1913 Wilson Folding Map of Avalon and Catalina Island, California

This is Harry Wilson's rare 1913 map of Avalon and Santa Catalina Island, near Los Angeles, California, published when the island was still in its early days as a weekend destination for Los Angelinos. It also captures the island and Avalon, in particular, on the eve of a devastating 1915 fire that destroyed much of the town.

A Closer Look

The sheet includes a main topographic map of Catalina Island and three insets, a large one of Avalon at the bottom-left, a smaller inset at the top-right demonstrating the location of the island relative to mainland California and Los Angeles, and an overview of the Avalon 'Pleasure Pier' at bottom-right. The combination of these maps is curious, as the insets provide typical tourist information. In contrast, the large main map, more akin to those used by hikers, encourages exploration of the rugged interior.

The main map traces the island's only coach road and notes various locations, including ranches, canyons, ancient town sites, former pirate coves, beaches, rocks, bays, points, and coves. Offshore, the types of fish that can be caught in each respective area are recorded. The inset of Avalon, oriented towards the northeast, indicates dozens of sites throughout the town, many of which are labeled with a number and listed in an index below, including restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, and infrastructure. St. John's Chapel, where Wilson served as an Episcopal pastor (see biography below), is at left. The Avalon 'Pleasure Pier,' explained in its own inset at the bottom-right, was where fishing, sightseeing, and recreational boats could be launched, while the Steamer Pier would be the departure and arrival point for ferries. The inset map at the top-right traces ferry routes from the mainland, which were linked to the Pacific Electric Railway, an essential connection with Downtown Los Angeles and the wider Southern California region.

Los Angeles' Leisureland

Santa Catalina Island was inhabited by Tongva people, visited by Spanish explorers, Russian traders, pirates, and smugglers, and experienced a brief gold rush in the 1850s. By the late 1850s, Santa Catalina Island was owned by James Lick, the wealthiest man in California, who maintained a small population of ranchers there. In 1887, Lick sold the island to George Shatto, who planned to convert it into a resort for growing Los Angeles. Late in life, before his untimely death in a train crash, Shatto partnered with the Banning brothers, sons of Los Angeles magnate Phineas Banning, and began to develop Santa Catalina. However, after a fire destroyed most of Avalon in 1915, these plans were abandoned and the island was effectively sold to William Wrigley Jr., of chewing gum fame. Wrigley acquired a controlling interest in the Santa Catalina Island Company, which purchased the island in 1919. He invested a fortune to bring Avalon and the rest of the island to fruition as a resort. He opened a casino (that is, a dance hall and theater, not a place of gambling) in the town, sponsored a bird park seen near the center, and designated Catalina as the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs, which he also owned. William's son Philip inherited his control of the Santa Catalina Island Company in 1932 and continued development efforts. Nonetheless, today, most of the island outside of Avalon remains rural and is managed by the Catalina Island Conservancy, a private land trust.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared and published by island resident Rev. Harry Wilson in 1913. It is quite rare, only being noted in the OCLC at the University of California San Diego and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection also holds an example.