island's rugged terrain, small population size, and lack of fresh water. While Spain maintained its claim on Catalina Island, the Europeans were forbidden to trade with colonies. However, this policy was short lasted as the island lacked the ships to enforce this prohibition; also, much of the colonies wanted to trade with other European powers. During the period stretching from the late 18th to early 19th centuries, Russian hunters from the Aleutian Islands, particularly the Russian-American Company, visited Catalina Island as part of their fur trading expeditions. They were primarily interested in harvesting sea otters for their valuable fur, which led to the decimation of the local sea otter population. The hunting by the Russian-American caused a profound ecological impact on the marine life around Catalina Island by depleting a keystone species.
With its numerous hidden coves and relatively low population, the island was an attractive location for pirates and smugglers. While there are historical indications that such activities may have occurred, documented accounts of piracy or significant smuggling operations on the island are limited. During the 1850s and 1860s, Catalina Island witnessed a minor gold rush, as part of the larger California Gold Rush. Gold miners arrived on the island in search of valuable minerals. However, their scale and success was nothing to be compared to the more prosperous gold rush locations in California. The historical evidence regarding substantial gold deposits on the island remains inconclusive.
In 1846, Californio Governor Pío Pico made a Mexican land grant of the Island of Santa Catalina to Thomas M. Robbins, as Rancho Santa Catalina. Robbins established a small ranch on the island, but sold it in 1850 to José María Covarrubias. A claim was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1853, and in 1867, the grant was officially patented to José María Covarrubias. Covarrubias, in turn, sold the island to Albert Packard of Santa Barbara in 1853. By 1864, the entirety of Catalina Island was under the ownership of James Lick, whose estate maintained control over the island for the following approximately 25 years.
By the end of the 19th century, the island was almost uninhabited except for a few cattle herders. The first owner to try to develop Avalon into a resort destination was George Shatto, a real estate speculator from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Shatto purchased the island for $200,000 from the Lick estate at the height of the real estate boom in Southern California in 1887. Shatto created the settlement that would become Avalon, and can be credited with building the town's first hotel, the original Hotel Metropole, and pier. Despite Shatto's efforts, he defaulted on his loan after only a few years and the island went back to the Lick estate. The sons of Phineas Banning bought the island in 1891 from the estate of James Lick. The Banning brothers fulfilled Shatto's dream of making Avalon a resort community with the construction of numerous tourist facilities. On November 29, 1915, a fire burned half of Avalon's buildings, including six hotels and several clubs. In the face of huge debt related to the fire and the subsequent decline in tourism due to World War I, the Banning brothers were forced to sell the island in shares in 1919. On May 10, 1912 Glenn L. Martin flew a homemade seaplane in to Avalon, setting records for distance and time. In 1917 the Meteor Company purchased the Chinese pirate ship Ning Po, the oldest pirate ship afloat, built in 1753, and towed her to the Isthmus of Catalina Island for use as a tourist attraction and restaurant, until destroyed there by fire in 1938.
One of the main investors to purchase shares from the Bannings was chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. In 1919, Wrigley bought out nearly every share-holder until he owned controlling interest in the Santa Catalina Island Company. Wrigley invested millions in needed infrastructure and attractions to the island, including the construction of the Catalina Casino which opened on May 29, 1929. Wrigley also sought to bring publicity to the island through events and spectacles. Starting in 1921, the Chicago Cubs, also owned by Wrigley, used the island for the team's spring training. The Cubs continued to use the island for spring training until 1951, except during the war years of 1942 to 1945. Following the death of Wrigley Jr. in 1932, control of the Santa Catalina Island Company passed down to his son, Philip K. Wrigley, who continued his father's work improving the infrastructure of the island.
World War II
During World War II, the island was closed to tourists and used for military training facilities. Catalina's steamships were expropriated for use as troop transports and a number of military camps were established. The U.S. Maritime Service set up a training facility in Avalon, the Coast Guard had training at Two Harbors, the Army Signal Corps maintained a radar station in the interior, the Office of Strategic Services did training at Toyon Bay, and the Navy did underwater demolition training at Emerald Bay.Post-war
In 1972, the Brown Berets, a group of Latino activists, Chicanos and Mexican residents occupied Santa Catalina Island in 1972, invoking the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which has no mention of the islands. On February 15, 1975, Philip Wrigley deeded of the island from the Santa Catalina Island Company to the Catalina Island Conservancy that he had helped to establish in 1972. This gave the Conservancy control of nearly 90 percent of the island. The balance of the Santa Catalina Island Company that was not deeded to the Conservancy maintains control of much of its resort properties and operations on the island.Actress Natalie Wood drowned in the waters near the settlement of Two Harbors over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 1981 in what was ruled an accidental death. Wood and her husband, Robert Wagner, were vacationing aboard their motor yacht, Splendour, along with their guest, Christopher Walken, and Splendour captain, Dennis Davern. As a result of statements by Davern, and other factors, Wood's death certificate was altered to indicate the cause was "drowning and other undetermined factors"
In May 2007, the Island Fire was a large wildfire in the island. Largely due to the assistance of 200 Los Angeles County fire fighters transported by U.S. Marine Corps helicopters and U.S. Navy hovercraft, only a few structures were destroyed, though of wildland were burned. In May 2011, another wildfire started near the Isthmus Yacht Club and was fought by 120 firefighters transported by barge from Los Angeles. It was extinguished the next day after burning.