For those who enjoy a little trivia, here are some facts about Catalina we didn’t know:
· The Wrigley family (famous for their chewing gum, including Black Jack) purchased the entire island in 1919 for the sum of $2 million.
Twelve buffalo were brought to the island for a western movie (“The Vanishing Prairie”) but when the film wrapped, the producer made the naïve decision to leave the animals on the island because “what harm can 12 buffalo do?” Years later at their highest peak, there were approximately 500 buffalo living on Catalina Island.
Twelve buffalo were brought to the island for a western movie (“The Vanishing Prairie”) but when the film wrapped, the producer made the naïve decision to leave the animals on the island because “what harm can 12 buffalo do?” Years later at their highest peak, there were approximately 500 buffalo living on Catalina Island.
· Goats were also imported for the purpose of keeping the foliage under control. Years later at their peak, there were 40,000 goats on the island … requiring helicopters and US Army sharp shooters to solve the problem.
· Mrs. Wrigley hated the Catalina resident and author Zane Grey because he would take Mr. Wrigley out on his boat on the premise of fishing, but they would both come home seriously drunk. In an attempt to protect her drunken husband as he drove up the mountain to their home, she planted eucalyptus trees – about 10 feet apart - on the canyon side of the road.
· Mrs. Wrigley also had a bell tower built on a mountaintop near her home. It rang out every 15 minutes in the morning so all her employees would know how long they had to get to work … and also to interrupt Zane Grey’s thoughts while writing!!!
· The Catalina Film Festival is a fundraising event in support of the Conservancy District which protects the island and its environment.
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