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Soak up the Sun and History on Catalina C ATALINA ISLAND, LONG KNOWN AS a sunny playground for tourists and boaters, also has a fascinating — and colorful — history. Its earliest inhabitants were Native Americans, known as Pimugnans. In 1542, Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, credited with discovering what is now San Diego Bay while sailing for the Spanish crown, was also the first European to reach Catalina's shores. He named the island San Salvador. But more than 50 years later, Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino "re-discovered" the island, calling it Santa Catalina in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of philosophers. e island was known for pirates, hunters, smugglers, gold miners, and sheep herders. In 1846, Mexican Governor Pio Pico gave the island to omas Robbins, a naturalized Mexican citizen living in California, and over the years, it changed hands several times. In 1887, George Shatto, a real estate speculator from Michigan, began developing the destination into a resort town called Avalon. His sister-in-law suggested the name, a beautiful island referenced in "Idylls of the King," a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. But after just five years, Shatto's big dreams went bust and the Banning brothers — William, Joseph, and Hancock — bought the island and began building hotels, roads, and tourist attractions. In 1915, a devastating fire ravaged Avalon, forcing the Bannings to sell to a real estate investment group that included Chicago chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr. Wrigley, by the way, initially sold soap, giving away free packets of the gum as incentives. But the gum, at just pennies a pack, proved to be more popular than the soap! Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, and Spearmint became popular, and to this day, fences around the harbor are painted Spearmint green. Wrigley and his wife, Ada, were smitten by the island and eventually gained full control of the Santa Catalina Island Company (now the Catalina Island Company, run by Wrigley's heirs). Wrigley envisioned a bustling playground for those loyal to the Wrigley brand: "e tired shopgirl, the artisan, the clerk, the Boy Scout," and had mega bucks to back that up. Wrigley spent millions on infrastructure and such tourist attractions as the iconic Catalina Casino overlooking the Avalon Marina which opened to great fanfare on May 29, 1929, marking the tenth anniversary of Wrigley's purchase of the island. It drew 10,000 partygoers, many who had arrived by steamships which he had helped to finance. Despite its name, the Casino, a massive, 12-story building of poured concrete, was never used for gambling — "casino" is Italian MARILYN MONROE: COURTESY OF CATALINA MUSEUM FOR ART & HISTORY ALL OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CATALINA ISLAND COMPANY BY ANDREA NAVERSEN detour destinations ranchandcoast.com 86 SEPTEMBER 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE Catalina Casino's historic Avalon Theatre