Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

How Catalina Evaded the Conquest

09/07/2016

On a clear day, you can see Catalina. From noir femme fatales to juice-cleansing hikers, the phrase has been echoed by Angelenos for decades, if not centuries.

Los Angeles' citizens use Santa Catalina Island as a smog barometer, but few know how its pristine natural beauty abided against all odds. Mainland California endured ravages at the hands of those attempting to manifest their own destinies - whether through oil, gold, or fame. Catalina passed through the same phases as the mainland: Indian, Spanish, Mexican, American. It played host to explorers, hunters, miners, ranchers, rancheros, real estate seekers, fishers, soldiers, and yachters. And yet, while the businesses of real estate development and natural resources extraction marred so much of the mainland's natural beauty, Catalina emerged virtually unscathed.

Charles Frederick Holder, author and co-founder of the Tuna Club, described his approach to the island in a passage that is as accurate now as when Holder wrote it 105 years ago.

We are very near it now, sailing due south down the channel Watch the cliffs, how boldly they breast the sea, rising like the grim giants hundreds of feet in air, with thick beards of waving kelp at their base. Great slopes of green stretch away; then a glimpse of white beaches, of breaking waves gnawing at submerged rock; a flash of flying-fish wings; ca ons-rivers of verdure-winding their way skyward; and, far away, the tops of the high mountains of Cabrillo, about whose crests float flecks of cloud in the drowsy air

So how did the island shelter itself from destruction? In that oldest of California customs: a combination of luck and fate.

Moonlight over Catalinas Avalon Bay, circa 1900. Photo courtesy of the California Historical Society Collection - USC Libraries.

Californios, Smugglers, and the End of Mexican California

P o Pico in 1848. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley.

When Mexico won its war against Spain, it levied a near-100-percent duty on foreign goods, and smugglers discovered the island. Spanish, French, Russian, English, American, and South American merchants, traders from New England and the Sandwich Islands, men hauling goods from China and even pirates all dropped anchor in Isthmus Cove or Cat Harbor. Under cover of darkness, they unloaded some two-thirds of their wares in caves or buried them in the sand. After sailing on to check in with Mexican customs and pay the tariffs on their lighter loads, they would then return to Catalina, re-load their ships and sail up and down to coast, selling goods to complacent Mexicans and rancheros. In order to maintain the secret outpost, a collective hush fell over the island.

That silence was finally broken by an American ship captain named Thomas Robbins who asked for the island and was granted it as a personal favor from P o Pico in one of Pico's last acts as governor of Mexican California. Thus began a long succession of private owners.

Civil War and Gold Diggers In 1863-64, around the time real estate investor James Lick - owner of Rancho Los Feliz and proprietor of San Francisco's Lick House hotel - purchased the island, gold was discovered on Catalina. Lick attempted to keep squatters at bay, but to no avail. Mining shafts (which can still be seen today) shot through July Valley and Cherry Valley. Lick was fighting a losing battle, until a greater battle won out.

The Civil War then gripped the United States, and many residents of Los Angeles sympathized with the Confederacy. The federal government became paranoid that Confederate privateers would use the island as a meeting place. In 1864 it issued an evacuation order for the island and built a military barracks, still visible today, at the isthmus. So, unlike the rest of the Golden State, prospectors had only one year to plunder Catalina.

Max Strobel was discovered dead in his hotel room mere hours before he was to sell Catalina Island to a London-based mining syndicate. Courtesy of the Anaheim Public Library Photograph Collection on Anaheim Local History.

After the war, Lick determined to realize the island's financial potential once and for all. He used the gold-diggers' shafts to claim the existence of silver, lead, and zinc deposits and enlisted Anaheim's first mayor, Major Max Strobel, to sell the island to an English syndicate with plans to mine the whole of the island. Catalina, it seemed, would finally suffer the same ore mining wreaked upon so many of California's mountains.

Strobel sailed to London to close the deal with the syndicate and collect the price of 200,000 pounds. However, he never appeared at the meeting; instead, he was discovered dead in his hotel room that morning. The cause of death was unknown.

Strobel's failed mission recalled an earlier attempt to rob the island of its riches. In 1828 a pioneer named Samuel Prentiss found himself shipwrecked near San Pedro. Dazed and confused, Prentiss walked to the San Gabriel mission, where he was told by one of the Tongva people that a mound of Indian treasure and pirate plunder was buried under a tree on the island. He drew up a map and caught a boat, but on his voyage a strong wind caught the vessel and the map fluttered overboard. He never found the loot.

The Black Jack Mine shaft on Catalina Island, 1935. Photo courtesy of the USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection.

World War and Fishing Freaks At the turn of the century, Catalina changed hands once again and, with the building of the town of Avalon and the Hotel Metropole, California high society came together to fish for sport.

Charles Holder in his study. Courtesy of the Pasadena Public Library.

Unsustainable fishing has long been a problem on the West Coast, one with origins that predate legal environmental standards. Charles Frederick Holder, a pas
LINK: https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/how-catalina-evaded-the-conquest...
See more stories from kcet

Most recent headlines

04/08/2024

Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

07/05/2024

Survey: Amazon's Push into Ad-Supported Streaming Is Working

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New findings from Hub Entertainment Research provides extensive data showing that the majority of consumers will opt for lower cost ad-supporte...

07/05/2024

The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation Unveils the 2024 Award Recipients

NEW YORK The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) has announced th...

07/05/2024

Lindsey Reiser Joins CBS News 24/7 as Anchor and Correspondent

CBS News has named Lindsey Reiser an anchor and correspondent for CBS News 24/7, the network's live, streaming news service. Reiser, who was most recently a...

07/05/2024

Tablet Shipments Show Signs of Recovery in Q1

NEEDHAM, Mass. After more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24),...

07/05/2024

ESPN Pulls in Highest April Prime Time Audiences on Record

ESPN is reporting that April was a record-setting month as the network delivered its best April prime time audience on record, dating back more than 30 years....

07/05/2024

Kirsten Donaldson Joins NAB as VP of Public Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Kirsten Donaldson has joined NAB as vice president of public policy. Donaldso...

07/05/2024

Don't miss Bark in the Park, Margaritaville Night & Bull Sharks Night this week at the DBAP

The Bulls are back home again this week from May 7-12! Don't miss out on any...

06/05/2024

Gathering Is a Call to Action: A Letter From Ilyse McKimmie

By Ilyse McKimmie Now, more than ever That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...

06/05/2024

From Petabytes To Exabytes: The Future Of Shared Storage

alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...

06/05/2024

Spotify Uplifts Bold, Emerging Artists in Honor of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Around the world, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists continue to impact mu...

06/05/2024

Never Miss a New Release With Countdown Pages for Audiobooks

Spotify is making it easier for booklovers to count down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until a new audiobook releases. With Countdown Pages for audioboo...

06/05/2024

Get Ready to join Dan Hong as he hits the streets in his ultimate culinary journey

Get Ready to join Dan Hong as he hits the streets in his ultimate culinary journ...

06/05/2024

Lighting a Day-Interior Caf With LEE Filters

In this video, cinematographer Simon Rowling welcomes viewers behind the scenes as he lights a daytime-interior scene inside a coffee shop. Shooting on Panavisi...

06/05/2024

Technology for the Next Generation of Special Forces

L3Harris is well positioned to support the complex and multifaceted nature of special operations forces in all domains through our agile and responsive technolo...

06/05/2024

Canada Plans May 8 Public Alert System Test

OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...

06/05/2024

Survey: Pay TV Penetration Falls to 40% in U.S. Hispanic Homes

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...

06/05/2024

RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th

RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th Brie Clayton May 6, 2024 0 Comments New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...

06/05/2024

NBC Orders More Night Court'

NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....

06/05/2024

ABC Shares Summer Premiere Dates

ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...

06/05/2024

Holly Springs Salamanders Home Opener Less Than Three Weeks Away, Tickets on Sale Now

It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...

06/05/2024

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Kobus busts Pretty in a compromising position

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Kobus busts Pretty in a compromising positionDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem Saam on SA...

06/05/2024

Tonight on House of Zwide: Bra Zakes and Sphamandla agree to leave Tembisa and never come back

Tonight on House of Zwide: Bra Zakes and Sphamandla agree to leave Tembisa and n...

06/05/2024

RT Announces Series of Major TV Debates as part of its European Parliament Election Coverage

RT has announced details of its coverage across digital, TV and Radio in the ru...

06/05/2024

The Pros and Cons of Cloud, Hybrid, or On-Premises Radio Operations

For years, radio stations have used on-premises servers to broadcast content and manage automation, traffic, and billing systems. As technology continues to adv...

06/05/2024

AI and Big Data Take the Centre Stage in Central Asia at Beetech 2024 Hosted by Beeline Kazakhstan and QazCode

06 May 2024 AI and Big Data Take the Centre Stage in Central Asia at Beetech 20...

06/05/2024

NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Extend Historic Partnership, Kentucky Derby to Be Presented on NBC and Peacock Through 2032

NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Extend Historic Partnership, Kentucky Derby to Be...

06/05/2024

Beverly Hills Aerials, LIV Golf Make Australian-Broadcast History by Flying Live Drones Over People in Adelaide

Beverly Hills Aerials, LIV Golf Make Australian-Broadcast History by Flying Live...

06/05/2024

Watch the Trailer for 'A Part of You' - Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ryding and Zara Larsson in Leading Roles

Back to All News Watch the Trailer for A Part of You - Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ry...

06/05/2024

FOR-A to focus on Ultra HD at Broadcast Asia

Leadership in 12G-SDI for low impact migration to 4k production...

06/05/2024

STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK

Press release - 6 May 2024 07:31 STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Download as PDF Paris, 06 May 2024 ...

06/05/2024

Explore Broadcast Pix's Latest Innovations at InfoComm 2024

Tyngsboro, Mass. - May 6, 2024 - Join us at InfoComm 2024 to experience the latest advancements in live production technology. From June 12-14, 2024, at the Las...

06/05/2024

2024-05-06

To champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, ava...

06/05/2024

Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'

Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'Talented actress Matseliso Mohale has joined SABC2's soapie Muvhango' as Vhangani's lover and a c...

06/05/2024

Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury Mthetho

Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury MthethoDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke...

06/05/2024

NVIDIA and Alphabet's Intrinsic Put Next-Gen Robotics Within Grasp

Intrinsic, a software and AI robotics company at Alphabet, has integrated NVIDIA AI and Isaac platform technologies to advance the complex field of autonomous r...

06/05/2024

A Mighty Meeting: Generative AI, Cybersecurity Connect at RSA

Cybersecurity experts at the RSA Conference this week will be on the hunt for ways to secure their operations in the era of generative AI. They'll find man...

06/05/2024

SES to acquire Intelsat: Investor Relations Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders? This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...

05/05/2024

Singer Becky G To Close Out TelevisaUnivision's Upfront

A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...

05/05/2024

Publicis Won't Use Nielsen's Big Data as Currency in This Upfront

Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....

05/05/2024

Glenn Kirschner, NBC News Legal Analyst, Rips Media Coverage of Trump Trial

WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...

05/05/2024

Catchy Comedy Marathons The Beverly Hillbillies' May 4-5

Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...

05/05/2024

How NBC Sports Plans to Cover Kentucky Derby

NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...

05/05/2024

Netflix Announces New Comedy Series 'Roosters', Starring Jeroen Spitzenberger, Waldemar Torenstra, Andr Dongelmans and Benja Bruijning

Back to All News Netflix Announces New Comedy Series Roosters, Starring Jeroen ...

05/05/2024

Showdown Alert: Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura' Drops Electrifying Trailer for June 6 Debut

Back to All News Showdown Alert: Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura' Drops Electr...

04/05/2024

Nielsen: Asian American Audiences Spend as Much Time on Mobile as TV

NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...

04/05/2024

Comcast Makes $1M Commitment to Military-Serving Nonprofits

PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...