A TOURIST PLAYGROUND IS BORN
INTRODUCING CATALINA
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CATALINA MUSEUM FOR ART & HISTORY
Before there were one-hour Catalina Express crossings to connect Islanders with the mainland, there were canoes, steamships and a seaplane. Before there were cell phones, there were carrier pigeons. Here’s a quick look at the Island’s development as a tourist playground.
1887
The first pier and first hotel— the Metropole—are built by George Shatto, the Michigan businessman who owns the Island. By 1891, there are private homes, a dance pavilion, golf course and roads into the Island’s interior for stagecoaches. A devastating fire destroys half of Avalon, forcing the Island’s entrepreneurs, the Banning brothers, to sell the Santa Catalina Island Company. Chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., purchases controlling interest and immediately begins improving the Island’s infrastructure, adding new steamships and attractions. William Wrigley Jr. becomes the owner of the Chicago Cubs and moves the team’s spring training site to Catalina, where it remains for 30 years. 14 North American bison are brought to Catalina Island to be used in a Zane Grey film, a precursor of a herd of approximately 100–200 that continue to roam the Island’s interior today. The opening of the iconic Casino building, 12 stories tall and containing the world’s largest circular ballroom, draws new visitors and Hollywood stars to the Island. After his father’s passing, Philip K. Wrigley takes over the Santa Catalina Island Company and ushers in a new era of development that modernizes Avalon. CBS broadcasts Big Band music from the Casino Ballroom nightly, drawing listeners from across the nation. Filming of Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, takes place. It is among more than 500 productions that have been filmed here in the past 90 years. The United States is at war and Catalina Island is officially closed to visitors. The U.S. Maritime Service takes over Avalon to use as a training station. To preserve the Island’s interior, Philip K. Wrigley establishes the Catalina Island Conservancy. It protects 88% of the Island and is one of the oldest private land trusts in Southern California.
1915
1919
1921
1924
1929
1932
1934 1935
1942
1972
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