I lived in Santa Barbara for many years, but never visited the Channel Islands, unfortunately. There was no Channel Islands National Park back in the days when I lived in the Santa Barbara area.
At one time, Santa Cruz Island was privately owned. A man owned 80,000 acres on the island, and there were some private landowners that owned some smaller parcels.
The man who owned the 80,000 acres, the vast majority of Santa Cruz Island, planned to leave the land to his two sons. The island has wild boars and some Chumash Indian archeological sites, as well as rare plants and other critters.
One son was killed in World War II, so the other son inherited it all. He never had any kids, so.....I think it was in the 1980’s....he either gave the land to the Nature Conservancy or willed it to them, one or the other.
Eventually it became part of Channel Islands National Park.
The smaller private land owners didn’t want to sell, but their land was taken by eminent domain. Military helicopters appeared over the landowners property one night and heavily armed men rappelled down and seized each property. Land of the free, huh? I don’t know if they were military or were from some out-of-control federal agency.
There are some smaller islands nearby; the U.S. Navy used one of them as a bombing range MANY years ago....either Anacapa Island or Nicholas Island....I don’t remember which.
There was an abalone fishery in the area when I lived there. I don’t know if that fishery still exists after the national park designation. The inside of the large shells were quite beautiful....they looked like mother of pearl.
Needless to say, I was shocked when I learned of this tragedy this morning. Awful.
P.S.....
When I lived in Santa Barbara, Mexico was claiming that they owned the Channel Islands. They are quite a ways from Mexico. People either laughed at Mexico’s claim or were pi$$ed off. They claim went nowhere.
Great history lesson
I lived in Oxnard for 14 years and anchored at Anacapa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa 100’s of times in my sailboat
http://www.shorelinesummitadventures.com/dive%20boat%20fleet.html
Conception
In 1981, the Conception was launched and brought a new meaning to the word “liveaboard.” A larger vessel with new innovations such as circulating game wells, below deck shower room, air-conditioned bunkroom, large sundeck and a built in bar-b-que were just a few ideas that set this liveaboard boat in its own class.
Summer of ‘65 I worked on an albacore boat out of San Pedro. When there were storms we’d shelter on the north side of Santa Rosa Island (which is east of Santa Cruz). It too was privately owned. There had been some kind of military installation, but it was no longer used. We’d see abalone boats there sometimes. They were painted black and red, so they were easy to pick out. We’d take the skiff and row into a little beach—we pretty much had the island to ourselves. I harvested a low tide abalone something that people talked of doing on the mainland in the 40s. Tenderized with a mallet, it made good eating.
There had been roads cut through and you could see the Indian middens—remains of camps. It was really something.
San Nicholas is far south. All navy land, not a bombing range.
Most of the area and the islands are part of the military warning area for the Pacific Missile Test Center.
All in the name of conserving the Island. It was a big thing on FR when it took place. It was all BS they have no intention of conserving the Island there hasn't been one tree planted since it was taken over. The Island years ago was clear cut and never replanted.