Santa Catalina Island, California
Encyclopedia
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island
off the coast of the U.S. state
of California
. The island is 22 miles (35.4 km) long and 8 miles (12.9 km) across at its greatest width. The island is located about 22 miles (35.4 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles, California
. The highest point on the island is 2097 feet (639.2 m) Mt. Orizaba, at 33°22′29.7"N 118°25′11.6"W.
One of the Channel Islands of California
archipelago, Catalina lies within Los Angeles County. Most of the island is administered by the Catalina Island Conservancy
.
The total population as of the 2000 census
was 3,696 persons, almost 85 percent of whom live in the island's only incorporated city, Avalon
(pop. 3,127, with another 195 south of town, outside of the city limits). The second center of population is the unincorporated
village of Two Harbors
, in the north, with a population of 298. Development occurs also at the smaller settlements of Rancho Escondido and Middle Ranch. The remaining population is scattered over the island between the two population centers. The island has an overall population density of 49.29/mi² (19.03/km²).
and Playa del Rey
, regularly traveled back and forth to Catalina for trade. The Tongva called the island Pimu or Pimugna and referred to themselves as the Pimugnans. Archeological evidence shows Tongva settlement beginning in 7000 BC. These Pimugnans had settlements all over the island at one time or another, with their biggest villages being at the Isthmus and at present-day Avalon, Shark/Little Harbor, and Emerald Bay. The Gabrielino/Tongva are renowned for their mining, working and 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 and as far south as Baja California.
The first European to set foot on the island was the Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
, sailing for Spain. On October 7, 1542, he claimed the island for Spain and christened it San Salvador after his ship. (Catalina has also been identified as one of the many possible burial sites for Cabrillo.) Over half a century later, another Spanish explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino
, rediscovered the island on the eve of Saint Catherine's day (November 24) in 1602. Vizcaino renamed the island in the saint's honor.
During the next 300 years, the island served as home or base of operation for many visitors, including Russia
n otter
hunters, Yankee smugglers and itinerant fishermen. Among these visitors, the Aleuts of Russian Alaska probably had the largest effect on the island and its people. These otter-hunters from the Aleutian Islands set up camps on Santa Catalina, and the surrounding Channel Islands, trading with the native peoples in exchange for permission to hunt otters and seals around the island for their pelts. The Aleuts brought diseases to the natives of Santa Catalina Island, for which they had no immunity. This, ultimately, led to the demise of the Pimugnan people. Although these hunters had been known to lead attacks on the native people of surrounding islands, such as the massacre that took place on San Nicolas Island
, there is no evidence of such an event on Santa Catalina. (See Nicoleno
). Smuggling also took place on the island for a long period of time. Pirates found that the island's abundance of hidden coves, as well as its short distance to the mainland and its small population, made it suitable for smuggling activities. Once used by smugglers of illegal Chinese immigrants, China Point, located on the south western end of Catalina, still bears its namesake.
Franciscan
Friar
s considered building a mission there, but abandoned the idea because of the lack of fresh water on the island. By the 1830s, the island's entire native population were either dead, or had migrated to the mainland to work in the missions or as ranch hands for the many private land owners.
made a Mexican land grant
of the Island of Santa Catalina to Thomas M. Robbins in 1846, as Rancho Santa Catalina. Thomas M. Robbins (1801–1854) a sea captain who came to California in 1823, married the daughter of Carlos Antonio Carrillo
. Robbins established a small rancho on the Island, but sold it in 1850 to Jose Maria Covarrubias. A claim was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1853, and the grant was patented
to José Maria Covarrubias in 1867. Covarrubias sold the island to Albert Packard of Santa Barbara in 1853, and by 1864 the entire island was owned by James Lick
.
In the fall of 1857 the whaler Charles Melville Scammon
, in the brig Boston, rendezvoused with his schooner-tender Marin in the "snug harbor" (some have suggested Avalon Bay
; more likely Catalina Harbor
) of Catalina. They left on November 30 for Laguna Ojo de Liebre
to become the first to hunt the gray whale
s breeding there.
The island experienced a brief gold rush
in 1860s, but very little gold was actually found. In 1864, the federal government, fearing attempts to outfit privateers by Confederate sympathizers in the American Civil War
, put an end to the mining by ordering everyone off the island. A small garrison of Union troops were stationed at the Isthmus on the island's west end for about nine months. Their barracks stand as the oldest structure on the island and is currently the home of the Isthmus Yacht Club.
herders. At that time, its location just 20 miles (32.2 km) from Los Angeles
—a city that had reached the population of 50,000 in 1890 and was undergoing a period of enormous growth—was a major factor that contributed to the development of the island into a vacation destination.
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. His sister-in-law Etta Whitney came up with the name Avalon, which was taken from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Idylls of the King
," about the legend of King Arthur
. He laid out Avalon's streets, and introduced it as a vacation destination to the general public. He did this by hosting a real estate auction in Avalon in 1887, and purchasing a steamer ship for daily access to the island. In the summer of 1888, the small pioneer village kicked off its opening season as a booming little resort town. 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
and established the Santa Catalina Island Company to develop it as a resort. The Banning brothers fulfilled Shatto's dream of making Avalon a resort community. They built a dance pavilion in the center of town, made additions to the Hotel Metropole and steamer-wharf, built an aquarium, created the Pilgrim Club (a gambling club for men only), improved the standard of Avalon's beach by erecting a sea-wall and adding covered benches or "spoonholders", building a bath house, adding new steamships to the run, and setting up close to one hundred tents throughout Avalon's canyon (often called "tent cities"). These tents were created so that, if the expense of a hotel was too much, a visitor could rent out a tent for as little as $7.50 per week, which was quite a bargain at the time. To this day, many homes in Avalon are still in possession of the same tents that stood in that spot over a century ago.
Although the Banning's main focus was in Avalon, they also showed great interest in the rest of the island and wanted to introduce other parts of Catalina to the general public. They did this by paving the first dirt roads into the island's interior where they built hunting lodges and led stagecoach tours, and by making Avalon's surrounding areas (Lovers Cove, Sugarloaf Point and Descanso Beach) accessible to tourists. They built two homes, one in Descanso Canyon and the other in what is now Two Harbors
, the latter now being that village's only hotel. Just as the Bannings were anticipating construction of the new Hotel Saint Catherine, their efforts were set back on November 29, 1915, when a fire burned half of Avalon's buildings, including six hotels and several clubs. The Bannings refused to sell the island in hopes of rebuilding the town, starting with the Hotel Saint Catherine. The hotel would be located on Sugarloaf Point, the unique, picturesque, cliff-bound peninsula at the north end of Avalon's harbor. It was blasted away to begin the construction of the hotel with its annex being in Descanso Canyon. These plans failed because of lack of funding and, in the end, the entire hotel was built in Descanso Canyon. The Bannings were in huge debt from the fire of 1915 and World War I
's negative effect on tourism in general. In 1919, the Banning brothers were forced to sell the island in shares.
When William Wrigley Jr. bought controlling interest in the Santa Catalina Island Company in 1919, he devoted himself to preserving and promoting it, investing millions in needed infrastructure and attractions.
When the island was bought, two ships, the Hermosa II and the S.S. Cabrillo were the only steamships that provided access to the island. Wrigley understood that transportation to and from the island was vital to Catalina's growth. He envisioned great steamers, some of the greatest the world had ever seen. He purchased the S.S. Virginia, and with some adjustments, it was renamed the S.S. Avalon in 1920. He foresaw the design of another steamship, the S.S. Catalina which was launched on the morning of May 3, 1924. Each of these ships weighed over 2,000 tons, and could hold more than 1,500 passengers. These steamships transported passengers to Catalina for many years.
In the 1920s, in an effort to generate tourism on Catalina, Wrigley tried to convince Gertrude Ederle
, who had just become famous as first woman to swim across the English Channel
, to swim from Catalina to the mainland. She declined, so he launched the 1927 Wrigley Ocean Marathon: offering $25,000 to the first person to cross the channel, with $15,000 for the first finisher of "the fair sex." Out of a field of 102, only one man completed the swim, Canadian swimmer George Young
, who finished 15 hours and 44 minutes after the start. The two women who came the closest were awarded $2,500 each.
Wrigley built a home in Avalon to oversee his plans. One of Wrigley's first priorities was to create a new and improved dance pavilion for the island's tourists. Before the Banning brothers sold the island, Sugarloaf Point was blasted away to start the construction of the Hotel St. Catherine. In the end, the hotel was built in Descanso Canyon. However, Wrigley used this cleared spot to build the dance hall which he named Sugarloaf Casino. It served as a ballroom and Avalon's first high-school. Its time as a casino was short, however, for it proved too small for Catalina's growing population. In 1928, the Casino was razed to make room for a newer Casino. Sugarloaf Rock was blasted away to enhance the Casino's ocean-view.
Tourism was encouraged by the construction of an Art Deco
dance hall, called the Catalina Casino
, on May 29, 1929. Surrounded by sea on three sides, the circular structure is the equivalent of 12 stories
tall.
The lower level of the Casino houses the Avalon Theater. The upper level houses the world's largest circular ballroom with a 180 feet (55 m) diameter dance floor. French doors encircle the room.
From 1927 until 1937, pottery and tile were made on the island at the Catalina Clay Products Company, and these items are now highly sought-after collectibles. The Chicago Cubs
, also owned by Wrigley, used the island for the team's spring training
from ca. 1921-1951, absent the war years of 1942-45.
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, the U.S. Maritime Service set up a training facility in Avalon, the Coast Guard had training at Two Harbors, the Army Signal Corp maintained a radar station in the interior, and the Office of Strategic Services
(a precursor to the CIA) did training at Toyon Bay. Emerald Bay, on the Island's west end was used by the Navy.
Catalina's airport, the "Airport in the Sky"
(AVX), was completed in 1946. Catalina Airlines was founded by Dick Probert. The 3,250-foot (990 m) runway sits on a mountaintop, 1,602 feet (488 m) above sea level. Until the time of the airport's construction, the only air service to the island was provided by seaplane
s.
In 1962, Hannes Keller
set a new world record when he reached a depth of 1000 feet off the coast of Catalina Island utilizing Albert A. Bühlmann
's heliox
algorithm in a study funded by the United States Navy
. This dive was four times deeper than commercial oil companies
were drilling
at that time and proved that deeper work was feasible.
In September 1972, 26 members of the Brown Berets
, a group of Chicano
activists, traveled to Catalina and planted a Mexican flag, claiming the island for all Chicanos. They asserted that the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty between Mexico
and the United States
did not specifically mention the Channel Islands. The group camped outside of Avalon and were viewed as a new tourist attraction. Local Mexican-Americans provided them with food after they used up their own supplies. After 24 days a municipal judge visited the camp to ask them to leave. They departed peaceably on the tourist boat, just as they had arrived.
In 1975, Philip Wrigley deeded the Wrigley shares in the Santa Catalina Island Company to the Catalina Island Conservancy
that he had helped create. The Conservancy has stewardship of 88 percent of the island. The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation
. So far, the successes include the opening of California's first permanent desalination plant in 1991.
In May 2007, the town was threatened once again by a wildfire. Because of the help of 200 Los Angeles County Fire Fighters brought over by Marine Corps hovercraft, only a few structures were destroyed.
In March 2011, Catalina Harbor experienced the effects of the great Japanese tsunami. The tsunami destroyed 2 dinghy docks and overturned over 10 vessels in Catalina Harbor.
In May 2011, a 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 117 acres (47.3 ha). In the same month, 1500 pounds (680.4 kg) of marijuana, in 50 pounds (22.7 kg) bales, was seized by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
, using the department's Air Rescue 5
helicopter.
, to the extent that some beaches on the seaward side have silvery-grey sand.
Catalina is primarily composed of two distinct rock units: Catalina Schist
from the Early Cretaceous
(95 to 109 Mya), and Miocene
volcanic
and intrusive igneous rock
s.
); Catalina mahogany (Cercocarpus traskiae
); Catalina dudleya (Dudleya hassei); St. Catherine’s lace (Eriogonum giganteum
var. giganteum); Santa Catalina bedstraw (Galium catalinense
ssp. catalinense); and Santa Catalina Island ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus). A disjunctive population of Toyon
var. macrocarpa is also a Santa Catalina endemic.
These plants may be seen at the island's Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Gardens and the newly remodeled Golf Gardens miniature golf course.
s: the Island Fox
, the Spermophilus beecheyi nesioticus subspecies of California Ground Squirrel
, the Santa Catalina Island Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis catalinae), the Santa Catalina Island Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus catalinae), and the Ornate Shrew
(Sorex ornatus). Only one Ornate Shrew was ever found, from a now-developed spring area above Avalon. Shrews are difficult to capture and may survive in wetter areas of the island.
Sea otter
s are now extinct on Santa Catalina Island and surrounding waters because of the effects of the Aleut hunts. These hunts took place for months in the 19th century, with the slaughtering of close to one hundred otters per night. Today, the only substantial population of sea otters in the area is off the northern Channel Islands.
The Island Fox
is an endangered endemic
species. In 1999, all but 100 out of 1,300 foxes on Catalina Island were wiped out because of a virulent strain of canine distemper
. Following a successful recovery program which included captive breeding, distemper vaccinations and population monitoring, the Catalina fox community has been restored to more than 400 individuals—a number deemed by the Conservancy scientists to be a self-sufficient population. However, mysterious, usually fatal ear tumors continue to plague the Catalina fox. Three Catalina Island Conservancy wildlife biologists continue to monitor the population through pit tagging, trapping and inspection.
The Conservancy is also working to restore bald eagle
s to the island, with several chicks hatching in 2007. These would edge out an invasive golden eagle
population that threatens the native Island Fox.
The island has been home to a population of approximately 150 American bison
since 1924. Originally, fourteen bison were brought to the island for the filming of the movie The Vanishing American, though the scenes with the bison in them did not make it into the final cut of the film. Due to cost overruns, the film company decided to leave the bison on the island instead of bringing them back to the mainland.
In the waters surrounding the island, there are schools of fish like garibaldi
, Yellowtail, Kelp Bass
, White seabass
, Giant sea bass
, Leopard shark
s, blacksmiths
, opaleyes, sheepheads, lingcods, bat rays, horn sharks, mackerel, bonito, barracuda, herring, anchovies, sardines, and many more. The great white shark
has also been found on the west side of the island among the kelp beds.
The Catalina Orangetip butterfly
is a notable insect of the island.
The island also has an abundance of rattlesnakes in the back country, which manage to control the rodent population.
About a million tourists visit the island every year; Catalina is serviced by ferries
and the "Airport in the Sky." Ferries depart from Orange County
in Newport Beach
and Dana Point
, while they depart from Los Angeles County
in Long Beach
, San Pedro
, and Marina del Rey
. The trip takes approximately an hour and costs approx $65 round trip. Helicopter service is also available from Long Beach or San Pedro.
Most of the island is controlled by the Catalina Island Conservancy
, a private nonprofit organization. The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation. Through its ongoing efforts, the Conservancy protects the magnificent natural and cultural heritage of Santa Catalina Island, stewarding approximately 42,000 acres (170 km²) of land (88 percent of the island), 50 miles (80 km) of rugged shoreline, an airport, and more than 200 miles (321.9 km) of roads.
Under an agreement with Los Angeles County, the Conservancy has granted an easement
to allow day hiking and mountain biking, but visitors must first obtain a permit at the Conservancy's office (on which they declare the parts of the island they intend to visit). Hiking permits are free, whereas bicycle permits are available for a fee (as of 2006, $60 per person annual, $20 per person good for 2 consecutive days, helmets and mountain bikes with knobby tires required).
The use of motor vehicle
s on the island is restricted; there is a limit on the number of registered car
s, which translates into a 25-year-long wait list to bring a car to the island. Most residents move around via golf cart. Tourists can hire a taxi from Catalina Transportation Services. Bicycle
s are also a popular mode of transportation. There are a number of bicycle and golf cart rental agencies on the island. Only the city of Avalon is open to the public without restrictions.
The only major road into the back country is Stage Road.
Glass bottom boat
s tour the reef
s and shipwreck
s of the area, and scuba diving
and snorkeling
are popular in the clear water. Lover's Cove, to the east of town, and Descanso Beach, to the west of the Casino, are popular places to dive. The area is famous for the schools of flying fish and the bright orange Garibaldi
which teem in local waters. Parasailing
is also offered. Bus tours are given of the interior.
While tourists rarely have an opportunity to surf, two beaches on the "backside" of Catalina offer good waves: Shark Harbor and Ben Weston Beach. Avalon Beach on Catalina Island has made the Natural Resources Defense Council report's list of Top 10 "Repeat Offender" beaches with chronic pollution problems.
Avalon Harbor Beach has ranked among the most polluted in the state, tainted with human sewage that puts swimmers at risk. A report last month by the Natural Resources Defense Council listed Avalon as one of the 10 most chronically polluted beaches in the nation for failing state health tests as much as 73% of the time. Researchers years ago zeroed in on the cause: the city's rickety sewer system, made of century-old clay and metal pipes. Indeed, calling attention to tainted beach water is discouraged in a town where tourism brings in $100 million a year. It's like using the S-word: Shark," said Wayne Griffin, president and chief executive of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. "Those things bring up emotions in people. That was the experience of Angie Bera, a former Santa Monica Baykeeper biologist who moved to Avalon in 2006 to start a sailboat charter business and store. Last summer Bera, who has since moved off the island, wrote an article in the Catalina Islander saying that Heal the Bay's ranking of Avalon Harbor as the dirtiest beach in the state a "reality check." The reaction was swift. Some on the island said they would boycott Bera's business. The Chamber president canceled his subscription and denounced the negative publicity in a newsletter to island businesses.
"I'm not suggesting that we attempt to cover things up or ignore problems," Griffin wrote. "But we don't have to go out of our way to publicize them."
Two Harbors
is the second, and much smaller, resort village on the island. Located at the isthmus
of the island, north of Avalon, it is the primary landing spot for those who wish to tour the western half of the island. It is accessible by boat from San Pedro and by bus or boat from Avalon.
Art Good
, host of the Jazztrax Showcase of the Absolute Newest
, holds the Catalina Island Jazztrax Festival there each year.
The Catalina Island Museum, located in the historic Catalina Casino
building, is also an attraction as it is the keeper of the island's cultural heritage with collections numbering over 100,000 items and including over 7,000 years of Native American
history, over 10,000 photographs and images, a large collection of Catalina-made pottery
and tile
, ship models, and much more. The museum features dynamic exhibits on this history and also a unique gift store. Programs include walking tours of Avalon, classes for students, gallery docents, lectures, an annual silent film
benefit and more.
Known shipwrecks in the waters off the island include the Diosa del Mar
(33.462770°N 118.491925°W), which was sunk July 30, 1990 near Ship Rock, and the famous Su-Jac (among others) just off Casino point. The yacht Valiant burned and sank a couple hundred yards out from Descanso Beach. It had about $75,000 worth of jewelry on board which has never been recovered.
The oldest shipwreck known on Santa Catalina Island is that of a Chinese smuggling ship off Ballast Point on the west side of the island.
Dives are by harbormaster's permit only.
Two Boy Scouts of America
councils in Los Angeles County have camps north of Two Harbors: Camp Cherry Valley
, operated by the San Gabriel Valley Council, located two coves north of Two Harbors at Cherry Cove; and Camp Emerald Bay, operated by the Western Los Angeles County Council, further up the coast.
The island contains another camp named Camp Fox, formerly operated by the YMCA of Glendale, which holds several summer coed youth camps, a summer girl's camp, as well as a Christian leadership conference in spring. As of 2007 Camp Fox also known as Fox Landing is currently owned by the Catalina Island Marine Institute. There is also Campus by the Sea
, a camp operated by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
, located at Gallagher's Cove.
There is also a coeducational camp at Howland's Landing named Catalina Island Camps, which has been there since the 1920s. Catalina Island Camps is home to many camps including Camp del Corazon, a camp for kids and counslers with heart disease or defects.
Guided Discoveries (Catalina Island Marine Institute
) also runs several camps (Toyon Bay, Fox Landing, and Cherry Cove) on Catalina Island providing hands on opportunities to learn marine science (at Toyon Bay
) and environmental studies
to school groups and community groups during school year and sea camps during the summer.
Moonstone is another private cove operated by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club of Newport Beach, California
.
Just west of Moonstone Cove is Whites Landing. Whites Landing is home to two yacht club camps, Balboa Yacht Club to the west, and San Diego Yacht Club
to the east. In the center of the large cove on a 14 acres (56,656 m²) parcel is a private camp and retreat center called the Catalina Experience. The Catalina Experience hosts numerous youth camps, family camps, group retreats and outdoor education programs.
, and Carnival Cruise Lines
making the port a regular for Baja cruises. Specifically, Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Paradise has made calls every week to the island every week since 2004, making it the ship to have the most weekly calls to the port, but will leave in November 2011 to be replaced by the Carnival Inspiration.
(LASD) operates the Avalon Station in Avalon
, serving Santa Catalina Island.
.
There are two schools on Catalina Island. Two Harbors is served by a one-room school
house for grades K-5; students travel to Avalon for grades 6-12. Avalon schools are housed on one main campus that includes Avalon Elementary School, Avalon Middle School and Avalon High School. About a dozen children attend the Two Harbors school and about 800 students attend Avalon schools each year. Thousands of school-age youths travel from the mainland
to study at the Catalina Island Marine Institute
every year.
The USC Wrigley Institute
research and teaching facilities at Big Fisherman's Cove, near Two Harbors, maintained by the University of Southern California
and named for Philip K. Wrigley
, consist of a 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) laboratory building, dormitory housing, cafeteria, a hyperbaric chamber
, and a large waterfront staging area complete with dock, pier, helipad, and diving lockers. The facility was made possible by a donation from the Wrigley
family in 1995.
and FedEx
don't operate on the island, and instead contract with Catalina Flying Boats, which flies packages into the airport, and delivers by truck to the rest of the island. They are picky about their cargo, especially chemicals, or anything even remotely flammable or explosive. The ferry
companies restrict items similarly, and sometimes there's just no legal way to get certain items out to the island.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
off the coast of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The island is 22 miles (35.4 km) long and 8 miles (12.9 km) across at its greatest width. The island is located about 22 miles (35.4 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The highest point on the island is 2097 feet (639.2 m) Mt. Orizaba, at 33°22′29.7"N 118°25′11.6"W.
One of the Channel Islands of California
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
archipelago, Catalina lies within Los Angeles County. Most of the island is administered by the Catalina Island Conservancy
Catalina Island Conservancy
The Catalina Island Conservancy is a nonprofit organization established to protect and conserve Santa Catalina Island, California. CIC was established in 1972 through the efforts of the Wrigley and Offield families...
.
The total population as of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
was 3,696 persons, almost 85 percent of whom live in the island's only incorporated city, Avalon
Avalon, California
Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands, and the southernmost city in Los Angeles County. Besides Avalon, the only other center of population on the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors...
(pop. 3,127, with another 195 south of town, outside of the city limits). The second center of population is the unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
village of Two Harbors
Two Harbors, California
Two Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated island village on Santa Catalina Island, California with a population of 298 . It is the second center of population on the island, besides the city of Avalon. It is mainly a resort village. It has only one restaurant, one...
, in the north, with a population of 298. Development occurs also at the smaller settlements of Rancho Escondido and Middle Ranch. The remaining population is scattered over the island between the two population centers. The island has an overall population density of 49.29/mi² (19.03/km²).
Early history
Prior to the modern era, the island was inhabited by people of the Gabrielino/Tongva tribe, who, having had villages near present day San PedroSan Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
and Playa del Rey
Playa del Rey, Los Angeles, California
Playa del Rey is a beachside community within the city of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424...
, regularly traveled back and forth to Catalina for trade. The Tongva called the island Pimu or Pimugna and referred to themselves as the Pimugnans. Archeological evidence shows Tongva settlement beginning in 7000 BC. These Pimugnans had settlements all over the island at one time or another, with their biggest villages being at the Isthmus and at present-day Avalon, Shark/Little Harbor, and Emerald Bay. The Gabrielino/Tongva are renowned for their mining, working and trade of soapstone
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx...
which was found in great quantities and varieties on the island. This material was in great demand and was traded along the California coast and as far south as Baja California.
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America on behalf of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States...
, sailing for Spain. On October 7, 1542, he claimed the island for Spain and christened it San Salvador after his ship. (Catalina has also been identified as one of the many possible burial sites for Cabrillo.) Over half a century later, another Spanish explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino
Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
, rediscovered the island on the eve of Saint Catherine's day (November 24) in 1602. Vizcaino renamed the island in the saint's honor.
During the next 300 years, the island served as home or base of operation for many visitors, including Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
hunters, Yankee smugglers and itinerant fishermen. Among these visitors, the Aleuts of Russian Alaska probably had the largest effect on the island and its people. These otter-hunters from the Aleutian Islands set up camps on Santa Catalina, and the surrounding Channel Islands, trading with the native peoples in exchange for permission to hunt otters and seals around the island for their pelts. The Aleuts brought diseases to the natives of Santa Catalina Island, for which they had no immunity. This, ultimately, led to the demise of the Pimugnan people. Although these hunters had been known to lead attacks on the native people of surrounding islands, such as the massacre that took place on San Nicolas Island
San Nicolas Island
San Nicolas Island is the most remote of California's Channel Islands. It is part of Ventura County. The 14,562 acre island is currently controlled by the United States Navy and is used as a weapons testing and training facility, served by Naval Outlying Field San Nicolas Island...
, there is no evidence of such an event on Santa Catalina. (See Nicoleno
Nicoleño
The Nicoleño were a Native American tribe living on San Nicolas Island in California. Juana Maria, the "Lone Woman of San Nicolas," was the last surviving Nicoleño when she died in 1853.-History:...
). Smuggling also took place on the island for a long period of time. Pirates found that the island's abundance of hidden coves, as well as its short distance to the mainland and its small population, made it suitable for smuggling activities. Once used by smugglers of illegal Chinese immigrants, China Point, located on the south western end of Catalina, still bears its namesake.
Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
s considered building a mission there, but abandoned the idea because of the lack of fresh water on the island. By the 1830s, the island's entire native population were either dead, or had migrated to the mainland to work in the missions or as ranch hands for the many private land owners.
Mexican land grant
Governor Pío PicoPío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
made a Mexican land grant
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
of the Island of Santa Catalina to Thomas M. Robbins in 1846, as Rancho Santa Catalina. Thomas M. Robbins (1801–1854) a sea captain who came to California in 1823, married the daughter of Carlos Antonio Carrillo
Carlos Antonio Carrillo
Carlos Antonio Carrillo , Governor of Alta California from 1837 to 1838. He took his oath as governon in Pueblo de Los Angeles, present day Los Angeles, on December 6, 1836. aCarlos Antonio Carrillo was the son of a prominent California family...
. Robbins established a small rancho on the Island, but sold it in 1850 to Jose Maria Covarrubias. A claim was filed with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1853, and the grant was patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
to José Maria Covarrubias in 1867. Covarrubias sold the island to Albert Packard of Santa Barbara in 1853, and by 1864 the entire island was owned by James Lick
James Lick
James Lick was an American carpenter, piano builder, land baron, and patron of the sciences. At the time of his death, he was the wealthiest man in California, and left the majority of his estate to social and scientific causes.-Early years:James Lick was born in Stumpstown Pennsylvania on August...
.
In the fall of 1857 the whaler Charles Melville Scammon
Charles Melville Scammon
Charles Melville Scammon was a 19th-century whaleman, naturalist, and author. He was the first to hunt the gray whales of both Laguna Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio Lagoon, the former once being called "Scammon's Lagoon" after him. In 1874 he wrote the book The Marine Mammals of the North-western...
, in the brig Boston, rendezvoused with his schooner-tender Marin in the "snug harbor" (some have suggested Avalon Bay
Avalon, California
Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands, and the southernmost city in Los Angeles County. Besides Avalon, the only other center of population on the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors...
; more likely Catalina Harbor
Two Harbors, California
Two Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated island village on Santa Catalina Island, California with a population of 298 . It is the second center of population on the island, besides the city of Avalon. It is mainly a resort village. It has only one restaurant, one...
) of Catalina. They left on November 30 for Laguna Ojo de Liebre
Laguna Ojo de Liebre
Laguna Ojo de Liebre , translated into English as "Hare's Eye Lagoon", is a coastal lagoon located in Mulegé Municipality near the town of Guerrero Negro in the northwestern part of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur...
to become the first to hunt the gray whale
Gray Whale
The gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about , a weight of , and lives 50–70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were...
s breeding there.
The island experienced a brief gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in 1860s, but very little gold was actually found. In 1864, the federal government, fearing attempts to outfit privateers by Confederate sympathizers in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, put an end to the mining by ordering everyone off the island. A small garrison of Union troops were stationed at the Isthmus on the island's west end for about nine months. Their barracks stand as the oldest structure on the island and is currently the home of the Isthmus Yacht Club.
Early developers
By the end of the 19th century, the island was almost uninhabited except for a few cattleCattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
herders. At that time, its location just 20 miles (32.2 km) from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
—a city that had reached the population of 50,000 in 1890 and was undergoing a period of enormous growth—was a major factor that contributed to the development of the island into a vacation destination.
The first owner to try to develop Avalon into a resort destination was George Shatto, a real estate speculator from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. Shatto purchased the island for $200,000 from the Lick estate at the height of the real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
boom
Boom and bust
A credit boom-bust cycle is an episode characterized by a sustained increase in several economics indicators followed by a sharp and rapid contraction. Commonly the boom is driven by a rapid expansion of credit to the private sector accompanied with rising prices of commodities and stock market index...
in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
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. His sister-in-law Etta Whitney came up with the name Avalon, which was taken from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King, published between 1856 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom...
," about the legend of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. He laid out Avalon's streets, and introduced it as a vacation destination to the general public. He did this by hosting a real estate auction in Avalon in 1887, and purchasing a steamer ship for daily access to the island. In the summer of 1888, the small pioneer village kicked off its opening season as a booming little resort town. Despite Shatto's efforts, he defaulted on his loan after only a few years and the island went back to the Lick estate.
Phineas Banning
Phineas Banning was an American businessman, financier, and entrepreneur.Known as "The Father of the Port of Los Angeles," he was one of the founders of the town of Wilmington, which was named for his birthplace...
bought the island in 1891 from the estate of James Lick
James Lick
James Lick was an American carpenter, piano builder, land baron, and patron of the sciences. At the time of his death, he was the wealthiest man in California, and left the majority of his estate to social and scientific causes.-Early years:James Lick was born in Stumpstown Pennsylvania on August...
and established the Santa Catalina Island Company to develop it as a resort. The Banning brothers fulfilled Shatto's dream of making Avalon a resort community. They built a dance pavilion in the center of town, made additions to the Hotel Metropole and steamer-wharf, built an aquarium, created the Pilgrim Club (a gambling club for men only), improved the standard of Avalon's beach by erecting a sea-wall and adding covered benches or "spoonholders", building a bath house, adding new steamships to the run, and setting up close to one hundred tents throughout Avalon's canyon (often called "tent cities"). These tents were created so that, if the expense of a hotel was too much, a visitor could rent out a tent for as little as $7.50 per week, which was quite a bargain at the time. To this day, many homes in Avalon are still in possession of the same tents that stood in that spot over a century ago.
Two Harbors, California
Two Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated island village on Santa Catalina Island, California with a population of 298 . It is the second center of population on the island, besides the city of Avalon. It is mainly a resort village. It has only one restaurant, one...
, the latter now being that village's only hotel. Just as the Bannings were anticipating construction of the new Hotel Saint Catherine, their efforts were set back on November 29, 1915, when a fire burned half of Avalon's buildings, including six hotels and several clubs. The Bannings refused to sell the island in hopes of rebuilding the town, starting with the Hotel Saint Catherine. The hotel would be located on Sugarloaf Point, the unique, picturesque, cliff-bound peninsula at the north end of Avalon's harbor. It was blasted away to begin the construction of the hotel with its annex being in Descanso Canyon. These plans failed because of lack of funding and, in the end, the entire hotel was built in Descanso Canyon. The Bannings were in huge debt from the fire of 1915 and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
's negative effect on tourism in general. In 1919, the Banning brothers were forced to sell the island in shares.
Wrigley ownership
One of main investors to purchase shares from the Bannings was chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr. He was convinced to invest in Santa Catalina Island and, before his purchase, he traveled to Catalina with his wife, Ada, and son, Philip. Wrigley immediately fell in love with the island, and he bought out every last share-holder until he owned the controlling share of the Santa Catalina Island Company.When William Wrigley Jr. bought controlling interest in the Santa Catalina Island Company in 1919, he devoted himself to preserving and promoting it, investing millions in needed infrastructure and attractions.
When the island was bought, two ships, the Hermosa II and the S.S. Cabrillo were the only steamships that provided access to the island. Wrigley understood that transportation to and from the island was vital to Catalina's growth. He envisioned great steamers, some of the greatest the world had ever seen. He purchased the S.S. Virginia, and with some adjustments, it was renamed the S.S. Avalon in 1920. He foresaw the design of another steamship, the S.S. Catalina which was launched on the morning of May 3, 1924. Each of these ships weighed over 2,000 tons, and could hold more than 1,500 passengers. These steamships transported passengers to Catalina for many years.
In the 1920s, in an effort to generate tourism on Catalina, Wrigley tried to convince Gertrude Ederle
Gertrude Ederle
Gertrude Caroline Ederle was an American competitive swimmer. In 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Gertrude Ederle was the daughter of a German immigrant who ran a butcher shop on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan; she was born in New York City. She was known as...
, who had just become famous as first woman to swim across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, to swim from Catalina to the mainland. She declined, so he launched the 1927 Wrigley Ocean Marathon: offering $25,000 to the first person to cross the channel, with $15,000 for the first finisher of "the fair sex." Out of a field of 102, only one man completed the swim, Canadian swimmer George Young
George Young (swimmer)
George Young was a Canadian marathon swimmer who on 15–16 January 1927 became the first swimmer to swim the channel between Catalina Island and the mainland of California. This took place during a contest called the Wrigley Ocean Marathon, sponsored by chewing gum and sports magnate William...
, who finished 15 hours and 44 minutes after the start. The two women who came the closest were awarded $2,500 each.
Tourism was encouraged by the construction of an Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
dance hall, called the Catalina Casino
Catalina Casino
The Catalina Casino is located in Avalon on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles. It is the most recognizable landmark in the City of Avalon. It contains a theatre, a ballroom, and a museum.-History:...
, on May 29, 1929. Surrounded by sea on three sides, the circular structure is the equivalent of 12 stories
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
tall.
The lower level of the Casino houses the Avalon Theater. The upper level houses the world's largest circular ballroom with a 180 feet (55 m) diameter dance floor. French doors encircle the room.
Recent history
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, also owned by Wrigley, used the island for the team's spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
from ca. 1921-1951, absent the war years of 1942-45.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the island was closed to tourists and used for military training facilities. Catalina's steamships were expropriated for use as troop transports, the U.S. Maritime Service set up a training facility in Avalon, the Coast Guard had training at Two Harbors, the Army Signal Corp maintained a radar station in the interior, and the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(a precursor to the CIA) did training at Toyon Bay. Emerald Bay, on the Island's west end was used by the Navy.
Catalina's airport, the "Airport in the Sky"
Catalina Airport
Catalina Airport is a privately owned airport located six miles northwest of the central business district of Avalon, California in the middle of Catalina Island. The airport is open to the public and allows general aviation aircraft to land there. The only requirement is that inbound pilots...
(AVX), was completed in 1946. Catalina Airlines was founded by Dick Probert. The 3,250-foot (990 m) runway sits on a mountaintop, 1,602 feet (488 m) above sea level. Until the time of the airport's construction, the only air service to the island was provided by seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s.
In 1962, Hannes Keller
Hannes Keller
Hannes Keller is a Swiss physicist, mathematician, deep diving pioneer, and entrepreneur. In 1962, he reached a depth of 1000 feet in open ocean....
set a new world record when he reached a depth of 1000 feet off the coast of Catalina Island utilizing Albert A. Bühlmann
Albert A. Bühlmann
Professor Albert A. Bühlmann was a Swiss physician who was principally responsible for a number of important contributions to decompression science at the Laboratory of Hyperbaric Physiology at the University Hospital in Zürich, Switzerland. His impact on diving ranged from complex commercial and...
's heliox
Heliox
Heliox is a breathing gas composed of a mixture of helium and oxygen .Heliox has been used medically since the 1930s, and although the medical community adopted it initially to alleviate symptoms of upper airway obstruction, its range of medical uses has since expanded greatly, mostly because of...
algorithm in a study funded by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. This dive was four times deeper than commercial oil companies
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
were drilling
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
at that time and proved that deeper work was feasible.
In September 1972, 26 members of the Brown Berets
Brown Berets
The Brown Berets is a Chicano nationalist activist group of young Mexican Americans that emerged during the Chicano Movement in the late 1960s and remains active to the present day. The group was seen as part of the Third Movement for Liberation. The Brown Berets focus on community organizing...
, a group of Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
activists, traveled to Catalina and planted a Mexican flag, claiming the island for all Chicanos. They asserted that the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty between Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
did not specifically mention the Channel Islands. The group camped outside of Avalon and were viewed as a new tourist attraction. Local Mexican-Americans provided them with food after they used up their own supplies. After 24 days a municipal judge visited the camp to ask them to leave. They departed peaceably on the tourist boat, just as they had arrived.
In 1975, Philip Wrigley deeded the Wrigley shares in the Santa Catalina Island Company to the Catalina Island Conservancy
Catalina Island Conservancy
The Catalina Island Conservancy is a nonprofit organization established to protect and conserve Santa Catalina Island, California. CIC was established in 1972 through the efforts of the Wrigley and Offield families...
that he had helped create. The Conservancy has stewardship of 88 percent of the island. The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
. So far, the successes include the opening of California's first permanent desalination plant in 1991.
In May 2007, the town was threatened once again by a wildfire. Because of the help of 200 Los Angeles County Fire Fighters brought over by Marine Corps hovercraft, only a few structures were destroyed.
In March 2011, Catalina Harbor experienced the effects of the great Japanese tsunami. The tsunami destroyed 2 dinghy docks and overturned over 10 vessels in Catalina Harbor.
In May 2011, a 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 117 acres (47.3 ha). In the same month, 1500 pounds (680.4 kg) of marijuana, in 50 pounds (22.7 kg) bales, was seized by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
, using the department's Air Rescue 5
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Air Rescue 5
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Air Rescue 5 program of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provides search and rescue capabilities for Los Angeles County, California, United States.-Services:...
helicopter.
Geology
The island is very rich in quartzQuartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, to the extent that some beaches on the seaward side have silvery-grey sand.
Catalina is primarily composed of two distinct rock units: Catalina Schist
Catalina Schist
The Catalina Schist is a metamorphic rock complex primarily exposed on Santa Catalina Island, California, that formed during the Cretaceous. The Catalina Schist is broadly correlated with the Franciscan Complex, a similar metamorphic complex formed along the California margin...
from the Early Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
(95 to 109 Mya), and Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
and intrusive igneous rock
Igneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
s.
Wildlife
In addition to thousands of common species of plants and animals, Catalina is home to 15 taxa found nowhere else.Flora
About 400 species of native plants grow on the island. Six species, subspecies or varieties are endemic and can be found only on Catalina Island. These plants are: Catalina manzanita (Arctostaphylos catalinaeArctostaphylos catalinae
Arctostaphylos catalinae, the Santa Catalina Island manzanita, is a species of manzanita in the Ericaceae family. It is endemic to California, where it grows wild only in the Channel Islands, specifically, Catalina Island....
); Catalina mahogany (Cercocarpus traskiae
Cercocarpus traskiae
Cercocarpus traskiae, known by the common names Santa Catalina Island mountain-mahogany and Catalina mahogany, is a rare species of plant in the rose family. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California in the United States, where it is known from just a single population...
); Catalina dudleya (Dudleya hassei); St. Catherine’s lace (Eriogonum giganteum
Eriogonum giganteum
Eriogonum giganteum is a species of wild buckwheat.-Description:Eriogonum giganteum is variable in size, from a thin half a meter in height and width to a sprawling or rounded bush over three meters high and wide. The leathery, woolly, oval-shaped leaves are clustered sparsely along the mostly...
var. giganteum); Santa Catalina bedstraw (Galium catalinense
Galium catalinense
Galium catalinense is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common name Santa Catalina Island bedstraw. It is endemic to two of the Channel Islands of California, where it grows along the coastal bluffs. It is a shrub growing erect to about a meter in maximum height with a...
ssp. catalinense); and Santa Catalina Island ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus). A disjunctive population of Toyon
Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia , and commonly known as Toyon, is a common perennial shrub native to California down to Baja California....
var. macrocarpa is also a Santa Catalina endemic.
These plants may be seen at the island's Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Gardens and the newly remodeled Golf Gardens miniature golf course.
Fauna
The island is home to five native land mammalMammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s: the Island Fox
Island Fox
The island fox is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. There are six subspecies of the fox, each unique to the island it lives on, reflecting its evolutionary history...
, the Spermophilus beecheyi nesioticus subspecies of California Ground Squirrel
California Ground Squirrel
The California ground squirrel , is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California peninsula; it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada...
, the Santa Catalina Island Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis catalinae), the Santa Catalina Island Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus catalinae), and the Ornate Shrew
Ornate Shrew
The Ornate Shrew, Sorex ornatus, is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Baja California in Mexico and California in the United States. The Tule Shrew is a likely extinct subspecies; it is only known by four specimens collected in 1905. Other subspecies include the "Suisun...
(Sorex ornatus). Only one Ornate Shrew was ever found, from a now-developed spring area above Avalon. Shrews are difficult to capture and may survive in wetter areas of the island.
Sea otter
Sea Otter
The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals...
s are now extinct on Santa Catalina Island and surrounding waters because of the effects of the Aleut hunts. These hunts took place for months in the 19th century, with the slaughtering of close to one hundred otters per night. Today, the only substantial population of sea otters in the area is off the northern Channel Islands.
The Island Fox
Island Fox
The island fox is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. There are six subspecies of the fox, each unique to the island it lives on, reflecting its evolutionary history...
is an endangered endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
species. In 1999, all but 100 out of 1,300 foxes on Catalina Island were wiped out because of a virulent strain of canine distemper
Canine distemper
Canine distemper is a viral disease that affects animals in the families Canidae, Mustelidae, Mephitidae, Hyaenidae, Ailuridae, Procyonidae, Pinnipedia, some Viverridae and Felidae...
. Following a successful recovery program which included captive breeding, distemper vaccinations and population monitoring, the Catalina fox community has been restored to more than 400 individuals—a number deemed by the Conservancy scientists to be a self-sufficient population. However, mysterious, usually fatal ear tumors continue to plague the Catalina fox. Three Catalina Island Conservancy wildlife biologists continue to monitor the population through pit tagging, trapping and inspection.
The Conservancy is also working to restore bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s to the island, with several chicks hatching in 2007. These would edge out an invasive golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
population that threatens the native Island Fox.
The island has been home to a population of approximately 150 American bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
since 1924. Originally, fourteen bison were brought to the island for the filming of the movie The Vanishing American, though the scenes with the bison in them did not make it into the final cut of the film. Due to cost overruns, the film company decided to leave the bison on the island instead of bringing them back to the mainland.
In the waters surrounding the island, there are schools of fish like garibaldi
Garibaldi (fish)
The Garibaldi or Garibaldi damselfish is a brightly colored orange fish of the damselfish family that is native to the North-Eastern subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Monterey Bay, California, to Guadalupe Island, Baja California...
, Yellowtail, Kelp Bass
Kelp Bass
The Kelp Bass , sometimes referred to as the Calico Bass , is a species of marine fish found in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California, Mexico, to Washington, USA...
, White seabass
White seabass
White seabass or white weakfish, Atractoscion nobilis, is a species of croaker occurring from Magdalena Bay, Baja California, to Juneau, Alaska. They usually travel in schools over deep rocky bottoms and in and out of kelp beds....
, Giant sea bass
Giant sea bass
The giant sea bass is a fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean. Despite its conspicuous size and curious nature, relatively little is known about its biology or behavior....
, Leopard shark
Leopard shark
The leopard shark is a species of houndshark, family Triakidae, found along the Pacific coast of North America from the U.S. state of Oregon to Mazatlán in Mexico...
s, blacksmiths
Chromis punctipinnis
The blacksmith is a fish native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its range is from Monterey Bay, California, to central Baja California, Mexico. The blacksmith reaches a maximum size of 25 cm and is dark blue.The blacksmith is symbiotic with the senorita fish...
, opaleyes, sheepheads, lingcods, bat rays, horn sharks, mackerel, bonito, barracuda, herring, anchovies, sardines, and many more. The great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
has also been found on the west side of the island among the kelp beds.
The Catalina Orangetip butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
is a notable insect of the island.
The island also has an abundance of rattlesnakes in the back country, which manage to control the rodent population.
Tourism and attractions
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
and the "Airport in the Sky." Ferries depart from Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
in Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
and Dana Point
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...
, while they depart from Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
, and Marina del Rey
Marina del Rey, California
-Demographics:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Marina del Rey had a population of 8,866. The population density was 6,094.6 people per square mile...
. The trip takes approximately an hour and costs approx $65 round trip. Helicopter service is also available from Long Beach or San Pedro.
Most of the island is controlled by the Catalina Island Conservancy
Catalina Island Conservancy
The Catalina Island Conservancy is a nonprofit organization established to protect and conserve Santa Catalina Island, California. CIC was established in 1972 through the efforts of the Wrigley and Offield families...
, a private nonprofit organization. The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation. Through its ongoing efforts, the Conservancy protects the magnificent natural and cultural heritage of Santa Catalina Island, stewarding approximately 42,000 acres (170 km²) of land (88 percent of the island), 50 miles (80 km) of rugged shoreline, an airport, and more than 200 miles (321.9 km) of roads.
Under an agreement with Los Angeles County, the Conservancy has granted an easement
Easement
An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
to allow day hiking and mountain biking, but visitors must first obtain a permit at the Conservancy's office (on which they declare the parts of the island they intend to visit). Hiking permits are free, whereas bicycle permits are available for a fee (as of 2006, $60 per person annual, $20 per person good for 2 consecutive days, helmets and mountain bikes with knobby tires required).
The use of motor vehicle
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
s on the island is restricted; there is a limit on the number of registered car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s, which translates into a 25-year-long wait list to bring a car to the island. Most residents move around via golf cart. Tourists can hire a taxi from Catalina Transportation Services. Bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s are also a popular mode of transportation. There are a number of bicycle and golf cart rental agencies on the island. Only the city of Avalon is open to the public without restrictions.
Glass bottom boat
Glass bottom boat
A glass bottom boat is a boat with sections of glass, or other suitable transparent material, below the waterline allowing passengers to observe the underwater environment from within the boat. The view through the glass bottom is better than simply looking into the water from above, because one...
s tour the reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s and shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s of the area, and scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
and snorkeling
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
are popular in the clear water. Lover's Cove, to the east of town, and Descanso Beach, to the west of the Casino, are popular places to dive. The area is famous for the schools of flying fish and the bright orange Garibaldi
Garibaldi (fish)
The Garibaldi or Garibaldi damselfish is a brightly colored orange fish of the damselfish family that is native to the North-Eastern subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Monterey Bay, California, to Guadalupe Island, Baja California...
which teem in local waters. Parasailing
Parasailing
Parasailing, also known as parascending, or "parakiting" is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that reminds one of a parachute, known as a parasail wing...
is also offered. Bus tours are given of the interior.
While tourists rarely have an opportunity to surf, two beaches on the "backside" of Catalina offer good waves: Shark Harbor and Ben Weston Beach. Avalon Beach on Catalina Island has made the Natural Resources Defense Council report's list of Top 10 "Repeat Offender" beaches with chronic pollution problems.
Avalon Harbor Beach has ranked among the most polluted in the state, tainted with human sewage that puts swimmers at risk. A report last month by the Natural Resources Defense Council listed Avalon as one of the 10 most chronically polluted beaches in the nation for failing state health tests as much as 73% of the time. Researchers years ago zeroed in on the cause: the city's rickety sewer system, made of century-old clay and metal pipes. Indeed, calling attention to tainted beach water is discouraged in a town where tourism brings in $100 million a year. It's like using the S-word: Shark," said Wayne Griffin, president and chief executive of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. "Those things bring up emotions in people. That was the experience of Angie Bera, a former Santa Monica Baykeeper biologist who moved to Avalon in 2006 to start a sailboat charter business and store. Last summer Bera, who has since moved off the island, wrote an article in the Catalina Islander saying that Heal the Bay's ranking of Avalon Harbor as the dirtiest beach in the state a "reality check." The reaction was swift. Some on the island said they would boycott Bera's business. The Chamber president canceled his subscription and denounced the negative publicity in a newsletter to island businesses.
"I'm not suggesting that we attempt to cover things up or ignore problems," Griffin wrote. "But we don't have to go out of our way to publicize them."
Two Harbors
Two Harbors, California
Two Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated island village on Santa Catalina Island, California with a population of 298 . It is the second center of population on the island, besides the city of Avalon. It is mainly a resort village. It has only one restaurant, one...
is the second, and much smaller, resort village on the island. Located at the isthmus
Isthmus of Catalina Island
The Isthmus of Catalina Island is a 770 metre section of land that joins the northwestern portion of Santa Catalina Island to the main part of the island. It lies approximately southwest of San Pedro Harbor....
of the island, north of Avalon, it is the primary landing spot for those who wish to tour the western half of the island. It is accessible by boat from San Pedro and by bus or boat from Avalon.
Art Good
Art Good
Art Good is an American radio personality. He is the host of the Jazztrax Showcase of the Absolute Newest, a weekly syndicated five-hour radio show that counts down America's Top 20 Smooth Jazz singles; he is considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern Smooth Jazz radio format. Prior to...
, host of the Jazztrax Showcase of the Absolute Newest
Jazztrax Showcase of the Absolute Newest
Jazztrax, formally known as the Jazztrax Showcase of the Absolute Newest, is a weekly countdown of America's Top 20 Smooth Jazz singles by Art Good. The show was founded in 1985 by Good in San Diego, and is currently broadcast out of the San Fernando Valley, the heart of smooth jazz...
, holds the Catalina Island Jazztrax Festival there each year.
The Catalina Island Museum, located in the historic Catalina Casino
Catalina Casino
The Catalina Casino is located in Avalon on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles. It is the most recognizable landmark in the City of Avalon. It contains a theatre, a ballroom, and a museum.-History:...
building, is also an attraction as it is the keeper of the island's cultural heritage with collections numbering over 100,000 items and including over 7,000 years of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
history, over 10,000 photographs and images, a large collection of Catalina-made pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
and tile
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
, ship models, and much more. The museum features dynamic exhibits on this history and also a unique gift store. Programs include walking tours of Avalon, classes for students, gallery docents, lectures, an annual silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
benefit and more.
Shipwrecks
Diosa del Mar
The Diosa del Mar was a wooden schooner that sank off of the coast of Catalina Island at 2:25 pm on July 30, 1990.-Overview:...
(33.462770°N 118.491925°W), which was sunk July 30, 1990 near Ship Rock, and the famous Su-Jac (among others) just off Casino point. The yacht Valiant burned and sank a couple hundred yards out from Descanso Beach. It had about $75,000 worth of jewelry on board which has never been recovered.
The oldest shipwreck known on Santa Catalina Island is that of a Chinese smuggling ship off Ballast Point on the west side of the island.
Dives are by harbormaster's permit only.
Camping
The Santa Catalina Island Company has campgrounds at Two Harbors, Parson's Landing, Black Jack, Little Harbor, and Hermit Gulch inland from Avalon. All campgrounds require a reservation and permit. There are also nine primitive boat-in only campgrounds.Two Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
councils in Los Angeles County have camps north of Two Harbors: Camp Cherry Valley
Camp Cherry Valley
Located in Los Angeles County, California's San Gabriel Valley, the Boy Scouts of America's San Gabriel Valley Council is one of five councils serving Los Angeles County...
, operated by the San Gabriel Valley Council, located two coves north of Two Harbors at Cherry Cove; and Camp Emerald Bay, operated by the Western Los Angeles County Council, further up the coast.
The island contains another camp named Camp Fox, formerly operated by the YMCA of Glendale, which holds several summer coed youth camps, a summer girl's camp, as well as a Christian leadership conference in spring. As of 2007 Camp Fox also known as Fox Landing is currently owned by the Catalina Island Marine Institute. There is also Campus by the Sea
Campus by the Sea
Campus by the Sea is a Christian camp operated by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and is located on Santa Catalina Island, California. The camp was founded in 1951 by Mel Friesen and can now host 250 people. CBS offers the chance for people to take a break from their regular lives so they can...
, a camp operated by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is an inter-denominational, evangelical Christian, student-led ministry which for the past 70 years has been dedicated to establishing witnessing communities on U.S. college and university campuses...
, located at Gallagher's Cove.
There is also a coeducational camp at Howland's Landing named Catalina Island Camps, which has been there since the 1920s. Catalina Island Camps is home to many camps including Camp del Corazon, a camp for kids and counslers with heart disease or defects.
Guided Discoveries (Catalina Island Marine Institute
Catalina Island Marine Institute
The Catalina Island Marine Institute is a non-profit educational program run by Guided Discoveries on Santa Catalina Island, California.It is the host to approximately 15,000 students a year, who visit it in school-organized trips and summer camps...
) also runs several camps (Toyon Bay, Fox Landing, and Cherry Cove) on Catalina Island providing hands on opportunities to learn marine science (at Toyon Bay
Toyon Bay
Toyon Bay is located on Catalina Island off the coast of California. Originally inhabited by a group of natives called Pipi Mari , and the Torqua, after whom a nearby spring is named. In the early 1900s, it was the site of a boys' boarding school. During World War II, the boys were evacuated and...
) and environmental studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
to school groups and community groups during school year and sea camps during the summer.
Yacht clubs
Catalina is home to two yacht clubs: Catalina Island Yacht Club is headquartered in Avalon Bay and Isthmus Yacht Club is headquartered in the 1864 Union Army Barracks at Two Harbors. Many mainland yacht clubs maintain Catalina stations.Moonstone is another private cove operated by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club of Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
.
Just west of Moonstone Cove is Whites Landing. Whites Landing is home to two yacht club camps, Balboa Yacht Club to the west, and San Diego Yacht Club
San Diego Yacht Club
San Diego Yacht Club is a yacht club located in San Diego Bay. Its address is 1011 Anchorage Lane, San Diego, CA 92106. It is located in Point Loma across from a spit of land known as Shelter Island.- Facilities :...
to the east. In the center of the large cove on a 14 acres (56,656 m²) parcel is a private camp and retreat center called the Catalina Experience. The Catalina Experience hosts numerous youth camps, family camps, group retreats and outdoor education programs.
Cruising
Catalina has been an active port of many cruise lines since the 1990s, with Royal Caribbean, Princess CruisesPrincess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
, and Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
making the port a regular for Baja cruises. Specifically, Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Paradise has made calls every week to the island every week since 2004, making it the ship to have the most weekly calls to the port, but will leave in November 2011 to be replaced by the Carnival Inspiration.
Government and infrastructure
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
(LASD) operates the Avalon Station in Avalon
Avalon, California
Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands, and the southernmost city in Los Angeles County. Besides Avalon, the only other center of population on the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors...
, serving Santa Catalina Island.
Education
Children in Avalon attend schools in the Long Beach Unified School DistrictLong Beach Unified School District
The Long Beach Unified School District is a school district headquartered in Long Beach, California, United States.LBUSD serves most of Long Beach, all of the city of Signal Hill, and portions of Lakewood, and Paramount, as well as Avalon and Two Harbors on Santa Catalina Island.-School uniforms...
.
There are two schools on Catalina Island. Two Harbors is served by a one-room school
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
house for grades K-5; students travel to Avalon for grades 6-12. Avalon schools are housed on one main campus that includes Avalon Elementary School, Avalon Middle School and Avalon High School. About a dozen children attend the Two Harbors school and about 800 students attend Avalon schools each year. Thousands of school-age youths travel from the mainland
Mainland
Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
to study at the Catalina Island Marine Institute
Catalina Island Marine Institute
The Catalina Island Marine Institute is a non-profit educational program run by Guided Discoveries on Santa Catalina Island, California.It is the host to approximately 15,000 students a year, who visit it in school-organized trips and summer camps...
every year.
The USC Wrigley Institute
USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies
The USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies is an environmental research and education facility run by the University of Southern California...
research and teaching facilities at Big Fisherman's Cove, near Two Harbors, maintained by the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and named for Philip K. Wrigley
Philip K. Wrigley
Philip Knight Wrigley , sometimes also called P.K. or Phil. Born in Chicago, he was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley Jr. After his father died in 1932, Philip...
, consist of a 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) laboratory building, dormitory housing, cafeteria, a hyperbaric chamber
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric medicine, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy , is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure. The equipment required consists of a pressure chamber, which may be of rigid or flexible construction, and a means of delivering 100% oxygen...
, and a large waterfront staging area complete with dock, pier, helipad, and diving lockers. The facility was made possible by a donation from the Wrigley
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
family in 1995.
Online purchasing limitations
Certain items sold online contain the warning "This item is not for sale in Catalina Island". Shipping companies like UPSUnited Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
and FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
don't operate on the island, and instead contract with Catalina Flying Boats, which flies packages into the airport, and delivers by truck to the rest of the island. They are picky about their cargo, especially chemicals, or anything even remotely flammable or explosive. The ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
companies restrict items similarly, and sometimes there's just no legal way to get certain items out to the island.
Culture
In its heyday in the 1930s, due to its proximity to Hollywood, Catalina Island was a favored getaway destination for Hollywood stars such as Clark Gable. The island also served as a filming location for dozens of movies.Filming location and setting
- The 1920 silent filmSilent filmA silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
Terror Island, starring Harry HoudiniHarry HoudiniHarry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
and directed by James CruzeJames CruzeJames Cruze was a silent film actor and film director.-Life:Cruze was born as Jens Vera Cruz Bosen. The Vera Cruz middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but did not practice the religion after his teenage years...
, was filmed on Catalina Island. - The 1924 silent comedy film The NavigatorThe Navigator (1924 film)The Navigator is a 1924 comedy directed by and starring Buster Keaton. The film was written by Clyde Bruckman and co-directed by Donald Crisp.-Plot:...
, directed by and starring Buster KeatonBuster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
, was filmed over a 10 week period in Avalon Bay on Catalina Island. - Island of Lost SoulsIsland of Lost Souls (1933 film)Island of Lost Souls is an American science fiction horror film starring Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Bela Lugosi and Kathleen Burke as The Panther Woman. Produced by Paramount Pictures in 1933 from a script co-written by science fiction legend Philip Wylie, the movie was the...
(1932) Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi - Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Charles Laughton, Clark Gable
- In 1935, the short film Pirate Party on Catalina Isle featured a pirate-themed variety show set on the island.
- All AshoreAll AshoreAll Ashore is a 1953 Technicolor musical comedy film directed by Richard Quine. It is the second of Mickey Rooney's three films for Columbia Pictures that was produced by Jonie Taps, directed by Richard Quine and written by Blake Edwards...
with Mickey Rooney and Dick Haines - Several scenes in the 1966 romantic comedy filmRomantic comedy filmRomantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
The Glass Bottom BoatThe Glass Bottom BoatThe Glass Bottom Boat is an 1966 American romantic comedy movie directed by Frank Tashlin; it is also considered by some people to be musical entertainment. This movie features Doris Day and Rod Taylor as the main entertainers, with assistance from actors Arthur Godfrey and Paul Lynde...
, starring Doris DayDoris DayDoris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
and Rod TaylorRod Taylor (actor)Rodney Sturt "Rod" Taylor is an Australian-American actor of film and television.-Early life:Born on 11 January 1930 in Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, Taylor was the only child of William Sturt Taylor, a steel construction contractor and commercial artist, and the former Mona Thompson, a writer of...
, were filmed in and around Avalon and Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island. - The 1967 teen comedy film Catalina CaperCatalina CaperCatalina Caper is a 1967 comedy musical mystery film starring Tommy Kirk. It is one of the last in the beach party film genre. This entry blends the beach format with a standard crime-caper comedy...
, starring Tommy KirkTommy KirkThomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk is a former American actor, and later a businessman.-Disney years:Kirk was discovered by talent agents at the age of thirteen in a production of Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California...
, was filmed on Santa Catalina Island. This movie was later featured in episode 204 of Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
. - Bless the Beasts & Children (1971); starring Bill Mumy (Lost in Space serial): parts filmed east of the Isthmus, includes Catalina's 'buffalos'(Bison) and some locals.
- Several scenes from the 1974 film Chinatown, starring Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
and Faye DunawayFaye DunawayFaye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
, were filmed on Catalina, including one showing the Casino. - A 1976 episode of Quincy, M.E.Quincy, M.E.Quincy, M.E., also called Quincy, is a United States television series from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on NBC...
called Hot Ice, Cold Heart, starring Jack KlugmanJack KlugmanJacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
, Robert AldaRobert AldaRobert Alda was an American actor. He was the father of actors Alan Alda and Antony Alda.-Life and career:...
and Lynnette Mettey, were filmed on Catalina, showing various parts of the Avalon Harbor and parts of Avalon. - Catalina was one of the settings for the 1977 CBS TV series Code RCode R (TV series)Code R is an American action-adventure television series that aired on CBS from January 21 to June 10, 1977. It focuses on the emergency services of the California Channel Islands. The series stars James Houghton, Martin Kove and Tom Simcox and ran for a single season of thirteen episodes.Simcox...
. - In 1984, Catalina and the Avalon Casino were the filming locations for the "AirwolfAirwolfAirwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
" episode titled "Sins of the Past", though the island was given a fictional name. - In 1989, actor Chad AllenChad Allen (actor)Chad Allen is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor at the age of seven, Allen is a three-time Young Artist Award winner and GLAAD Media Award honoree, best known for rising to prominence as a teen idol during the late 1980s as David Witherspoon on the NBC family drama,...
is seen visiting Santa Catalina Island in the promotional video The Real Chad Allen. Allen is seen visiting Avalon there and also snorkelingSnorkelingSnorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
off the coast in the vicinity of a sunken ship. - The closing sequence of the 1997 film "Suicide KingsSuicide KingsSuicide Kings is a 1997 American neo-noir/comedy-drama film, starring Christopher Walken, Denis Leary, Sean Patrick Flanery, Johnny Galecki, Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto, and Henry Thomas...
", starring Christopher WalkenChristopher WalkenChristopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
, Denis LearyDenis LearyDenis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
, Sean Patrick FlanerySean Patrick FlanerySean Patrick Flanery is an American actor known for such roles as Connor MacManus in The Boondock Saints, Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone and for portraying Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as Bobby Dagen in Saw 3D.He is currently known for his role as Sam Gibson on The...
, Johnny GaleckiJohnny GaleckiJohn Mark "Johnny" Galecki is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as David Healy in the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.-Early life:Galecki was born in Bree, Belgium, of...
, Jay MohrJay MohrJay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
, Jeremy SistoJeremy SistoJeremy Merton Sisto is an American actor. Sisto has had recurring roles as Billy Chenowith on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order on television and also starred in the films Jesus, Clueless and Thirteen.-Early life:Sisto was born in Grass Valley, California, the...
, and Henry ThomasHenry ThomasHenry Jackson Thomas, Jr. is an American actor and musician. He has appeared in more than 40 films and is best known for his role as Elliott in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.-Early life:...
is a sequence of aerial shots from various parts of Catalina Island. A long flying pan out the western harbor of the Two Harbors isthmus starts the sequence. - In 1993, the daytime soap opera The Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
filmed on Catalina for several episodes, most notably at The Inn on Mount Ada. - Portions of the 1998 film Billy's Hollywood Screen KissBilly's Hollywood Screen KissBilly's Hollywood Screen Kiss is a 1998 American independent, gay-themed romantic comedy film written and directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Sean P. Hayes, Brad Rowe, and Meredith Scott Lynn...
, starring Sean HayesSean Hayes (actor)Sean Patrick Hayes is an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which he won an Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, one American Comedy Award, and six Golden Globes nominations.He also portrayed comedian Jerry Lewis in the...
and Brad RoweBrad Rowe (actor)Brad Rowe is an American film and television actor who began his career in movies such as Invisible Temptation and Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss ....
, utilize the Catalina ferry terminal in San Pedro, California as well as locations on Catalina Island, including Avalon Harbor and the Casino building. The film also closes with a song titled Love Slave of Catalina. - In 2002, the TV show EnduranceEndurance (TV series)Endurance is an American reality television children's program, currently shown on the Discovery Kids cable network in the United States and also on networks in other countries. The show's format is somewhat similar to the CBS television series Survivor, though with a teenaged cast...
was filmed on Parson's Beach, near the west end of the island. - In an episode from the first season of the Fox series Arrested Development titled "Staff InfectionStaff Infection"Staff Infection" is the fifteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael Bluth had begun working weekends, but he keeps up the weekly "bike ride" with son George Michael. He receives an emergency call from Lucille and heads over to her apartment...
," employees of the Bluth Company get lost on Catalina Island, and are found and transported by a sheep herder in his animal trailer. - The 2006 TV Comedy Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door, featuring Crystal AllenCrystal AllenCrystal Allen is an American film and television actress.Allen has appeared in guest star roles, including episodes of such TV series as Sex and the City, Ed, The Sopranos, NCIS, Boston Legal, Star Trek: Enterprise, JAG, Desperate Housewives and others...
, Ken MarinoKen MarinoKenneth Joseph "Ken" Marino is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He was a cast member on MTV's The State and on the Starz comedy Party Down. He currently co-stars on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital.-Early life and career:Marino was born in West Islip, New York to an...
and Patrick DuffyPatrick DuffyPatrick George Duffy is an American character actor of stage and film. He is best known for his role on the CBS television drama Dallas, where he played Bobby Ewing from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991, Duffy returns to reprise his role as Bobby in a new up-to-date Dallas currently scheduled to...
takes place on Catalina Island. - Featured in the lyrics of a song called 'Pasadena' by Modern Skirts - 'let's move to Pasadena.. and then on to Catalina.'
- The ending to the 2008 film Step BrothersStep Brothers (film)Step Brothers is a 2008 American slapstick buddy-comedy film directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller, and stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who originally teamed up in Talladega Nights . The screenplay was written by Ferrell and McKay, from a story written by Ferrell,...
is supposed to be a wine mixer on the island of Catalina but actually got filmed at the Trump National Golf Course. . - In the MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality series Daddy's GirlsDaddy's GirlsFor the 1994 sitcom, see Daddy's Girls Daddy's Girls is an American reality television series and a spin-off of the MTV show Run's House. The series debuted January 5, 2009. Daddy's Girls follows Vanessa and Angela Simmons For the 1994 sitcom, see Daddy's Girls (1994 TV series)Daddy's Girls is an...
, Angela and Vanessa decide to spy on their friend, Alycia. As pay back for them spying, their cousin Jessica, lies and tells them that Alycia went to Catalina, leading Angela and Vanessa to spend hours searching the island. - The ending of the 2009 movie Crank: High Voltage is on Catalina.
Notable visitors and residents
- General George S. Patton Jr. met his wife Beatrice (Ayer) on Catalina when they were children.
See also
- Channel Islands of CaliforniaChannel Islands of CaliforniaThe Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
- Catalina Island buffalo herdCatalina Island buffalo herdThe non-native but charismatic Catalina Island bison herd has existed for nearly a century.A herd of American Bison roam, supposedly first imported to California's Catalina Island in 1924 for the silent film version of Zane Grey's Western tale, The Vanishing American. Over the decades, the bison...
- Island FoxIsland FoxThe island fox is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. There are six subspecies of the fox, each unique to the island it lives on, reflecting its evolutionary history...
- Palos Verdes Peninsula Land ConservancyPalos Verdes Peninsula Land ConservancyThe Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy is a non-profit organization that is based in Palos Verdes, CA, whose mission is "Preserving land and restoring habitat for the enjoyment and education of all." Founded in 1988, the PVPLC has protected of open space as nature preserves on the Palos...
- S.J. MathesS.J. MathesSamuel Jay Mathes, known as S.J. Mathes, was a pioneer printer and newspaperman in Los Angeles, California, who in 1881 and 1882 directed the editorial policies of the newly established Los Angeles Daily Times, which later became the Los Angeles Times, until General Harrison Gray Otis took over...
, newspaper publisher - Tongva
- Tongva languageTongva language-Collected by C. Hart Merriam :Numbers# Po-koo /bo'kʰøː/# Wěh-hā /ʋɛj'χɒː/# Pah-hā /pa'χɒː/# Wah-chah /ʋa'ʃɒχ/# Mah-har /ma'χɒʁ/# Pah-vah-hā /pa'va'χɒː/# Wah-chah-kav-e-ah /ʋa'ʃa'kʰav̥eʲa/...
External links
- “A California Verde Antique Quarry,” 1899 Scientific American article (PDF) on Stone Quarries and Beyond. (Includes photographs and history about the American Indian olla or mortar quarry and the later serpentine quarry at Pott’s Valley, later known as Empire Landing, Santa Catalina Island.)
- Catalina Island Views, California, ca. 1900-1909, The Bancroft Library