Santa Cruz Island

[journey on]

Since several of us have visited Santa Cruz Island over the years, anchored around it, hiked on the edges and dodged the tankers and container ships on the way over, the following may be of interest.

It's a book which the local (Escondido) library had: Santa Cruz Island, A History of Conflict and Diversity by John Gherini, 1997, The Arthur H Clark Co. John is a member of the family that owned the island since the 1860's and, before it was split between the NPS and Nature Conservancy, ran (with his siblings) the east part of the island. It goes into detail about the family divides, the ranching history, Stantons ownership and the present ownership. Pictures and a lot of detail, the latter of which you might be able to wade through. It proves that you should never leave your children anything, it'll only cause problems.

I can hardly wait until we get to go there again.

Boris

 

[thataway]

The "Diary of a Sea Captains wife" which I referred to in another post, gives the viewpoint of a woman living on Santa Cruise at a fish camp-- in Prisoner, Lady's and then in the Willows as I recollect. This was at the end of the 1800's. Also during the days of the fish camps, Zane Grey was often a visitor there.

The majority of the Island in more recent years was owned by the Stanton Family running cattle (landing in Prisoners harbor) (prior to NPS and Nat. Conv. ownership) and the Eastern end by the Gherini family running sheep out of Scorpion harbor. You used to have to get permits from both families if you wanted to go ashore in the various coves. We were invited to tour the Stanton Ranch in the mid 1960's when it was still a working cattle ranch.

My Great grandfather was the first Land Grants attorney in S. Calif and in the late 1860's was involved with disputes over the Santa Cruz Island's ownership. He also mediated the various sales of Catalina Island to several parties through the years including to James Lick in 1867 and was a visitor to both Santa Cruz and Catalina Island--usually on Phineas Banning's yacht. My grandfather and father both sailed to Santa Cruz (and of course Catalina, on their own boats--as my children have on our boats.

There is a lot of history with the channel Islands. We know a lady who had lived on all of the islands, including San Nicholas and San Clemente, long before the Navy took them over. Her husband was a sheep herder. She had also rowed from the mainland to Catalina in a 12 foot skiff. (Mrs Onion was her name, and in the 1950's she was the winter caretaker of the private camp at Howland's landing.

 

[journey on]

Bob, you certainly have a lot of great history in SoCal. Was your great-grandfathers name Austin? You're lucky to know your family history. My knowledge stops with my mom and dad, who arrived separately in the '20s, in steerage.

John Gherini refers to the history of "Diary of a Sea Captains wife" and gives some detail as to what finally happened, as well as including a picture of the Pelican Bay Resort. I did read the book a long time ago and have been ashore in Pelicans Harbour where the fish camp was. Dr Carey
Stanton, whose father bought the west part of the island from the Caire/Gherini family, was single. In addition to this holdings on Santa Cruz Island, he owned a fully restored Victorian house in the town of Sierra Madre, where I lived.

Boris

 

[thataway]

Yes, My great grandfather was Henry Carter Austin (same name as my father--he is on the first voting roles for Los Angeles)--He had been commissioned by President Grant to come to Calif. to be the first land grants attorney and open the office in Los Angeles. He came to know General Grant when he was a reporter during the Civil war, and apparently was assigned to General Grant's troops. General Grant convinced him to "read the law" in Washington DC after the Civil War.

He founded the evening paper in Los Angeles (later sold it to the great grandfather of fellow resident physician at Harbor General Hospital). Sale price of the paper was $300. I discovered this over beers one night, and this other resident was tellling some stories about his grandfather which sounded exactly like the stories I had heard about mine. It turns out that both of our grandfathers had "rancheros" in what is now Hollywood, and they used to race their buckboards home every night....We have a copy of the bill of sale for the newspaper to Dr. Smith's great Grandfather.

Later Henry Carter Austin was a police Judge for Los Angeles. We have his diaries, and a number of papers including his pass to cross the lines during the civil war.
These are going to the Huntington Library along with a lot of photos of early Long Beach and Los Angeles. Daisy Ave. in Long Beach is named for his daughter, my great aunt, and they had a beach home near what is now the ferry terminal in Long Beach. The river came in there, and there was some protection from the seas. (Of course this was long before there were any breakwaters or even "Dead Man's" (later known as Terminal Island), Pier "J" were filled in.

Fortunately the channel Islands have not changed much in all of these years! For me going to the channel Islands is like going back in time.

 

[journey on]

Thanks for telling that bit of history. If I ever get over to Santa Cruz Isle again, I'll remember that.

Of course in our family, the civil war is know as "The Revolution."

Boris

 

[thataway]

Our family was also around for the 1776 Revolution--but they were all living near Charlestown (Boston area), where they imigrated in 1638 aboard the ship "Bevis": Austin Richard of Bishopstocke 40, Taylor , his wife and 2 children (From Bishop's Stoke, Hampshire, bound for Charlestown, MA. Ref: Pope. Unfortunately Richard died within 6 months, and we wonder what hardships Mrs Austin and her two children endured during the next few years. Her sister was also aboard the ship, with two children, but her husband had passed on just before the ship sailed. Since Richard Austin was a taylor, we assume that the ladies ran a taylor shop. We do know that one progeny was a captain in the Militia, but don't know much about others who fought in the Revolution. One was an attorney who worked with Benjamin Franklin on his diplomatic endeavors in France during the revolutionary peroid. The family history becomes clearer in the next generation with Moses Austin, the father of Stephen Austin (Texas), who would have been a cousin of Henry Carter Austin, but Stephen died the year that Henry C Austin was born. (I have re-connected with another distant cousin who was a direct descent of Moses Austin--thru boating). We are fortunate that there is a book: "some descendants of Richard Austin of Charlestown"--which fairly well chronicles the family history.

When you read about the lives of these people it makes appreciate what we take for granted every day. How much our lot has improved in the last 100 years! [/list]