The herald., 1896-02-19
What it Was Like Some Ten or
Twelve Years Ago
TRIP OVER THE CHANNEL
Large Number OF Springs Furnish an
Abundance of Water
An Unrivalei Climate and q Sportsm an .
Paradis. - The Meager Improve
m:nts at That Time

In view Of the great popularity and wide.
ly extended reputation of Catalina island,
it may perhaps be of interest to know
what it was like some ten or twelve years
ago. The following account of visit
there was made from notes taken by G. j.
Griffith, July 10, 1850, with a view to the
purchase of the island from the ames Lick
estate, and some of the facts concerning
this welI.known resort are in all probabfl-
ity unknown now.
This trip was made by yacht chartered
at San Pedro from Captain Banning, the
voyage of some seventeen miles over the
channel, Which was as smooth as pond,
being delightful and was accomplished in
a very short time. A landing was effected
near the northeast end of the island,. at
what was then known as Dayton valley,
now famous the worl1 over as Avalon, tile
greatest summer resort OH the Pacific
coast. This voyage could be made from
either San Pedro, Redondo, Santa Monica
or Long Beach by fast steamer service
within an hour, and is now made daily du.
ring the summer season from the two frs
named points.
Santa Catalina island is about twenty.
one miles long and varies from one to
twelve miles in width, its shore line being
very irregular. 1t is very mountainous,
there being at least half dozen peaks
nearly. If not quite, 1000 feet above sea
but it is not by any means barren, several
portions of it having thick growths of inter-
esting and highly ornamental varieties of
Towering shrubs and trees. In this ex-
tremely dry part of California, where water
rights are az val aIuable as the land itself,
Santa Catalina presents most engaging
feature, there being an abundance of
water. There are probably close onto 200
springs on the island, some of them large,
containing the purest water. This is in
marked contrast to San Clemente island,
only thirty miles beyond, where, it is said,
not q spring has ever been found.
The great number of trees on the island
includes many varieties, among them being
oak, manzanita (tbree kinds), cottonwood,
buckhorn, mountain mahogany, Lyons
Towering shrub, native evergreen, cherry,
and several others. People whose experi-
ence and judgment make them competent
to estimate say that at least 10000 could
be realized from this timber by making it
into firewood.
Perhaps the greatest point of attraction
about the island, next to its unrivaled
balmy climate, il the great quantity aud
variety of fish in the surrounding waters.
In the proper seasons, jew. fish, sea bass,
yellowtail, barracuda, rock cod. blue fish,
black perch, garabildi, Vega, flying fish,
halfmoon, sunfish, smelts, sardines, mack
efel, bonita, albicore, funny, Spanish
mackerel and others furnish unlimited
sport for the angler, and many SEQ lions
and sharks are seen. The island has also
many birds, among the sea birds being
myriads of beach rlover, shags, black
u ILL., nx1 nd Iay, htr15 fk<,-r
are to be seen two kinds of eagles, bald
and grey, quail, doves, hammerbeads
mocking birds, canaries, linnets, crows,
gray wrenE, swallows, bIackEirds, gray
water wagtail, thrush, and nyriads of
humlningbirds.
The mineral resources OF the Island have
never been properly developed, so it is inn
possible to say as yet what they are, but
there are ledges Of gold, silver, lead, iron
and copper, the development of which
might be profitable,
Santa Catalina may justly boast of the
finest little harbor on the Pacific coast. 1t
is about mile long by half mile wide.
barracks building ia situated about three
hundred yards from the shore of this har-
bor.
AS q place OF resort for invalids and
pleasure seekers the island has no super
ior. Its baimy climate, fine harbor. scme
twenty-five u'uef0ut pSCDty pedcilSS. IT'S
fishing and bunting, and jts warm waters,
so clear that the fish can bs seen as deep
as hundred feet or more, ought to attract
and satisfy almost anyone Besides
possessing all this, it has few drawbacks.
In a journey of fifty miles ever and around
the hills, not single snake was cpcoUn-
tered, and it is asserted that neither tsran.
tulas, centipedes ncr any either poisonous
insects or reptiles have oser be.n found on
the island. The only pests are 'luirrels,
which are very numerous, aud tnete arc 30
eophers or moles.
The improvements Oh the island at the
time this trip was made consisted of about
ten small houses in which sheepherdeys d
and fishermen lived and an 81 s 900 build
ing put up by the United States govern.
ment for barracks, but none of these
were fit for habration.
The gentleman who made this inves,iga-
ton advised his associates that by cultivat-
ing the valleys and laying out a townsite in
Dayton valley, where Avalon now is. and by
building hotel there and making it popu.
lar resort, the island could be converted
into profitable property, paying probably
a fair return on $50O,00O. The creation
and development of this great resort in
late years, its wide popularity and upquali-
fed success, show that no mistake was
made in these calculations.