•^ 
 
 n ^ Ed ^ E3 ID 
 
 PRICE 25* 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE 
 
 TO 
 
 AVALON THE BEAUTIEUL 
 
 AND THE 
 
 ISLAND OF SANTA CATALINA 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE 
 
 TO 
 
 AVALON The Beautiful 
 
 AND THE 
 
 ISLAND OF SANTA CATALINA 
 
 WITH SIXTY ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 HARRY WILSON, M. A. 
 
 PUBLISHED BV 
 
 THE WILSON MAP & GUIDE CO. 
 Avalon, Cal. and 118 South Broadway, Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 1913 
 
 Copyright 1913 by Harry Wilson 
 

 GREAT care has been taken to secure accuracy and correct 
 information in this book, but the author cannot hold himself 
 responsible for the consequence of any errors that may be 
 found, or of any change in times, prices, etc. He has done his best 
 to provide the visitor with as accurate information as possible, 
 and wishes him a pleasant and enjoyable stay at Avalon. The 
 author will be glad to receive corrections in preparation for another 
 edition of this book. 
 
 The reader of this Guide will derive great assistance from the 
 use of Wilson's Map of Avalon and Catalina Island (price 25 cents) 
 which is published as a companion to this work. 
 
 >CI.A350034 
 
Avalon The Beautiful and the Island 
 of Santa Catalina 
 
 The Story of the Wise Old Bird 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was an old man who had made his 
 "pile," and he was a Wise Old Bird. The old man had a 
 wife whom he loved dearly, and three sons, and they also 
 had wives whom they loved dearly, and numerous progeny and 
 also a Baby. 
 
 The three sons took counsel together and said, "Let us all leave 
 our business and take a vacation; let us gather together the whole 
 progeny and also the baby and have a grand family party, and 
 let us also take the Wise Old Bird and his wife." But then they 
 said, "Where shall we go?" And they smoked many cigars and 
 discussed the matter until three in the morning, for they all wanted 
 to go to different places, as all the progeny had their own pet and 
 favorite pastimes and their parents knew it. They then said, 
 "Let us talk to the Wise Old Bird." 
 
 And the Wise Old Bird said, "You come with me and I will 
 foot the bill," and they agreed with a unanimity which in them 
 was quite wonderful, and entirely unprecedented. 
 
 And so they came to Avalon. 
 
 And at Avalon they found all that they wanted. The Baby 
 wanted milk, pure milk fresh from the cow, and he got it; and he 
 wanted warm summer weather, not too hot, and he got that too; 
 and he thrived and was never peevish, and his milk agreed with him. 
 
 The numerous progeny also got what they wanted; the 
 younger ones played in the sands, and swung in the swings, and 
 rode on the see-saws; the boys did gymnastics, the girls rode 
 burros, and they all of them bathed in the sea, for in the Bay of 
 Avalon there was perfectly safe bathing. And the elder children 
 enjoyed themselves to their heart's content, for those who liked 
 swimming could stay in the water as long as they wished, and then 
 lie in the sands until they got hot and dry again, and then plunge 
 in from the diving-board and swim out to the float and generally 
 behave themselves as if they were seals. 
 
 And some of them took row boats and fished; and some of them 
 took sail boats and sailed; and in the evening those who were not 
 too dead-tired to move employed themselves in dancing. 
 
 The elders all amused themselves in their own way, for the 
 children were all occupied with their own affairs, and the bathing 
 was quite safe; there were no motor cars to run over them and 
 they were too busy enjoying themselves to get into mischief, so 
 
 5 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 the elders were all able to enjoy themselves at their own persona 
 enjoyments. 
 
 The eldest son had once caught a Tarpon and his great ambition 
 was to catch a Tuna. He went out in a launch every day, and 
 if he did not catch a Tuna he at least caught may great fishes and 
 acquired a violent complexion and an avaricious appetite. 
 
 The second son was devoted to golf, and reported that the 
 golf course was "about as sporty as anything he had ever come 
 across," and when he was not knocking the little balls about he 
 spent his time inspecting the fish in the Marine Gardens and the 
 Aquarium, for he was of a scientific turn of mind. He also took 
 to visiting the cave dwellings of prehistoric man, and the townsites 
 of the ancient Islanders, and when he went away he called himself 
 an ethnologist. 
 
 The third son brought his gun with him and climbed the hills 
 all day long hunting wild goats, of which he slaughtered many and 
 took home some particularly fine heads to adorn his parlor. 
 When he was not hunting he took out the younger members of the 
 party for long excursions over the hill-tops, or played tennis with 
 them at the Country Club. 
 
 And the three son's wives had their own particular amusements. 
 The eldest loved Nature, and all that was beautiful, and to the 
 best of her ability she imitated nature upon a piece of drawing 
 paper with pencil and with paint; and she drove up to the Summit 
 and observed Nature; and she walked to Descanso Canyon and 
 observed Nature, and she painted a picture of Sugar Loaf and 
 it was very beautiful. 
 
 And the wife of the second son cared also for Nature and for 
 many other things; she loved to wear beautiful dresses for she 
 thought it her duty to show in her own person how beautiful 
 Nature could be, but what she cared most for in the whole world 
 was her own Complexion. And she said, "Avalon suits me, for 
 here there are many people to admire my costumes, and there are 
 plenty of shade trees, and above all it has a north aspect."* 
 And when a smudgy picture appeared in a Sunday Supplement, 
 entitled "The Rose of Avalon," a great calm entered into all 
 that was left of her soul, and she was Contented. 
 
 And the wife of the third son was athletic and she loved 
 riding and she rode, and she loved sailing and she had a boat which 
 she could sail herself; but her chief desire and ambition in this 
 world was to learn to run a motor boat, and she learned, and she 
 had a searchlight fixed and went out at night to scare the flying fish. 
 
 There was only one who was disappointed and that was one 
 
 *See page 38 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 of the girls who wanted scenic railroads, roller coasters and "All 
 the fun of the Fair," and she did not get it; but her uncle one 
 day took her round the golf course and she forgot all those things 
 
 and learned a new language. Likewise she met a boy 
 
 And "The Wise Old Bird" and his wife were happy and 
 contented, for she wanted to sit quiet and read, and see the children 
 enjoy themselves; and he had got just so far away from business 
 that they could not get at him except by Wireless, and he could 
 get away from everybody by hiring a row boat and going out 
 fishing by himself, also he could really catch something if he wanted 
 to. Likew^ise he could wear his oldest and most comfortable 
 clothes. And when he footed the bill he chuckled, for he said "I 
 knew there was some limit to what they could spend at Avalon, 
 and there are places where there is no limit but the blue sky." 
 
 The "Cabrillo" 
 
 The Journey from Los Angeles. 
 
 The journey from Los Angeles to Avalon is accomplished with great ease 
 and comfort by the Pacific Electric cars, and the ships of the Wilmington Trans- 
 portation Company. The cars leave the Pacific Electric Depot at Sixth and 
 Main Streets, Los Angeles, at 9:15 every morning, and at 2:00 each afternoon 
 during the summer season; there is also a late service on Saturday in summer, 
 at 5 p. m. The journey can also be made by the Southern Pacific and the Salt 
 Lake Railroads. (See Time Tables, Page 60). 
 
 The run from Los Angeles to San Pedro takes about 45 minutes, and the 
 boat leaves the harbor as soon as the passengers are on board. The sea voyage 
 is full of interest, as flying fish can almost always be seen, and frequently porpoises 
 accompany the ship. Whales can sometimes be observed in the summer months. 
 
 The flying fish are particularh' to be noticed as they are the largest in the 
 world, and are frequently as much as eighteen inches long. The flying fish in 
 the Atlantic are usualh' not more than nine inches in length. 
 
 On approaching the Island, Long Point will be noticed jutting out into the 
 sea, and above it the heights of Black Jack, behind which the long ridge of 
 Orizaba will be observed. As the ship approaches the Bay of Avalon, Sugar 
 Loaf rock will be seen to the right and Abalone Point to the left. 
 
 On arriving at the pier much interest is caused by the numerous boys who 
 dive for coins on the far side of the ship. Many of them have become great 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALOX 
 
 Arrival at Avalon 
 
 experts at this work, some succeed occasionally in getting the coins without 
 going under the water at all; while sometimes when two big fellows are struggling 
 after one coin, a little boy will go right underneath and get it from them. 
 
 How to Spend Your Time. 
 Three Hours at Avalon. 
 
 The great majority of those who visit Avalon come only for a few hours, at 
 least on their first visit. They come over by the morning boat and they return 
 the same afternoon. They reach Avalon about twelve twenty, and as the 
 steamer returns at a quarter to four (out of the season somewhat earlier), this 
 leaves the visitor, at the most, three clear hours for sightseeing. 
 
 The pity of it is that so much of these three hours is generally wasted for 
 want of previous knowledge and arrangement. 
 
 There are two things that must be done during these three hours: the first is, 
 lunch, and the second is a visit to the Marine Gardens. The latter is abso- 
 lutely imperative. To visit Avalon and not see the Marine Gardens is like 
 going to Niagara and not seeing the Falls. And as the cravings of hunger 
 are a great bar to any kind of enjoyment, lunch must not be neglected. 
 
 What the visitor should do as soon as he leaves the pier is to turn sharp to 
 the right and visit the Information Bureau, and, if necessary, exchange his 
 ticket for a special pass for the returning steamer. This is to prevent disappoint- 
 ment in the event of the steamer being crowded. He should then either take 
 lunch at a restaurant or procure it at a grocery store for consumption on his way 
 to the marine gardens in a glass-bottom boat. N. B. — Sand Dabs are excellent. 
 
 The next thing for him to do is to go to the Pleasure Pier and endeavor 
 to fit in a visit to the Seal Rocks with his excursion to the Marine Gardens. 
 If one of the fast motor boats is starting for Seal Rocks, he should make that 
 journey first. It will take about three quarters of an hour, and there will be 
 ample time for a visit to the Marine Gardens afterwards. If on the other hand 
 
 8 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALOX 
 
 ^■- H:^-:r-. • -^^ •^^' '^^:'- 
 
 l. 
 
 IP* 
 
 
 ■■»^siii^i^->i.::^ 
 
 Glass-bottom Power-boat 
 
 Glass-bottom Row-boat 
 
 the motor boat has gone, he may take tickets for a later journey in it, and visit 
 the Marine Gardens first. 
 
 There are two kinds of glass-bottom boats, the large power-boats which 
 accommodate upwards of one hundred people at a time, and the row-boats which 
 take some sixteen on each trip. One of the large boats usually starts a few min- 
 utes after the arrival of the steamer and returns in about an hour, after visiting 
 the Marine Gardens in the vicinity of Abalone Point. On its return another 
 boat is started on a similar trip. The time when these boats leave is announced 
 by megaphone on the arrival of the steamer. 
 
 The comparative advantages of the large and small glass-bottom boats 
 are as follows: the smaller boats can go closer to the rocks, and show portions 
 of the Gardens which the larger boats cannot visit. On the other hand, the 
 larger boats will cover a much larger amount of the Gardens than the smaller 
 ones. Those who are staying on the Island are strongly advised to use both 
 kinds of glass-bottom boats. 
 
 The large power-boats are owned by the Meteor Boat Co. The row-boats 
 are usually owned by the boatman who is in charge. 
 
 Even with the best endeavors it will often 
 be found impossible to combine both of the 
 trips to the Marine Gardens and to Seal 
 
 Rocks and the following plan is suggested 
 to people who do not mind spending a certain 
 amount of money in order to make the best 
 possible use of their time at .Xvalon. In the 
 season it will cost $20.00; out of season, $12.00. 
 
 This sum should be sent with at least twenty- 
 four hours notice to the Secretary of the Glass- 
 bottom Row-boat .■Vssocfation. The exact date 
 of arrival must be given, and the number 
 in the party; an extra dollar a head being 
 included when the party exceeds four in 
 number, twelve being the limit. 
 
 On arrival at Avalon they should at once go 
 to the Pleasure Pier and find Locker No. 26, 
 where the Secretary will be awaiting them. He 
 will at once put them into a launctl, hired for 
 the day, where they will find provided a basket 
 lunch for the whole party, and they will start 
 immediately for Seal Roclcs. On the way 
 
 they can amuse themselves with fishing, or 
 admiring the scenery, or both. 
 
 .After visiting the Seal Rocks, they will 
 return at once to the Marine Gardens at 
 Sugar Loaf (without revisiting the Pier), 
 where they will find an empty glass-bottom 
 boat awaiting them, to which they will be 
 transferred. 
 
 Having inspected the Gardens at Sugar 
 Loaf, the launch will take them in tow and 
 conduct them to the Gardens at Abalone 
 Point and Lover's Cove, and then back to the 
 Pleasure Pier. If any time remains after 
 seeing the Gardens, it can be spent in fishing, 
 the launch being at the visitor's service till 
 the steamer leaves at 3:45. 
 
 The price may seem heavy, but in the season 
 to secure a launch for certain, it must be 
 engaged in advance for a whole day. 
 
 The great advantage of this plan is that the 
 ivhole party is able to keep together for the 
 entire visit. 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 A Day at Avalon. 
 
 People who are remaining one night at Avalon are advised first of all to get 
 lunch and to secure a location for the night, then to visit the Marine Gardens 
 at Sugar Loaf in a glass-bottom row-boat; at 3 o'clock to take the glass-bottom 
 power-boat to Seal Rocks. This will bring them back to Avalon about 4:30. 
 They should then stay on the Pleasure Pier and watch the return of the fishing 
 launches, the weighing of the fish, and the feeding of the seals; they should 
 also secure a place for the night trip in the speed motor-boat; this must 
 on no account be missed. 
 
 7:30 p. m., Open Air Concert in Greek Theatre. 9 p. m., View, or join in, 
 the dancing in the Pavilion. These two engagements must be worked in with the 
 expedition in the speed motor-boat to see the flying fish. If a visitor cares for 
 music and does not care for dancing, he will arrange to go by a late trip in the 
 motor-boat which will probably be the best as the night will be darker. On the 
 other hand, if he wishes to join in the dancing he will make a point of taking a 
 ticket for an early trip in the motor-boat. No charge is made either for the 
 concert or the dancing. 
 
 Porter's Marine Band 
 
 Next Morning. 
 
 Do not get up to see the sun rise as in summer it is always cloudy in the 
 early morning. Those who wish to make the most of their time will go swimming 
 at half past seven, and then dress and get breakfast, and be ready at 9 o'clock 
 either to take the stage coach to the Summit, or the glass-bottom power-boat 
 to Moonstone Beach, or the speed motor-boat to the Isthmus. All these trips 
 return about 11 :30 a. m., and a visit to the Aquarium ma\' be made before lunch. 
 
 After lunch, visit Buena Vista Park by the Incline Railway, where an 
 admirable view can be had, and light refreshments may be obtained. A walk 
 may be made along the road above Buena Vista Park which leads down by 
 Pebbly Beach, and a return made along the seashore. This is a beautiful 
 expedition, and an hour and a half should be sufficient for a good walker. Or a 
 visit may be made to the Old Wireless Station via St. John's Heights, return- 
 ing by the Coach Road; this will take about forty minutes (see page 54). 
 
 10 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 For Those Spending Two Days at Avalon. 
 
 If the stay is extended over two nights, we strongly advise that either the 
 morning or the afternoon of the second day should be spent in a fishing expedi- 
 tion on a launch. This costs ^5.00, but it is well worth-while, as it will give 
 a reminiscence that will last a life time. 
 
 A visit to Descanso should be included and if the tide is low the energetic 
 will like to ascend Sugar Loaf, from which there is a beautiful view of Avalon. 
 
 Also, the stage drive to the Summit is full of interest. If the fishing can be 
 arranged for the afternoon, an expedition to the Summit, or by glass-bottom 
 power-boat to Moonstone Beach (this trip includes a visit to the Marine 
 Gardens at Sugar Loaf and along the coast and is well worth taking); or the 
 Isthmus, may be taken in the morning. The arrangements for the fishing 
 should be made on the previous day, application being made on the Pleasure 
 Pier to the owners of launches. If the fishing expedition takes place in the 
 morning, the afternoon may advantageously be spent by an expedition to the 
 Summit, or failing this, to Descanso Canyon or Pebbly Beach. 
 
 A charming walk can be taken inland past the Golf Links to "Chicken 
 Johnnie's;" or a game of golf or tennis may be played, for which all requisites 
 can be rented at the Golf House; or a row-boat mav be hired at the Pleasure 
 Pier. 
 
 For those who stay more than two nights on the Island, we strongly recom- 
 mend the complete trip round the Island. For this excursion the boat starts 
 at 9 o'clock and returns about 5 p. m., lunch being served at thelsthmus, and 
 included in the cost of the trip. The scenery on the other side of the Island is 
 magnificent and full of interest. 
 
 Those who are fond of rowing, sailing or fishing may spend a few hours on 
 the water, hiring a boat at rates which will be found on another page. When it 
 is desired that a sailor should take charge of the boat it can generally be arranged 
 for. 
 
 People who stay longer than two nights will have no difficulty in fitting in 
 their own arrangements, but they should remember that none of the following 
 expeditions should be missed: 
 
 The Marine Gardens and Seal Rocks, pages 13, 14, 49 
 
 A Night Trip in the Speed Motor-boat, page 15 
 
 The Concert and the Dancing, page 35 
 
 A Fishing Expedition in a Launch, page 21 
 
 Moonstone Beach and the Isthmus, page 43 
 
 Coach Drive to the Summit, page 55 
 
 A Trip Around the Island, page 43 
 
 Less important expeditions are as follows: 
 
 Descanso Canyon and Sugarloaf, page 51 
 Buena Vista Park and Pebbly Beach, page 52 
 
 The "Little Chapel by the Sea" and the Old Wireless Station, page 54 
 The Golf Links and "Chicken Johnnies", page 29 
 
 The Aquarium and the Exhibitions of Mounted Fish in the Curio Stores 
 are especialh' worth seeing. 
 
 For Short Walks, see page 51 
 
 11 
 
'Diving Mac" 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 The Marine Gardens. 
 
 We shall not attempt to describe the Marine Gardens. Only those who 
 have seen them can realize the wonderful beauties which lie below the surface of 
 the sea. 
 
 The glass at the bottom of the boat quiets every ripple, and one can look 
 down through the clear, blue water and see the bottom of the ocean, on some days 
 even at a depth of 80 feet. The most beautiful parts of the gardens are not so 
 deep as this, ten or fifteen feet, perhaps. Great trees of kelp reach up to the 
 surface; wonderful sea-weeds of every variety and hue cover the rocks; and 
 innumerable fishes dart in and out, some brilliantly red, some silvery grey, some 
 of deepest blue. 
 
 The Following is a List of Some of the Contents of the Marine Gardens. 
 
 Seaweeds, Mosses, etc. Fish. 
 
 Irish Moss. Chiffon Moss Sponge Moss or QqIj pi^h, or Garibaldi Perch. Rainbow 
 
 Sea Tomato. Sea Heather blue and violet, Perch. Rat Fish or Chameleon Fish with a 
 
 this moss loses color when taken out of the head like a rat, this fish changes color according 
 
 water Evergreen Moss or ^[''P^ M°^^ to its surroundings. Electric Fish. Octopus 
 
 Chenille Moss, dark green. Coral Moss and j^^ip pj^h Rock Bass. Blue-Eyed Perch. 
 
 Heliotrope Moss, these mosses hold their color Blue Perch. Sheepshead etc. 
 and are good for pressing. Cedar Moss. Sea 
 
 Fern. Silver-grey Moss. Ribbon Kelp, the „, II F' h 
 
 white specks on the kelp are parasites which anell rtsn, etc. 
 
 eventually kill the kelp. Iodine Kelp, from Abalone Clawless Lobster or Crayfish, 
 
 which Iodine is made. F"eather-Boa Kelp. Starfish. Sea Anemone. Rock Crab. Sea 
 
 Black-Horn Moss White-Horn Moss, etc. Urchins. Sea Cucumbers. Pyramid Shell Fish. 
 
 The Marine Gardens are in good order all the year round, but are at their 
 best in the summer. Visitors should always ask to be shown the Mermaid. 
 
 Everyone who visits the Marine Gardens should make a point of seeingthe 
 "Hermit" gold fish. Near the Sugar Loaf, down in clear blue water, there is a 
 little cave at the end of a tiny ravine; in this cave for the last five years or so, at 
 the time of writing, a gold fish has resided. He is spoken of as a "hermit," but 
 he is a pugnacious character and he is secluded because he allows no other fish to 
 intrude on what he considers to be his territory. His head or his tail may usually 
 be seen protruding from the cave and it will be interesting to visitors to note how 
 long he continues to reside there. 
 
 Another point of interest is the Sugar Loaf under the water. The line 
 of hills which ends in the Sugar Loaf, is extended under the sea, and the boatman 
 will place the boat right over the top of the submerged Sugar Loaf. You can 
 look down from one side of the boat and see the top of the mountain some ten 
 or fifteen feet below you, from the other side you look down over a precipice, 
 and the depth is some 60 or 70 feet; if the water is clear the bottom can be easily 
 discerned. 
 
 Diving at the Marine Gardens. 
 
 One great feature of these expeditions is the diving exhibitions given by 
 expert divers who accompany both classes of boats, and who not only fetch 
 abalone shells from the bottom of the sea but give various exhibitions of diving 
 which can be seen to perfection through the glasses at the bottom of the boats. 
 
 The most expert of these div-ers is known as "Diving Mac," who frequents 
 the gardens around Sugar Loaf. He holds a record of having been four and a 
 quarter minutes under the water at one time, and of having stayed at the bottom 
 of 30 feet of water for three minutes and a half. He also performs many elaborate 
 evolutions below the surface of the water. 
 
 13 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 The Seals. 
 
 A constant source of interest and amusement are the seals which frequent 
 the Bay of Avalon, and who make their home at Seal Rocks, some three miles 
 away. These seals are not of the species which supply the valuable seal-skin, 
 but are considerably larger, and from the roar which they make when they are 
 hungry have acquired the title of Sea-lions. During the day time some of them 
 are almost always to be seen near the Pleasure Pier. 
 
 
 "Old Ben" on the Parade at Avalon. 
 
 An old male who has been known to visit the Bay of Avalon for some 28 
 years, has been named "Old Ben." He is blind in one eye, and his whiskers have 
 become very grey; he is supposed to weigh about 900 pounds. He is usually 
 accompanied by several of his wives who often bring their little ones into the 
 bay where they can sometimes be seen teaching them to swim. At night time 
 they return to Seal Rocks where they have their own permanent place of resi- 
 dence. 
 
 These seals have become very tame, so much so that they often seize the 
 fish that have been caught as soon as they are thrown upon the landing float. 
 Sometimes they can be tempted on to the pier, or even on to the road. Though 
 in appearance they are very ferocious, they have never been known to harm 
 anyone. 
 
 'Old Ben" at Home 
 
 14 
 
 Seals at Seal Rocks 
 
\VILS(X\"S GUIDE TO AVAl.ON 
 
 
 Speed Motor Boat — Note Clearness of Water. The Feet of the Swimmer In 
 Foreground Are Clearly Visible Even Though He Is Treading Water. 
 
 The Speed Motor Boats and the Flying Fish 
 
 The swift Motor-Boats that have latcl\- been introduced at Avalon have 
 added a fresh pleasure for the visitors. These light launches, with their powerful 
 engines, skim over the water at some fifteen or even twenty miles an hour, and 
 an excursion in them is very delightful both rn day-time and especialh" at night. 
 The night trip is indeed an extraordinary experience! The boat is armed with a 
 powerful searchlight which sweeps over the sea in every direction. As the beams 
 hit the water, the flying fish, which seem to exist in innumerable multitudes, are 
 disturbed by it and rise at once into the air. Scores of them mav be seen at the 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 same time, flying under the beams of the searchlight; flashes of the most brilliant 
 silver hurtling through the air. Sometimes a misguided fish will fly straight for 
 the searchlight and arrive in the boat in the midst of the passengers, and on some 
 trips dozens have been caught in this manner. 
 
 The whole trip is weird and extraordinary to the last degree. The searchlight 
 playing upon the steep mountain sides, arousing the seals from their sleep at 
 Seal Rocks, lighting up the waters on every side is an experience which everyone 
 who visits Avalon should make a point of recording in their memory. It is an 
 entirely new sensation as this trip was only commenced in the summer of 1912. 
 We hear that an even larger and more powerful boat will be ready in the summer 
 of 1913, which will make the circuit of the Island in half a day. 
 
 Swimming 
 
 The water in Avalon harbor is never very cold, but of course it is much 
 warmer in summer than in winter; the temperature of the water in winter is 
 seldom less than 58 degrees, and the highest in summer about 70 degrees. Bathing 
 goes on almost all the year round, but the most pleasant time is between April 
 and November. In the summer, ardent bathers spend hours in and out of the 
 water, basking in the sun on the platforms of the bath-house, or on the sands near 
 the children's swings, and returning to the water when once again they have been 
 heated through and through. 
 
 Where the bathing dress gives no protection the skin is often colored (it 
 would be a compliment to call it tanned) to an almost unbelievable extent, and 
 sometimes a considerable irritation is caused by sunburn when lengthened expos- 
 ure is too suddenly indulged in at the beginning of the visit. 
 
 In the season the sea near the bath-house is alive with bathers. Sometimes 
 the large float which is moored some fifty yards from the shore is so crowded that 
 there seems scarce!}' room for another person on it, and a constant stream of 
 divers can be seen projecting themselves from the spring-boards on the bath- 
 house platform. 
 
 Experienced voyagers tell us that the calmest, most peaceful piece of water 
 in the open sea lies between Long Point and the Seal Rocks and extends some six 
 or eight miles eastward from Avalon. Any visitor may test this for himself when 
 he starts out fishing on a calm and peaceful day. As soon as he passes Seal Rocks 
 the Pacific swell is felt quite perceptibly, and beyond Church Rock it will be 
 rougher still. It is just the same at Long Point and unless there is a dead calm 
 everywhere the sea will be perceptibly more lively between that point and the 
 Isthmus than between Long Point and Avalon. 
 
 The explanation is simple enough. All the prevailing winds, especially in 
 summer, come across the Island. The mountains, of which the Island is com- 
 posed, checkthewindsand the steep slope on the windward side throws the current 
 of air upwards; the consequence is that the sea around Avalon is specially calm 
 and peaceful. 
 
 This calm is intensified in Avalon harbor, where in summer time only gentle 
 echoes of the Pacific swells lap the beach and sands in little waves a few inches 
 high; there is no undertow and no current, and the water is pure and clear. 
 Sometimes from the bathing float one may see a piece of newspaper laying on the 
 bottom and read the headlines through ten or fifteen feet of water, and watch the 
 fish that swim so tamely about, being scarcely incommoded by the bathers. 
 Sometimes clouds of ancovies, millions of them, darken the water and make it 
 impossible to see the bottom; sometimes the water is not so clear, but compared 
 to most other places, even in its worst aspect, it is transparency itself. 
 
 I have swum in many waters; in French rivers between banks of green; in 
 English streams and rivers where the current is scarcely felt; in the blustering 
 
 17 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 English Channel where one has to dive through the breakers, or "white horses" 
 as they are called, or turn on one's back as one meets them; and in the deep blue 
 Tvleditcrranean Sea; I have swum in the River Jordan, and in the Dead Sea, 
 where the bouyancyis so great that one's feet come out of the water of their own 
 accord, and upright one can float chest high with one's hands above one's head, 
 but I have never found anything to compare with the swimming of Avalon in the 
 clear blue transparent water. I know of only one water that in any way resembles 
 it, a tiny lake in the mountains at Arolla in Switzerland. There a little stream 
 issues from the mountain side from some still underground reservoir, where every 
 particle of impurity has settled to the bottom. This little lake is only a few feet 
 deep, but the water is so clear that it is diflicult to distinguish the ripples on the 
 top from their "shadows" which lie on the bottom. 
 
 The Bath House 
 
 It is the same sometimes at the bathing place at Avalon. As one dives into 
 the water it is often not easy to tell exactly where the top of the water is; one's 
 eye catches the "shadows" of the ripples on the sands below. It is not always as 
 clear as this, but I have noticed it many times. 
 
 The bath-house itself is a great convenience to visitors; there they can have 
 comfortable dressing-rooms where they can dress themselves at leisure, and where 
 bathing suits can be hired, and where there is accommodation for 250 people at a 
 
 18 
 
isbtrmat 
 
 fji r\siXh tt» €arly In 
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 |th whoU Ifovsdiold. 
 
 ffiigbty an Wis Pnyarttwm. 
 
 ^ 9t mh forth full of 1?«M, 
 ^ftd mt %k Day is far |fe»t 
 
 Drink iW^ Cfttth n,mM 
 Ifim. 
 
 L 
 
 "Bshold the Fisherman' 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALOX 
 
 Anyone May Hope to Make A 
 
 Catch Like 
 At Avalon 
 
 Tins tne First Time He Fishes 
 
 time. The majority of visitors, however, do their dressing in their homes or tents, 
 and come down to the water all ready for the fray. 
 
 It is etiquette, however, on the streets of the town that bathers should wear 
 something besides their bathing costumes; sometimes it is a bath-robe, sometimes 
 a coat or a pair of trousers, sometimes ladies compromise with a towel around 
 their necks. It is the general custom to bathe in shoes; many people have the 
 idea that shoes weigh them down and make swimming difficult, but my own 
 experience is that with a light tennis shoe the difference is imperceptible, and it is 
 quite a convenience to be able to walk straight home after bathing without having 
 to put on a pair of shoes. 
 
 Deep Sea Fishing 
 
 Everyone knows that the great attraction of Avalon is the Deep Sea Fishing. 
 The waters around this Island not only swarm with great fishes, but they swarm 
 with fish which are hot only great but game. Many fish will give up and come to 
 the surface of the water as soon as they are hooked; not so the great game-fish, 
 the Leaping Tuna, the Leaping Sword Fish, the Black Sea Bass, the 
 Albicore, the YellowtaiL etc.; they will fight for their lives, and fight until 
 their last breath, and with the tackle that is in use at Avalon, in a great number 
 of cases especially when dealing with inexperienced fishermen, they fight success- 
 fully and break away. Such fishing is no mere slaughter, and the fish when 
 they are caught for the most part find their way eventually into the market 
 and are used for food. 
 
 20 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 The fishing at Avalon has many special and peculiar advantages. To begin 
 with, the Bay at Avalon is situated in what may be called the true lee of the 
 Island, and the sea, except when the wind blows from the northeast, which 
 practically never happens during the summer, is never rough between Long 
 Point and Seal Rocks and for a distance of some six or eight miles out from Avalon. 
 In the summer time the prevailing wind is a northwest trade wind which comes 
 up about 8 o'clock every morning and blows a gentle breeze until about five in the 
 afternoon; and in fact the only time when the Bay of Avalon is visited with rough 
 water is in the winter when storms happen to blow in from the north east. Even 
 then, the sea is very slight compared to what is is in other places, as it is only some 
 twenty miles from the mainland and there is not enough distance for really large 
 waves to be formed. The consequence is that the sea near the Bay is an absolutely 
 ideal fishing ground almost all the year round. 
 
 Expert fishermen will not need to be told of the glories of the fishing at 
 .\valon. What we want here to dwell upon is the extraordinary opportunity 
 that is given to anyone who has never caught a fish six inches long, to catch, on 
 regulation tackle, a really grand fish of say twenty or thirty pounds weight, 
 which, if he desires, he can have stuffed to adorn his parlor at home to convince 
 his great-grandchildren of his extraordinary prowess as a fisherman. 
 
 The fishing launches which can be hired at 
 Avalon are fitted out with every possible 
 comfort for the angler, who can enjoy all the 
 fun without any of the inconveniences that 
 are usually associated with fishing. He sits 
 at the stern of the boat in a comfortable seat 
 with a back to it, and he has an able captain 
 behind him who baits his hook with a skill 
 acquired by years of experience, and in a 
 marine- calculated t" '••"^ > 'li» .^^st ',>-.->'-'. ■-* 
 
 fishes. The rod is handed to him and he is 
 told exactly how much line to let out, how to 
 hold his hands, and what he is to do. All he 
 has to do is to do exactly as he is told. This 
 is not quite such an easy matter as it sounds, 
 for when a bite occurs his first instinct is to 
 jerk up the rod as if he was going to throw the 
 fish over his head, and this usually has the 
 effect of jerkinB the bait out of the fish's mouth. 
 What he oueht to do is to lower the point of 
 
 Trolling Frcm a Launch — The Correct Position 
 
 21 
 
A PAGE OF RECORDS. 
 1. Record Tuna, 251 lbs. (Col. C. P. Morehoiis.) 2. Record Black Sea Bass, 
 436 lbs. (Mr. G. Murphy.) 3. Record Yellowtall, 60' 2 lbs. (Mr. W. W. Simp- 
 son.) 4. Record Swordfish, 339 lbs. (Mr. C. G. Conn.) 5. Ladies' Record 
 Tuna, 216 lbs. (Mrs. E. N. DIckerson.) 6. Ladles' Record Black Sea Bass, 
 416 lbs. (Mrs. Barrett.) 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 his rod so as to give the fish a good chance to 
 secure the bait, and then give one or two little 
 jerks. If he does this he is almost certain to 
 fasten the hook into the fish's mouth; then 
 whiz-z-z-z-z goes the line, and he yells 
 "STRIKE" with all the energy he possesses, 
 and the boatman immediately rushes to his 
 rescue. We will add no more; he is now in the 
 hands of an expert fisherman who will whisper 
 into his ear exactly what to do. Sometimes he 
 win succeed in doing it, and sometimes he will 
 not. If he is very much excited it is quite 
 possible that in winding up the reel he will 
 remove some of the skin from his knuckles, 
 but this is the worst that is likely to happen to 
 him. After the first excitement is over he will 
 soon find himself swinging gently backwards 
 and forwards as he raises the point of the rod 
 and then winds in the line on the reel as he low- 
 ers it. Again and again the great fish will go 
 
 away with a rush, and the line will sing its 
 song, whiz-z-z-z-z, but slowly and surely, if 
 he only does as he is told, the great fish will 
 come to the surface, and with the assistance of 
 the gaff will find its way into the tank in the 
 prow of the boat. 
 
 Even if his first day's catch is a small one, 
 the beginner will certainly regret it after- 
 wards if he does not have it photographed. 
 He has only to tell the boatman that he wishes 
 it, and the whistle will be sounded as he comes 
 into the harbor and the photographer will 
 be on hand. He may have many a better 
 catch later on, but unless it is something really 
 worth while he will not like to have it photo- 
 graphed then. His first catch is another mat- 
 ter, it will always be the first, and always a 
 happy memory to look back upon, and the 
 money spent on the photograph will never 
 be regretted. 
 
 Fighting the Fish 
 
 Large Game Fish. 
 
 Leaping Tuna 251 lbs. 
 
 Black Sea Bass 436 lbs. 
 
 Albacore 66 j lbs. 
 
 Yellow Fin Tuna 60 lbs. 
 
 Leaping Sword Fish 339 lbs. 
 
 Yellowtail 60| lbs. 
 
 White Sea Bass 60 lbs. 
 
 The weights given record the largest fish as yet taken. 
 
 Small Game Fish. 
 
 Blue Eyed Perch, Rock Bass, Whitefish, Sheepshead, Barractida, Bonito or 
 Skip-Jack, Dolphin, etc., etc. These fishes give excellent sport on 3-6 or other 
 very light tackle. 
 
 23 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 "V ictory " 
 
 The Tuna Club 
 
 Visitors will notice on the sea shore, a short distance beyond the Metropole, 
 a small brown establishment on a platform jutting out over the sea with a flag 
 flying from its flag-pole bearing the magic inscription "Tuna Club." It is the 
 home of the world-famed Club that has had more influence than any other 
 institution in the matter of angling for game sea-fish. 
 
 The Tuna Club was founded by Professor Holder and a few friends, and for 
 some years had its head-quarters at the Metropole Hotel. It was this circum- 
 stance that gave to the wide porches of that Hotel the reputation of being the 
 place where all the "fish-stories" of the world had their origin. 
 
 Before the Tuna Club came into existence the method of angling was to hang 
 out hand-lines, perhaps as many as ten of them, from the stern of a launch and 
 haul in the fish by main force as fast as they could be caught. Thedestruction was 
 enormous, the fun was poor, and the ruin of the fisheries was inevitable; to prevent 
 such a disaster the Club offered prizes to the boatmen who conducted their fishing 
 upon methods which gave "fair play to game fishes." 
 
 After many experiments as to the lightest 
 possible tackle that could be used, a rod was 
 evolved consisting of two parts only, viz: a 
 butt to which the reel is attached, and a tip. 
 For heavy, tackle, that is for Tuna, Swordfish, 
 Black Sea Bass, etc., by the rules of the Club 
 the whole rod must be not less than 6 feet 9 
 inches long and the tip not less than S feet, and 
 its weight not more than 16 ounces. For 
 light tackle, the butt must not exceed 14 
 inches, the tip must be at least S feet long, and 
 the weight of the tip must not exceed 6 ounces. 
 For 3-6 tackle, the lightest used, the butt must 
 be not less than 12 inches, the rod must be at 
 least 6 feet long, and the weight of the whole 
 rod 6 ounces. This rod is usually made in one 
 piece. 
 
 The line to go with these rods is made of 
 standard linen thread, each thread being 
 capable of supporting a weight of two pounds. 
 For the heavy tackle a 24-strand line is the 
 limit, but a 21-strand line is the one most 
 commonly in use. For light tackle a 9-strand 
 line; and for the 3-6 a 6-strand line is 
 imperative. 
 
 The Tuna Club, the active membership of 
 which is limited to those who have taken a 
 Tuna of at least 100 pounds weight, or a 
 Sword Fish of two hundred pounds offers 
 many prizes each year to those who are suc- 
 cessful in capturing the largest fish of every 
 description, with the regulation tackle; and 
 the result has been that this tackle has become 
 
 24 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 universally used at Avalon, and is largely in 
 use in other places. 
 
 At first sight it seems almost impossible 
 that such huge fish can be captured with such 
 delicate instruments as those advocated by the 
 Tuna Club The use of such tackle has 
 prevented the indiscriminate slaughter of 
 thousands of fish, and has immensely increased 
 the actual sport of fishing. Anyone can haul 
 in a big yellowtail on a hand-line, but it may 
 mean an hour's hard work to land the same 
 fish on light tackle, and not only is the fish 
 given a fair chance, but the fisherman can 
 congratulate himself upon having acquired a 
 considerable amount of skill and developed 
 some amount of energy. 
 
 Under the Tuna Club there are two branch 
 
 societies known as The Light Tackle Club and 
 The Three-Six Club (so called because the rod 
 must be 6 feet long, its weight 6 ounces and 
 its line 6-strand), which offer prizes for the 
 fish caught with these two forms of light 
 tackle. 
 
 The membership of The Light Tackle Club 
 is open to amateurs who catch on light tackle 
 under^"game rules" a fish weighing 20 pounds 
 or more. A button is issued on payment of the 
 membership fee, and there are no further dues; 
 the color of the button being bronze, silver or 
 gold, according to the size of the fish that has 
 been captured. 
 
 The full particulars of the numerous prizes 
 offered can be obtained on application at the 
 Tuna Club. .'Ml prizes are open to the world. 
 
 The Tuna Club 
 
 Buttons 
 
 Tuna Class. 
 Blue Button — Awarded to angler taking a Tuna of 100 pounds or over, 
 
 under Club rules. 
 
 Red Button — Awarded to angler taking a Tuna of 50 pounds or over, under 
 Club rules and light tackle specifications. 
 
 25 
 
FISHmG TACKLE ACTUAL SIZE J; 
 
 STRANDS 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
 
 -4 
 
 if; 
 
 
 Fishing Tackle 
 
WILSOX'S GUIDE TO AVALOX 
 
 Light Tackle Class. 
 
 Buttons Bronze Silver Gold 
 
 Yellowtail 20-lb. 30-lb. 40-lb. 
 
 Albacore 20-lb. 35-lb. 50-lb. 
 
 White Sea Bass 20-lb. 35-lb. 50-lb. 
 
 Tuna 20-lb. 35-lb. 50-lb. 
 
 Row-boat Fishing 
 
 Row-boats can be hired at the Pleasure Pier, and the sum charged covers 
 the hire of fishing tackle and bait. An "anchor" should be taken to secure the 
 boat from drifting with the tide. Some of the best spots for hand-line fishing are 
 off the Sugar Loaf, beyond Descanso Beach, beside the kelp-bed off the 
 Torqua Springs, off the rock between Moonstone Beach and White's Land- 
 ing, off Abalone Point, and off Jewfish Point. These are some of the best 
 spots, but just outside any bed of kelp is sure to be a good place for fishing; while 
 there is no place in the sea near Avalon where large fish may not be 
 caught. 
 
 The sport however may be much enhanced by In baiting with a whole sardine the hook is 
 
 hiring a rod and tackle in place of the hand- inserted through the mouth and out at the 
 
 line. Many a good yellowtail has been cap- gills, and is then stuck through the body of the 
 
 tured from a row-boat in or near the bay. fish, the point coming out on the other side. 
 
 The beginner is strongly advised to take out and being laid so as to point towards the head 
 
 heavy tackle in place of light, as he will be much of the fish. The mouth of the bait is then tied 
 
 less likely to break it. up, a piece of fine wire being wound round it to 
 
 The best bait in these waters is the local prevent the line tearing out. It sounds quite 
 
 "sardine," a pretty, silvery fish about six or easy, and it looks quite easy when an expert 
 
 eight inches long. For hand-line fishing it is does it, but the amateur will be wise who takes 
 
 usually chopped up, and the hook stuck a lesson or two in the art of baiting before 
 
 through a section of it. For larger fish, he starts. 
 
 yellowtail, barracuda, skipjacks, etc., it is best He will also be wise if he persuades a friend 
 
 used whole with a good strong back, and well developed 
 
 All Yellowtail — Caught in One Day at Avalon. 
 
 27 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 biceps to come with him and row the boat 
 Then he can sit in the stern and pay out about 
 a hundred feet of line, and let the other fellow 
 row where he likes. He must always be ready 
 for a bite, and remember that he must give the 
 fish a chance to get the bait into his mouth 
 before he jerks the rod. Then the fight begins. 
 At first there is great exultation at having a 
 big fish on the end of the line, but after half an 
 hour or so an uneasy feeling may arise that the 
 fish has got a man at the other end of the line 
 
 and that the question is wliich will die 
 first. ,\t all hazards the line must be kept 
 tight all the time; when the fish rushes the 
 line is let out, and as soon as he stops he must 
 be steadily and persistently hauled in. When 
 the fish is quite tired out he can be hauled up 
 to the boat and a gaffing hook struck into its 
 side to lift him in. The fisherman will then 
 probably be glad to take the oars while the 
 other fellow fishes for a bit. 
 
 1\ 
 
 f.. ,.-- . . A 
 
 ^•^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 A Good Haul — Six Tuna in Half a Day 
 
 Golf and Tennis 
 
 The Golf Course, at Avalon, is situated in the valley just behind the town, 
 the Club House being within five minutes walk of the Canvas City. A course of 
 nine holes has been laid out with great care, the hazards being all entirely natural, 
 no artificial bunkers having been made. 
 
 First Hole. 310 yards. "Bogey 4." 
 
 The teeing ground is just in front of the Golf 
 House at the top of a slope about thirty feet 
 high. There are some trees in a direct line 
 about two hundred yards away. A driver who 
 can carry these trees can make the hole easily. 
 Anyone who cannot attempt this feat will find 
 good lies to the right of the direct line. 
 Second Hole, 256 yards. "Bogey 5." 
 
 The teeing ground is directly in front of a 
 steep hill, which needs to be carried with a 
 high and very long and straight ball if the 
 green is to be reached on the second shot. By 
 the local rules, a second ball may be teed with 
 only loss of distance. 
 
 Third Hole, 157 yards. "Bogey 3." 
 The teeing ground is immediately in front 
 of a deep arroyo about 60 yards wide, tlie carry- 
 ing of which is only a question of nerve. A 
 ball driven too hard at this hole is in danger 
 of being lost in another arroyo. 
 
 Fourth Hole, 294 yards. "Bogey 5." 
 There is a rise of some 60 feet between the 
 teeing ground and the hole, and as it is steady 
 up hill all the way it is well worth five. The 
 only hazards are two trees in the center of the 
 course. Slice on the drive is to be avoided as 
 there is a deep arroyo on the right where a ball 
 is in danger of being lost. 
 
 29 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Fifth Hole, 245 yards. "Bogey 4." 
 
 The drive at this hole is back over the same 
 arroyo as No. 3, but presents less difficulties 
 as the opposite bank slopes more gently. The 
 trend is down hill and a good drive should 
 reach a close proximity to the green. 
 
 Sixth H9le, 300 yards. "Bogey 4." 
 This drive is also from an elevation, and a 
 long and straight drive, slightly to the right of 
 the direction of the hole, will find a good lie 
 for a mashie stroke to the green. A pulled 
 stroke will land in bad ground with trees 
 directly in front, while a small arroyo is waiting 
 for anything in the way of a short drive. 
 
 Seventh Hole, 170 yards. "Bogey 3." 
 
 This hole is more difficult than it looks; 
 
 the ground near the green is soft and beyond 
 
 it there are rocks and bad lies while to the 
 
 right there are hazards in the shape of trees. 
 
 Eighth Hole, 302 yards. "Bogey 5." 
 Here again as in the second hole the player 
 is faced with a steep hill, though at a greater 
 distance, and the same rule for re-teeing the 
 ball applies. A guide-post is placed on the 
 hill, but a strong and straight driver may go 
 to the left of it with advantage, though the 
 penalty will be serious if he pulls his ball. 
 Ninth Hole, 235 yards. "Bogey 4." 
 This is the star hole of the course, and is even 
 more difficult than it appears at first sight. A 
 deep arroyo about 150 yards from the tee must 
 be cleared, and the ground on which the ball 
 must land is only some fifty feet wide. If the 
 drive is cut in the least it will go on to the hill 
 on the right and will probably find its way 
 back into the arroyo; if it is pulled it will 
 reach another arroyo on the left. In the latter 
 case, with luck, the ball may be lifted with a 
 mashie or niblick; in the former recovery is 
 impossible. A good straight ball may reach 
 the green or go beyond it. 
 
 
 The Golf Links and Tennis Courts 
 
 30 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 Tennis 
 
 The Tennis Courts are situated close to the Club House, and are much used 
 during the summer months. Both the Golf Course and the Tennis Courts are 
 open to all visitors at a moderate charge. All that is necessary for these games 
 can be rented or purchased at the Club House. The Golf Links are open all the 
 year round. 
 
 Hunting 
 
 There are a large number of wild goats in all parts of the Island except in the 
 immediate vicinity of the town of Avalon, but the best ground for hunting is in 
 the Salta \'erde district, where a large section of the Island has been cut off by 
 fences and reserved for hunting purposes. 
 
 Visitors who wish to hunt have to employ the services of a guide, who will at 
 least give them the opportunity of showing what they can do with a rifle. Appli- 
 cation should be made at the Information Bureau, where guides and horses, and 
 if necessary, rifles can be hired. No hunting is permitted unless a guide is taken. 
 
 There is an abundance of quail and of dove which may be shot when in season. 
 In all cases a guide must be taken. Foxes used to exist on the Island, but none 
 have been se^n for some years. 
 
 A Day's Hunting. Coming Home With the Spoil 
 31 
 
The Catalina Wild Goat 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^3^;'^" 
 
 f 
 
 PIS 
 
 ^■Mg 
 
 
 jflfejij^^^^ig^^^^^^^H 
 
 ^1 
 
 4%f 
 
 IH 
 
 A Fine Head 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 The Island and "The Company" 
 
 "What is all this talk about 'The Company?' " a lady remarked one day 
 at Avalon, "one seems always to be coming across 'The Company' and it seems 
 to me as if 'The Company' just owned the Island." The lady in question was 
 exactly right, more right than she imagined. "The Company" does own the 
 Island; with the exception of a few lots in the town of Avalon, the whole Island 
 is their private property. The Company in question is known as "The Santa 
 Catalina Island Company," and as the chief share-holders are the three brothers 
 Banning, it is often spoken of as "The Banning Company." 
 
 The history of the Island is briefly as follows: 
 
 It was first discovered by Cabrillo in 1542, who called it San Salvador after 
 one of his two ships in which he voyaged. It was not again visited, so far as we 
 know, for sixty years, when Vizcaino came in 1602 and gave it the name of Santa 
 Catalina, or "St. Catherine" as we should say in English, and it is by this name 
 that it has since been known. 
 
 The Island was claimed for Spain and became the property of Philip III, of 
 that country, who seems to have presented it to one of his generals who never 
 took the trouble to take possession. In later years it become the property of 
 Mexico, who granted it to Don Pio Pico, the last of the Spanish Governors in 
 California. It next came into the hands of Don Nicholas Covarrubias who. it 
 
 "Timm's Landing," Bay of Avalon in 1886 
 
 is reported, gave Governor Pico a horse and saddle in exchange for it. Its next 
 owner, so far as is known, was a lawyer of Santa Barbara named Parker; he 
 sold it to James Lick, the founder of the Lick Observatory, from whom it was 
 C'^ bought by Mr. G. Shatto, who in the year 1885 laid out the town of Avalon, 
 (jij, sold a certain number of lots, and built a portion of Hotel Metropole. 
 // About the middle of the last century minerals, silver, lead, etc., were dis- 
 
 covered on the Island, and at one time there were mining camps of some five or 
 six hundred men at Johnson's Landing and Cherry Valley. Mining was also 
 done at Silver Canyon, and the ore carried by burros to Avalon and conveyed 
 to San Francisco to be smelted. Eventually an English Syndicate purchased 
 the Island from Mr. Shatto for 55400,000.00. The minerals, however, were not 
 found to be sufficient to pay for the cost of mining with the then existing methods, 
 and the syndicate failed to complete the payment of the purchase money. The 
 Island was then bought by the Banning Brothers with the object of making it a 
 
 33 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 place of resort, and it has been under their care that the town of Avalon has grown 
 to its present proportions and popularity. 
 
 Fortunately for those who visit Avalon, the Santa Catalina Island Co. has 
 seen that it was to their own interest to keep the place free from all undesirable 
 elements, and to expend a large sum of money for the comfort and convenience 
 of visitors to this delightful spot. They have built a large Pavilion, where 
 dances are held every night during the season, and a huge "Greek" open air 
 amphitheater in the curve of a little valley adjacent to the town, where the 
 Santa Catalina Island Marine Band, of 30 to 35 performers, gives an excellent 
 performance daily for twelve consecutive weeks in the summer; they have laid 
 out the sea front, making a wide parade at the edge of the sea; they have built 
 two piers, one for their steamers and the other for the accommodation of fishing 
 boats, glass-bottom boats and speed motor-boats. They have also built a large 
 
 Bay of Avalon 1912 
 
 hotel, the Metropole; and laid out the Tent City, which is capable of accom- 
 modating a very large number of visitors. These are only a few of the improve- 
 ments which the Company has executed in the development of their property. 
 
 The excellent order which prevails in the town and which is a great factor in 
 the attractiveness of the Island is a satisfactory feature. The Avalon Free- 
 holders Improvement Association has exercised a quiet, semi-paternal author- 
 ity over the behavior of the visitors; and by means of an engine known as "a yellow 
 ticket," very seldom used, but none the less effective, sternly repressed any 
 misbehavior. For instance, some years ago a young woman complained to the 
 authorities that she had been annoyed by a strange young man. After immediate 
 
 34 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 and sufficient inquiry, the constable took the young man to his tent and put liim 
 to bed and carried away his clothes. The next morning he was dressed, given a 
 "yellow ticket," and put on board the steamer with a warning never to come to the 
 Island again. This drastic method has been most effective in keeping order. 
 
 It is just this supervision which keeps the Pavilion free from undesirable 
 elements, and which enables the visitors of the highest class to join in the enjoy- 
 able dances which are given there. At these dances evening dress is not insisted 
 on, but on Tuesday and Saturday evenings it is the custom for the ladies to 
 appear in a more elaborate costume than on other occasions. The hall is large 
 enough to accommodate about three hundred couples at a time, and is sur- 
 rounded with tiers of seats from which more than a thousand spectators can watch 
 
 Where the Band Plays 
 
 the proceedings. The concerts in the Greek Theatre, which seats 2225 people, 
 commence at 7:30 and end at 9 p. m., when the Band adjourns to the Pav^ilion 
 where dancing is kept up till lip. m. On Sunday evening there is a concert in 
 which sacred music forms a large part, but there is no dancing. 
 
 The Band is reputed to be the best of its class on the Pacific Coast, and a 
 specimen of the program offered, taken at haphazard, is subjoined: 
 
 MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEA/IBER 9, 1912 
 Soloist: Mr. George Mulford 
 
 1 a. March, "Manisot" Brooks 
 
 b. "Angels' Serenade" Braga 
 
 2 Overture, "Merry Wives of Windsor" Nicolai 
 
 3 Waltz, "Italian Nights" Tobani 
 
 4 "Little Boy Blue" (the latest) Bereny 
 
 We congratulate you. Daisy. Love Never Dies. '^I'hc Crystal Ball, &c. 
 
 5 Piccolo Solo, "Through the Air" Damm 
 
 6 a. Toreador's Song from "Carmen" Bizet 
 
 b. Quartet from "Rigoletto" \'erd 
 
 7 Humorous Paraphrase and variations on the well known Irish song, 
 
 " Wearin' o' the Green" Douglas 
 
 8 a. "The Warblers Serenade" Perry 
 
 b. "American Medley March" Brookt 
 
 As this edition goes to press we hear that the Port of Avalon has been 
 opened to all comers and that incorporation may not be far distant. This may 
 bring about many changes in the management of the town, but will not affect 
 the sea, the shore or the climate. 
 
 35 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 Climate 
 
 It is of no use to say that Avalon is the best climate in the world because that 
 can easily be said of any place, so we will spare all adjectives and settle down to an 
 exact and careful description of the actual climate of Avalon, so that the reader 
 may compare it with other climates which he happens to be acquainted with. 
 To secure accuracy a carefully drawn chart is submitted, showing the actual 
 temperature for every day during July and August, 1912, which almost covers 
 what is known as "the season" at Avalon. The figures were furnished by the 
 official Weather Bureau, and were taken at the Meteorological Station at the 
 Tuna Club. 
 
 It will be noticed from these charts that on one day only did the temperature 
 exceed 75 degrees, and on this day, the 7th of August, the hottest day of these 
 
 JULY 1912 
 12 3 4 
 
 80' 
 75° 
 
 5 6 7 6 9 10 II 12 13 14 15 lb 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2fe 27 28 29 30 31 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■v 
 
 
 
 
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 ^ 
 
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 ....• 
 
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 •"'" 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 AUG. 1912 
 
 75" 
 70" 
 
 
 
 
 
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 \ 
 
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 ^ 
 
 
 
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 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 S, 
 
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 _-. 
 
 JULY 1912 
 
 MAXIMUM 
 TEMPERATURE 
 
 AUG. 1912 
 
 MINIMUM 
 TEMPERATURE 
 
 two months, the temperature was only 78, while the mean heat, or average 
 heat at the hottest time of each day was 63 in July, and 65 in August. What 
 however is even more important is to compare the two lines which appear on the 
 chart, showing the maximum and the minimum temperature, that is to say the 
 heat in the hottest part of the day and the coldest part of the night. An examin- 
 ation of these lines will show that generally speaking, there was only about ten 
 or eleven degrees difference in temperature between the hottest and the 
 coldest times in the twenty-four hours. 
 
 This means when put into plain English that the temperature at Avalon is 
 singularly mild and singularly steady, that there is very little change in the 
 temperature all day long, and consequently there is less danger of catching cold 
 than in places where the change is greater than it is here. 
 
 In the summer time the days have a way of being exceedingly alike one to 
 another. In the early morning about five o'clock the sky is almost always 
 clouded. There is what is called in California a "high fog," but as this fog happens 
 to be about a thousand feet above the town it discommodes no one About seven 
 o'clock the sun will begin to break through the mists which will gradually disperse, 
 and in the bright sunshine the atmosphere will gradually get warmer until about 
 eight o'clock, which is frequently the hottest part of the day. 
 
 About this time a gentle breeze will begin to blow from the north; this Is 
 what Is generally known as the "trade wind." Properly this wind should blow 
 from the north-west, but from the shape of the Island and its mountainous 
 
 36 
 
"Ideal Sailing" 
 A Brisk Breeze and a Smooth Sea 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 character, when tlie wind reaches Avalon it usually seems to be coming almost 
 due north. This breeze will gradually increase in the middle of the day, and with- 
 out ever becoming violent it will generally be sufficiently strong to make an ideal 
 wind for a yachtsman who wishes to enjoy the pleasures of sailing. The heat ol 
 the day almost entirely depends upon the strength of this breeze; when there is 
 more wind it is cooler, and when there is less wind it is warmei, it very seldom 
 fails and it very seldom blows violently. About four or five o'clock in the after- 
 noon the wind begins to fall and the evenings are calm, quiet and delightful. 
 
 In the month of September this wind becomes more fitful and gradually 
 dies away, then come the times of glassy seas varied with an occasional gale. 
 The hottest weather usually comes in October, but generally it lasts only a day 
 or two; and on the whole, the most delightful weather of the year occurs in the 
 fall and early winter. Visitors are now beginning to find this out and to make the 
 town a place of residence in this season. An additional attraction is the low rent 
 of rooms at this time of the year. 
 
 A shower or two of rain may be expected, or at least hoped for any time after 
 the beginning of October. It is doubtful what the average rain-fall is during the 
 year, as it is only during the last three years that the precipitation has been 
 officially measured. During the winter of 
 
 1909-1910 it was 10.74 inches 
 1910-1911 it was 12.04 inches 
 1911-1912 it was 10.16 inches 
 
 With such a rainfall it means that heavy rains may be expected four or five 
 times during the winter months, and that there will be a certain number of damp, 
 unpleasant, drizzly days. By April, or May at the latest, all this will be over and 
 continuous fine weather may be expected again, to last without fail until the next 
 October. We say "without fail," but it is always dangerous to prophesy, as in 
 the matter of weather it is the unexpected that so frequently happens. Ever}' 
 now and then in the summer time the clouds get up and it looks exactly as if it 
 were going to rain hard, and then, as an invariable rule, the clouds all clear away 
 again and the sun shines. To prove this rule, we just remember one exception. 
 It was a beautiful day in August, and we had planned a water excursion to 
 Gallagher's Beach. Some of us were bathing, others were getting the lunch 
 ready. Clouds gathered and it looked very much like a bad thunder storm, but 
 nobody troubled as it simply could not rain in August. Just on this one 
 occasion however it did rain and it lightened and it thundered! As the writer 
 happened to be bathing at the time it seemed rather amusing than otherwise; 
 but the lunch suffered, as did also those of the party who were on the shore. This 
 is the only instance on record of a thunder storm, but what has happened once 
 may happen again; so while it is not safe to say "it cannot rain in Avalon during 
 the summer months," it may well be said that it is in the very highest degree 
 improbable. 
 
 Sunburn 
 
 Judging from advertisements to be seen occasionally, it is obvious that there 
 must be people to whom it is a matter of supreme importance to avoid all danger 
 of sunburn. To such people Avalon should have a special attraction, as for certain 
 reasons which shall appear presently they can avoid this unpleasant and disfigur- 
 ing ailment as easily at Avalon as at any inland town, and still enjoy the pleasures 
 of being by the seaside. 
 
 There is always danger of sunburn wherever the skin is exposed to the direct 
 rays of the sun, but there is much more danger when the rays are reflected upon 
 
 38 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 the skin from any object, such as water, or snow, or indeed anytliing that will 
 reflect light. This arises from the fact that rays of light are exceedingly complex in 
 their nature, and that what are called "chemical" rays, which cause the sunburn, 
 are specialh' active when they are reflected from any substance, such as snow, ice 
 or water. 
 
 For climbers of snow mountains this is a serious matter as the reflection of 
 the sun from the snow is apt to strip the skin from an unprotected face. It has 
 been proved from actual experiment in the Swiss Alps that the one thing that will 
 act as a perfect preservative to the skin from sunburn is colored grease paint, 
 such as is used by actors in a theater. It is however essential that the whole of 
 the surface exposed should be thoroughly covered with a thick coat of this 
 material. The particular color of the grease paint does not matter so long as 
 some color is used to protect the skin from the chemical rays. Brown, red, yellow, 
 green are equally eflicacious, but the effect cannot strictly be called aesthetic, 
 and the use of this de\'ice is not recommended. 
 
 Under the Eucalyptus 
 
 An efficient preventive is the use of veils sufficiently thick, or sufficiently 
 colored, to prevent the reflected rays striking the face. This is specially recom- 
 mended for people who venture upon the water. Sun-shades are of but little 
 protection, as they only save the face from the direct rays of the sun, while the 
 reflection of the sun from the water will strike up under an umbrella and do much 
 more injury than the direct sunshine. 
 
 For those who do not venture upon the sea Avalon is perfect in this respect. 
 The aspect of the town is toward the north-cast, and the hills on the south efTcctu- 
 ally prevent any reflection of the sun upon the water reaching the town itself 
 
 39 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 after about 9 o'clock in the morning, consequently anyone who wishes to avoid 
 sunburn has only got to remain indoors until about that hour, and then to avoid 
 boating orbathing,or goingto places such as the north side of the harbor at times 
 when the sun may be seen reflected in the water. If this is done the ordinary 
 precautions that would be taken in any inland town will be sufficient protection. 
 Such people should be reminded that the fact of the sun being obscured by 
 clouds will not always secure them from the danger of sunburn. Clouds and mist, 
 though they check the light rayS of the sun, sometimes scarcely seem to affect the 
 "chemical rays" which do this mischief, and it is quite possible to get badly 
 burned by venturing on the water when the sun is entirely hidden by mist. 
 
 For a 
 
 Real Vacation You Must Be Free from the Three Great Curses of Civil- 
 ization — The Automobile, the Street Car and the Telephone 
 
 Tent Life 
 
 Very many people have their hrst experience of tent life in the Canvas City, 
 or in one or other of the many camps at Avalon, and a few words to those who have 
 never before enjoyed the happiness of living in a tent may not be out of place. 
 
 The ordinary population of Avalon is some- 
 where about six hundred. There are a very 
 considerable number of flats, rooms and 
 apartments that can be rented, perhaps 
 sufficient to care for two or three thousand 
 people; the hotels may care for another 
 thousand or so; but as the influx of visitors at 
 the height of the season raises the population 
 to a much higher total, it is obvious that the 
 rest of them must find their quarters in the 
 
 various camps, even if it were not for the fact 
 that a large proportion of the visitors far prefer 
 tent life to any other on the Island. 
 
 The best kind of tents are known as tent- 
 houses and in these the canvas is stretched 
 over a wooden framework which keeps the 
 walls stiff and upright. These tent-houses are 
 usually better furnished than the ordinary 
 tents and command higher prices. Excellent 
 examples of tent houses are to be found in the 
 
 40 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 large camps on Sumner Ave, Island Villa, 
 Campus Virginia and Camp Albert and in 
 camps in other parts of Avalon. 
 
 Of the ordinary tents the great majority 
 are to be found in the Canvas City which 
 covers almost the whole of the level section of the 
 city near the ocean and which the Santa Cata- 
 lina Island Company has graded and planted 
 with Eucalyptus trees. This has been divided 
 into avenues and streets like an orthodox Amer- 
 can city, and in summer time the whole of it is 
 covered thick with cottages, tent-houses and 
 tents. Of these, the cottages which lie mostly 
 on Sumner Avenue, Catalina Avenue and 
 Clarissa Avenue, are to a large extent rented 
 by the year, but some may be rented for the 
 season if sufficient notice is given at the Com- 
 pany's office at .-\valon. 
 
 The rest of the ground is covered with tents 
 which vary from a little tent seven feet square, 
 sufficient for a couple w'ho wish to live economi- 
 
 cally, to a huge family marquee, which will 
 provide a living room and four bed-rooms. 
 
 These tents are furnished comfortably, 
 though scarcely luxuriously. For two people, 
 either one or two beds are provided, with table, 
 wash-stand with drawers, two chairs, two 
 rockers, strip of carpet, electric light, and the 
 necessary crockery. The maids come round 
 every morning and make the beds and tidy 
 up the tent exactly as they do in a hotel; in 
 fact the whole of the Tent City is like a huge 
 open air hotel, the office of the Canvas City 
 being on the sea, front close to the Pavilion, 
 where tents are secured and orders given if 
 anything is needed. This office is comfortably 
 furnished for those who desire to read, or write, 
 or rest, and corresponds to the first floor of an 
 hotel. 
 
 There is one great convenience however, 
 which IS not usually found in hotels. When- 
 ever a family desires to indulge in the joys of 
 
 'You Can Only Get at Me by Wireless" 
 
 light-housekeeping they have only to pay a 
 small sum at the office and all the requisites 
 are provided, including electric stove, crockery, 
 brooms, cooking utensils, etc. This is especially 
 convenient as at the grocery stores, food ready 
 cooked of all kinds and description is sold 
 during the season, and excellent hot dishes can 
 be purchased and warmed up in the tent, so 
 that comfortable meals can be provided at 
 quite a low cost. 
 
 The first thing to do after being located in 
 the Canvas City is to discover the exact posi- 
 tion of the nearest fresh water faucet, which 
 win probably be on the streeet and near to the 
 tent. Some of the faucets supply sail water, 
 which is used for flushing purposes, but these 
 are usually in the rear of the tents. The fresh 
 water is what is locally known as "island water" 
 and being rather hard is not generally used 
 either for drinking or cooking, though when 
 
 41 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 softened with "Hydropura" it serves well 
 for washing dishes, etc. 
 
 For drinking purposes, water that has been 
 drawn from an artesian well at Wilmington, 
 on the mainland, is brought over on the steam- 
 boats. This water can be ordered from the 
 Company's office on Sumner Avenue; a five 
 gallon bottle costs ten cents, a deposit being 
 made on the bottle and the swinging crate, 
 which is returned on departure. When the 
 bottle is empty a dime should be left on the 
 
 cork, and the water sign (a yellow card with 
 WATER on it) hung in the front of the 
 tent, and when the water man comes round he 
 will leave a full bottle. This WilmingtonWater, 
 though slightly colored in appearance, is 
 perfectly satisfactory for drinking purposes, 
 but those who prefer spring or distilled water 
 can obtain either at the grocery stores. 
 
 Special arrangements are made for bachelors 
 who require cheap accommodation in tents 
 that are reserved solely for their convenienc e 
 
 Isthmus Cove 
 
 There are many other Camps in different parts of the city where every 
 variety of tent and tent-house may be rented. The accommodation provided 
 varies as does also the price that is asked for rent. Some of the tent-houses arc 
 furnished almost luxuriously. 
 
 Milk can be obtained from two sources. The Company keeps a herd of 
 cows at the farm buildings, on Seventh Street, to provide milk for the Metropole 
 Hotel. The surplus milk is sold to the public in a small room opposite Stam- 
 ford's Hardware Store, on Metropole Avenue, from 7 to 8 a. m. and 5 to 6 p. m. 
 Purchasers must bring their own cans. This milk is given only in exchange for 
 tickets which can be purchased at the Company's office on Summer Avenue, at 
 the rate of IS cents a quart. 
 
 Imported fresh milk in sealed bottles, at a lower price is supplied at 
 Albert's Creamery, at the corner of Sumner Avenue; at the Catalina 
 Dairy on Catalina Avenue; and at the Island Grocery. 
 
 Ice is supplied from Albert's Creamery and small ice boxes suitable for 
 tent life can be rented. 
 
 42 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Around the Island 
 
 The voyage round the island is a most delightful excursion and can be made 
 either in one of the regular boats or in a large launch hired for the occasion. 
 When the whole expedition is not practicable The Isthmus or, at least Moonstone 
 Beach should be visited. Wilson's Map of the Island will be found most 
 useful on the expedition. 
 
 Leaving the Pleasure Pier at Avalon, we pass 
 by Sugar Loaf and Descanso Canyon, where 
 tlie beautiful home of Mr. Hancock Banning 
 is situated; and then by Hamilton Beach, 
 where row-boats are stored during the winter 
 and repaired for summer use. Many an old 
 boat finds its last resting place on this beach. 
 
 .A little further on Frog Rock will be easily 
 lecognizcd; and a little later we come to 
 Gallagher's Beach, a beautiful curve of 
 shelving sand with a reef of rocks running out 
 into the sea. These rocks can be climbed with 
 ease and the fish can be seen swimming in the 
 deep waters amongst the beautiful sea-weeds. 
 This beach is an ideal spot for a row-boat 
 picnic. 
 
 Further on we come to Aquarium Reefs; 
 then to Camp Banning, a canyon at the foot 
 of Mount Banning where the boys from the 
 Whittier Reform School make their camp every 
 summer. .^t least it is not strictly every 
 summer, as if any of the boys attempt to escape 
 from the camp they are all kept at home the 
 following summer and lose their outing 
 When the boys have left the Island the girls 
 have their turn on the beach. 
 
 .A short distance further on we come to 
 Willow Cove, where there is a charming little 
 house which was owned by Mr. Carraher, but 
 which has lately passed to other hands. 
 
 The next point of interest is Torqua Spring 
 which is marked by a large reservoir, where 
 fresh water can be obtained if it is needed. 
 The spring is named after the Indian hero of 
 Professor Holder's romance of Catalina (a good 
 book for boys). Off Torqua Spring there is a 
 great bank of kelp which makes an excellent 
 fishing ground for row-boats and hand-lines. 
 
 Further on we come to Moonstone Beach, 
 visited every day by the glass-bottom motor 
 boats, and where moonstones may actually be 
 found, for even though it is hunted over so 
 continually, fresh stones are washed up by the 
 recurring tides. To the left as we enter Moon- 
 stone Beach there is the Cave of the Spooks, 
 which at certain times of the tide utters most 
 mournful sounds, two distinct notes being 
 audible at a distance of half mile or more. 
 This is caused by the water of the tide filling 
 the cave and compressing the air which finds an 
 exit at the top. Anyone who has heard it on a 
 quiet day will agree that it is mournful enough 
 to satisfy all the spooks of all the dead and gone 
 Indians who ever lived on Catalina Island. 
 Rumor says that the tone of the spook's voice 
 has been improved by art. There is another 
 Spook Cave at the head of Long Point, so 
 that the spooks may be said to call to one 
 another across the bay. 
 
 Beyond Moonstone Beach we come to 
 White's Landing, a wide and open canyon 
 stretching right back to the foot of Black 
 Jack. For many years a hermit named Swain, 
 an old sea captain, lived in the shack which 
 still remains upon this beach. It is believed 
 
 however that he was preceded by anothe 
 hermit who gave his name to the Landing, and 
 planted the trees under which his home was 
 situated. Beyond the Landing there are some 
 fine rocks and a Roaring Cave which can be 
 penetrated by the daring when attired in 
 bathing costume. 
 
 Along the shore a little further may be noted 
 Hen Rock, and identified by its resemblance 
 to the bird in question; and next comes 
 Buttonshell Beach where little shells may be 
 found, and shortly after Long Point, the end 
 of which is penetrated by the Spook Cave 
 which we have already mentioned. Long Point 
 marks the widest point of the Island, it is 
 here about seven miles to the other side. 
 
 A short distance beyond Long Point there 
 is a spot close to the shore where the w^ater is 
 always brilliantly green and which is known as 
 the Green Spot; and beyond the next little 
 point we come to the Italian Gardens, so 
 called from the Italian fishermen who used to 
 come here from the mainland and who dried 
 their nets upon this beach, making it look 
 something like a garden. 
 
 The next point will bb identified by the 
 Twin Rocks and the towering peak above 
 which is called Pinnacle Peak. .After passing 
 this we come to Goat Harbor, which at one 
 time was the landing place for Middle Ranch. 
 Two trails will be noticed leading up from the 
 harbor. The one on the right leads to Middle 
 Ranch; the left one to an old silver mine back 
 up the canyon, which is steep but beautifully 
 wooded with cherry trees. There is a good well 
 near the beach. Just beyond Goat Harbor we 
 come to Chimney Beach, so called from the 
 ruins of an old chimney of a pre-historic ston': 
 house which lies a short way back. There is a 
 rock standing out into the sea which goes by 
 the name of Chimney Rock. 
 
 The next point is called Gibraltar from its 
 resemblance to the better known and certainly 
 larger rock of the same name, and we now pass 
 along a shore with steep cliffs and perpendicular 
 rocks, many of them red in color and fantastic 
 in shape. Here eagles, herons, ravens, 
 cormorants and gulls, and many other sea 
 birds may be seen in large numbers. One 
 point in these rocks goes by the name of Shag 
 Rookery, where the clifl^s have many ledges 
 on which the sea birds roost at night by 
 thousands. 
 
 We next pass a little beach which is not 
 dignified by a name, and up the hill to the left 
 we see what looks like a very large bear, but 
 which is really vegetable in nature, and con- 
 siderably larger than the wild animal to which 
 it has a striking resemblance. 
 
 We next come to Empire Landing, at 
 the back of which we can see the derricks of 
 the stone quarries where the beautiful serpen- 
 tine stone is hewn from its native resting place. 
 It is here that sheep are landed for Middle 
 Ranch, a way between two wire fences leads 
 
 43 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 the sheep to the ranch some six miles inland. 
 A large ancient townsite is situated near this 
 Landing and a ledge of steatite from which the 
 Indians carved their "ollas" or mortars 
 
 Near the point beyond Empire landing we 
 notice the Devil's Slide, a very steep gully 
 running straight down the face of the rock into 
 the sea from a height of about five hundred 
 feet. We then come to the Stone Quarries. 
 with its abandoned buildings still standing, and 
 further on we may see a Spouting Cave. 
 Many similar caves may be observed at differ- 
 ent parts of the Island as we go on. The 
 spoutings are made by the water dashing into 
 caves beneath the surface of the sea and being 
 expelled by the air which is compressed by 
 the waves as they enter. The foam is sometimes 
 thrown some 40 or SO feet high. 
 
 At the next point we come to Perdition 
 Caves, which if possible should be entered; 
 
 this, however, is only practicable with a row- 
 boat and in calm weather. There is a large 
 cave which has the appearance of a great, blue 
 cavern, with the clear, blue water and red 
 gold-fish swimming in it down below. On 
 some portions of the walls and roof red ochre 
 may be noticed, which it is believed that the 
 Indians used for painting their faces. At the 
 end of the large cave there is a long narrow 
 passage to the right which passes under the 
 point and reaches the sea on the other side. 
 At high tide in very calm weather a small 
 boat is able to pass through this underground 
 cavern. 
 
 As we pass this point we have a very fine 
 view of Ship Rock, which has the appearance 
 of an old fashioned ship at full sail, and which 
 is so "life-like" as easily to deceive anyone 
 who does not know that it is really a rock. 
 .At a shorter distance we notice Bird Rock, 
 
 Eagle Rock 
 
 a large flat rock, much frequented by sea 
 birds, and leaving this r-ock to the right we pass 
 Fisherman's Cove, which is the only abso- 
 lutely safe harbor for fishing boats in all weath- 
 ers in this part of the Island. As the Cove is 
 small, staples have been fasted into the rock 
 to which the fishermen may attach the ropes 
 that hold their boats. At the back of the Cove 
 is the charming little summer residence of 
 Mrs. Trask, who is well-known for the 
 researches she has made into the habits of the 
 Indians who lived on this Island. 
 
 We now come to the Isthmus where the 
 Island is only about half a mile wide. The 
 Isthmus has been planted with trees, and 
 there are a few houses here which are inhabited 
 in the summer time. Mr. J. B. Banning has 
 erected a beautiful home which may be seen 
 on the left, and at the back are the Govern- 
 
 ment barracks which were erected for the 
 accommodation of a number of soldiers who 
 at one time were maintained here. On the 
 the other side of the Isthmus we come to Cata- 
 lina Harbor which we shall visit later. 
 
 Leaving the Isthmus, the first beach we come 
 to is called the Fourth of July Harbor. .At 
 the left of this will be noted a number of 
 greasewood trees, the wood of which is so 
 excellent for camp-fires. Like almost all the 
 trees upon the Island they are evergreen. 
 The bluff beyond this Harbor forms a good 
 likeness to a Lion's Head, and gives a name 
 to this point; and on the slopes of the hills 
 the coach-road, which has come by another 
 route than ours all the way from Avalon, will 
 be observed. 
 
 Beyond we come to Cherry Canyon. In 
 the background one can see a grove of ever- 
 
 44 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 green cherry trees some forty feet in height; 
 and some little distance further along the coast 
 we notice a water tank on the hill-side, which 
 is used for supplying the Isthmus with water. 
 
 Beyond the next point we come to How- 
 land's, where the coach-road ends. It was 
 here that a rancher of that name lived for 
 many years, and kept a large number of sheep 
 upon this part of the Island. His three sons 
 have now migrated to San Clemente, where 
 they hold a lease from the Government and 
 conduct a large sheep ranch. The shack where 
 the family once lived may be seen upon the 
 beach. Near to Rowland's there is a new little 
 house which was built one Sunday in the 
 winter of 1911, for a man named Sullivan, 
 who had lived for many years on Bird Island, 
 but who happened at that time to be homeless. 
 A party of working men from Avalon arranged 
 to have a "building bee" and came over 
 bright and early one Sunday morning and put 
 the house right up, and left it standing when 
 they went away at night. 
 
 We next pass close to Indian Rock, a 
 small island which was used as a burying 
 ground by the Indians in early days and which 
 is situated in Emerald Bay, so called from 
 the beautiful transparent green which is the 
 remarkable coloring of the water in the bay. 
 
 On the shore of Emerald Bay is found 
 Johnson's Landing, where once a good house 
 stood, with brick porches and large pillars, 
 having moldings and decorations, which show 
 that the original Johnson must have been a 
 man of some wealth and some taste. Here 
 also at one time there was a large mining camp. 
 
 .•\t the point beyond Emerald Bay we come 
 to the Soapstone Quarries, and further on, to 
 Ram Point (or Arrow Point as it is sometimes 
 called), with its magnificent cliffs; and further 
 still we come to Parsons' Beacll, where the 
 foundations of a shack built by an old-time 
 sailor of the name of Parsons, may still be 
 seen. Some half mile or so back from this 
 beach there are the remains of a house where a 
 French miner, Bouchet by name, lived for 
 many years. Local traditions still tell of the 
 splendid furniture this house contained, but 
 it seems that even this was not considered by 
 Madame Bouchet to be sufficient compensa- 
 tion for her retirement from the joys of Paris. 
 From the excavations which he left behind 
 him, it is evident that this miner went deep 
 into the heart of Catalina Island, but what he 
 found there no one knows as he was not of a 
 communicative nature, .•\nyhow it seems to 
 have been sufficient to enable him to return 
 with Madame Bouchet to his native land, 
 where it is hoped they lived to a good and 
 comfortable old age. 
 
 Some rocks a short distance further on mark 
 Lorenzo's Camp, where a sheep corral may 
 be noticed, and beyond this we strike Smug- 
 gler's Glen, where there is not much of a glen, 
 and where the smugglers have naturally not 
 left any remains behind. The goats on this 
 part of the shore should especiall.v be noticed. 
 They are supposed to be the old, wild goats 
 which originally inhabited the Island before 
 the Franciscan Fathers introduced another 
 variety. They have silvery grey coats, and 
 are very large in size. They resemble the 
 
 Angora goat, but probably they have "crossed" 
 to a certain extent with the other goats on the 
 Island so may have lost some of their qualities. 
 
 We next come to Land's End, a very sharp 
 point of solid rock, which forms a fitting e. d 
 to the Island, and as we turn around it we see 
 at a short distance Eagle Rock, some way from 
 the shore, with an eagle's nest on top of it 
 about eighty feet above the sea. The eagles 
 still use this nest and young eagles may be 
 seen there every spring. The coast-line here 
 is grand and broken; the Pacific rollers dash 
 upon every point, and spouting caves are 
 numerous. 
 
 Beyond Eagle Rock, the first beach that we 
 come to is called Treasure Beach, where 
 tradition says that certain pirates hid their 
 treasure. Whether the treasure is still there 
 or not no one now will ever know as a large 
 landslide has occurred which has dumped a 
 great mass of stones and earth upon the beach 
 and safely protects the treasure which does or 
 does not lie beneath it. 
 
 The scenery down this section of the coast 
 is exceedingly wild and rugged. There is 
 practically only one place where a landing is 
 possible, viz., in Iron Bound Bay. In the 
 center of this Bay there is what is called 
 Spring Landing, and in calm weather a 
 skiff might perhaps be safely brought to shore. 
 We doubt whether anyone has landed on this 
 beach for years, as there are but few attractions 
 here. Where the cliffs are not perpendicular, 
 they are exceedingly steep, and if anyone had 
 business on the mountain side he could get 
 there much more easily from the other side of 
 the Island. 
 
 Around Bull's Head, which follows immedi- 
 ately after Iron Bound Bay, we notice with 
 interest the Ribbon Rocks where the dark 
 cliffs are marked with white strata some two 
 feet wide, and which look like ribbons. At one 
 spot near the head there is a peculiar white 
 patch of an entirely different kind of rock 
 which is of a rather remarkable nature. After 
 passing Bull's Head the slopes become more 
 gentle, but the scenery is no less magnificent 
 
 The highest point in this part of the Island is 
 called Silver Peak, nearly two thousand feet 
 high, and below it are steep precipices. From 
 these the land slopes down more gradually to 
 the sea, the color of the ground being very 
 brilliant; a mixture of yellow ochre and burnt 
 sienna would perhaps paint the color of these 
 hills. The whole appearance of this end of the 
 Island is exceedingly wild and desolate, and 
 the word which probably best describes it is 
 "inhospitable." 
 
 As we go dow^n the coast and reach Lobster 
 Bay the last thing in the world we could 
 imagine would be that we were right at the 
 mouth of the best harbor in the whole Island, 
 or indeed of the whole district. In our youth 
 we used often to read stories about pirates. 
 The great necessity for pirates seems to have 
 been a secret harbor, one to which they could 
 retire and which no one else knew about, a 
 harbor which they could enter by a winding 
 passage and conduct their ship behind the 
 hills where no one who did not know the 
 entrance would have a chance to find them. 
 There must be a high hill close by where one of 
 the crew can watch for the "fat merchantman' 
 
 45 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALOX 
 
 Little Harbor 
 
 sailing up the coast. When the booty has been 
 secured, there must be a harbor of refuge 
 where it can be disposed of in due season; and 
 there must be a sandy beach where the pirate 
 ship may be careened and the barnacles 
 scraped ofT its sides, which might hinder its 
 swift progress. When chased by revenue 
 cutters it dodges behind an Island and then 
 completely vanishes. Such is Catalina 
 Harbor! It is known that it was used by 
 pirates even as late as the middle of the last 
 century and it seems impossible to believe 
 that there can be another harbor in all the 
 world so admirably fitted for pirates as Cata- 
 lina Harbor. One might sail a dozen times up 
 and down the coast and never find it; and the 
 pirates who were numerous at one time on this 
 coast undoubtediv made use of it. Naturallv 
 
 they have left no remains behind them 
 except perhaps the treasure concealed at 
 Treasure Beach. 
 
 There are, however, some old shacks still 
 standing near the shore of Catalina Harbor 
 which, it is believed, were used by the pirates. 
 On the door of one of these shacks there is a 
 still legible inscription, "Beware of Pirate 
 John.'^ 
 
 As we pass down the coast the scenery con- 
 tinues to be wild and rugged; there are grand 
 cliffs some three hundred feet high, and red 
 hills tinged with yellow with but scanty 
 vegetation and a few bushes that stand out 
 individually from the bare ground. 
 
 We now come to Little Harbor, a double 
 harbor divided by great rocks in the center. 
 The beach on the right of these rocks is danger- 
 
 _ ,,y^ 
 
 ^^^^I^^^^^^^DHHltti^^Li *^ 
 
 ''^ »,^^^^'^^^t^^¥^S^^^^^^ 
 
 
 y|W|^ ^ V^^f^^^^'^ffSM^Sf^Kj^^^^^^^t 
 
 *-'*>'-(<- "' '- 
 
 
 Ben Weston's 
 46 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Catalina Harbor 
 Ancient Pirate Harbor 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 ous from the breakers, but that on the left is 
 well protected and forms an excellent landing. 
 This harbor also may be called a secret one, 
 as when we visited it, it was not until we were 
 right inside that we discovered the boat of 
 some Japanese fishermen, who were diving 
 after abalones. Probably they were also 
 engaged in smuggling. On the shore near the 
 beach there are the remains of an old hotel 
 and a couple of houses, and at a short distance 
 back the coach-road, which runs both to Avalon 
 and the Isthmus, may be seen on the side of 
 the hill. 
 
 Beyond Little Harbor we come to Cotton- 
 wood Canyon, an excellent camping ground, 
 with its groves of Cottonwood trees and a 
 pretty water fall. 
 
 Beyond this we come to Ben Weston's 
 Beach, which is a sandy but unsafe landing. 
 
 It is here that two canyons come down to the 
 sea, on the left Middle Ranch Canyon, and 
 on the right Bullrush Canyon, both are 
 narrow at this point, but they widen inland 
 and stretch far into the heart of the Island. 
 This Beach is named from an old time squatter 
 who kept sheep here many years ago, and the 
 point further on is also named for him. The 
 coast beyond Ben Weston's Point is rough, 
 but less wild than before, and looking back on 
 the end of the Island which we have left behind 
 us we get an exceedingly grand view of its 
 glorious cliffs and mountains. 
 
 We next come to China Point, which is a 
 famous smuggling ground for Chinamen. 
 Nearly a score were caught in 1911. It seems 
 that the practice has been to land Chinamen 
 who are endeavoring to enter America on San 
 Clemente Island, which is further from the 
 
 Church Rock 
 
 coast than Catalina. They then make their 
 way in a launch to China Point, which is a 
 very desolate spot. Here a pretence is made of 
 carrying on an abalone fishery, and the would- 
 be immigrants are made use of for capturing 
 abalones until an opportunity comes of ship- 
 ping them to the mainland. It is exceedingly 
 difficult to catch them in this neighborhood, as 
 a lookout is kept from the hills behind, and at 
 the least appearance of danger any new comers 
 can easily hide themselves and the officers 
 find a harmless camp of abalone fishermen. 
 It is rumored that some have been sent across, 
 in disguise, by means of the passenger boat from 
 Avalon, which would be a very simple method 
 of entrance into the country and one not easy 
 to detect. 
 
 As we pass down the coast we notice a 
 quantity of volcanic ash and from this point 
 
 looking forward, we get a magnificent view of 
 the cliffs near the end of the Island. The high 
 ridges seem to come down from the mountains 
 and to have been cut off almost sheer, forming 
 cliffs nearly five hundred feet high, right down 
 into the sea. 
 
 We here pass the Salta Verde, a wide, open 
 slope, which is a great grazing ground for the 
 sheep The name "Salta Verde," the "Green 
 Leap," is taken from a high precipice which is 
 covered with verdure in the rainy season. It 
 is on this coast that we come across a remark- 
 able range of color cliffs; the predominating 
 color of the rocks seems to be lavender or light 
 mauve, but yellow, red, pink, green and grey 
 all blend together producing a most beautiful 
 effect. 
 
 We next come to Silver Canyon, where the 
 beach is marked by a large rock called Silver 
 
 48 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Canyon Rock. The entrance to this canyon 
 is very narrow, but behind it widens oiit and 
 forms a popular camping ground in the summer 
 and autumn months. 
 
 Immediately after leaving Silver Canyon we 
 pass the Palisades, a very remarkable precipice 
 fifteen hundred feet high. The angle is steep, 
 but not quite perpendicular, and the rocks are 
 water worn into long, straight, upright ridges, 
 which look like huge palisades and seem to 
 reach almost to the sky. We now come to the 
 cliffs at the end of the Avalon Canyon, and 
 then to more lavender colored rocks, marked 
 with stratas of green, red and yellow, all 
 delicately tinted and harmoniously blended. 
 
 Then Binnacle Rock stands up like the 
 binnacle of a ship in front of us, and looks like 
 a good place for a bold diver to dive from, if 
 he could get to the top; and next we come to 
 Church Rock, standing well away from the 
 shore, and as we pass it and look back, it looks 
 like a cathedral with a high spire. 
 
 We are now in the great yellowtail fishing 
 grounds, and pass Middle Rock, which marks 
 the middle of the ground; and Seal Rocks, 
 where the sea lions live, and sleep and roar 
 and bring up their babies. 
 
 Next, as we turn round on our way back to 
 Avalon, we pass Jew Fish Point, where the 
 fisherman drops his line when he cannot catch 
 fish anywhere else, and usually finds something. 
 And next we come to Five Dollar Beach, 
 Look Out Point and Pebbly Beach. The 
 Indians who dwelt here made use of the high 
 rock at the point as a "look out" for their 
 boats returning from the mainland or from 
 fishing. Pebbly Beach is by far the largest 
 beach on the whole Island, and has a lovely 
 canyon behind it. On Five Dollar Beach a 
 fisherman once lost a five-dollar gold coin, 
 which has never been recovered, though the 
 owner spent two weeks trying to find it. A 
 lady's gold watch has also been lost here and 
 is still somewhere among the rocks and there 
 
 Sugar Loaf 
 
 is still another story connected with it, which 
 would certainly give it an additional claim to 
 be considered the real "treasure beach" 
 of the Island 
 
 \ certain merchant in Avalon, not possessing 
 a burglar proof safe, was in the habit of hiding 
 his day's takings every evening in a place 
 where it was exceedingly unlikely to be sought 
 for, even by the most enterprising burglar; 
 viz, at the bottom of his garbage can. One 
 morning he overslept himself, and the garbage 
 man arrived and removed the contQntj of the 
 
 can before the proprietor of the store woke up. 
 It is the custom to carry all the garbage along 
 the coast as far as Five Dollar Beach, before 
 it is dumped; and a good part of the next day 
 was spent by the proprietor in raking over the 
 garbage at this beach to recover the hundred 
 dollars in silver which had been his previous 
 day's takings! 
 
 Last of all we come to Abalone Point, 
 Lover's Cove and Avalon Harbor, where we 
 land at the Pleasure Pier, after a delightful 
 expedition. 
 
 49 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Drives, Rides and Walks on the Island 
 
 As the Island is about twenty-two miles long and seven miles wide at its 
 widest point, great opportunities are afforded for excursions of every kind. 
 
 Driving on the Island is practically confined to the great Coach Road 
 which runs almost the whole length of the Island. Short drives may be taken to 
 "Chicken Johnnie's" and Pebbly Beach, but these are the only other roads in 
 existence. 
 
 The best rides are to be found on the ridges which branch off from the 
 Summit. The sure-footed horses, which can be hired at Avalon, are accustomed 
 to the hills, and may be taken along all the principal ridges. In some places, 
 however, the rider may prefer to descend and lead his mount. 
 
 Wilson's Map of Catalina Island will be found useful for all expeditions; 
 a guide, however, may well be taken at least on the first occasion. 
 
 Very interesting walks may be found either along the tops of the ridges, or 
 along the bottom of the canyons, but visitors are especially warned against 
 attempting to cut across country by going up and down the sides of canyons, as 
 these are frequenth' very steep. 
 
 Pebbly Beach 
 
 In the event of anyone getting lost they can find their way home by the 
 simple method of steadily ascending until they get to the ridge above them, and 
 following this ridge up to its highest point, from which they will easily see their 
 way either to the Coach Road or to Avalon. 
 
 High boots are recommended as snakes are occasionally found on the Island. 
 The writer has never heard of anyone who has been bitten, but it is always .well 
 to take precaution. 
 
 SHORT EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 Very interesting expeditions may be made 
 from Avalon in either direction by the sea 
 coast. A visit to Descanso Canyon, distance 
 about half a mile, should on no account be 
 missed. The road starts from the Bath-house, 
 and passes the Tuna Club and the boat building 
 shops and the little Salt-water Pier. The 
 name of the pier is derived from the water- 
 pipe it supports, and which is used for obtaining 
 
 a supply of sea water which is pumped to the 
 great tanks at S. John's Heights on the cliff 
 overhead. The water in these tanks is used 
 for supplying the Aquarium, watering the 
 streets, etc., and also for tire protection. 
 
 The path skirts the north side of the bay to 
 Bachelor Point, where at low tide access can 
 be obtained to Sugar Loaf (80 ft. high), 
 which can be ascended by a flight of steps. 
 The upper part of these steps is rather steep. 
 
 51 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Ohmy Point 
 
 and the descent should be made with care. 
 The view from the summit of Sugar Loaf is 
 magnificent. 
 
 From Bachelor Point the path follows the 
 shore to Descanso Canyon, where the sum- 
 mer residence of Mr. Hancock Banning stands 
 in a beautiful garden full of semi-tropical trees 
 and shrubs. Seats for visitors will be found 
 near the beach. 
 
 In the opposite direction a very interesting 
 walk may be taken to Pebbly Beach, one 
 and a half miles, an excellent spot for a picnic. 
 The road follows the sea shore past Maiden 
 Point, Lover's Cove and Abalone Point. 
 
 At Maiden Point a large rock has been 
 painted white, and a similar rock will be 
 noticed on the north side of the harbor. In 
 order to keep the bay clean for bathing pur- 
 poses, visiting yachts on which 
 the owners are residing during 
 their stay in the bay are asked 
 to anchor outside the line 
 between these white rocks. 
 
 Pebbly Beach, which is the 
 largest beach on the Island, 
 encloses a large level space 
 where baseball is played. On 
 this beach rare and valuable 
 pebbles may be found, notably 
 Catalinite, which take an ex- 
 cellent polish. Wild cherries 
 may be found in the beautiful 
 canyon which runs up from 
 Pebbly Beach. 
 
 The return may be made by 
 the road which ascends the 
 hill-side, and passes close to 
 Buena Vista Park, comman- 
 ding beautiful views. The road 
 from this point winds round 
 the hill-side and reaches Ava- 
 lon via the farm buildings and 
 7th Street, but a shorter descent 
 may be made from the Park 
 by a path near the sea, or by 
 the Incline Railway. 
 
 Buena Vista Park (250 ft.) 
 may be reached very easily by 
 the Incline Railway (fare 5c), 
 or by the steep path between 
 the railway and the sea. The 
 park is beautiful, and the view 
 
 In a Canyon 
 
 52 
 
Eagle's Nest 
 The Nest Can Be Seen Near the Top of the Tree 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 magnificent, and there are many comfortable 
 seats. It is a very pleasant spot to visit in the 
 day-time, but the visit should be repeated at 
 night when the lights of Avalon are gleaming 
 in the distance, and the music of the band, 
 which can be heard beautifully, adds to the 
 enchantment. One advantage of hearing the 
 band from this delightful spot is that conversa- 
 tion is not prohibited during the performance, 
 nor is the sound of the music sufficiently loud 
 to interfere with conversation. Excellent 
 light refreshments are served at a restaurant 
 in the park. 
 
 Several interesting short expeditions may 
 be made up the .^valon Canyon by exploring 
 the various canyons that branch off on either 
 side. Water may generally be found in these 
 
 canyons, and excellent places for picnics may 
 be easily discovered. .\ specially beautiful 
 canyon will be found by descending the hill 
 beyond the fourth hole on the Golf Links. 
 
 In order to obtain a good view it is abso- 
 lutely necessary to ascend some little distance 
 above the sea-level, and the shortest and 
 easiest walk to a point of view is to St. John's 
 Heights (100 ft.) which overlooks the northern 
 part of Avalon Harbor, and commands a 
 beautiful view of the harbor and the coast of 
 the mainland. It is only some five minutes 
 walk from the Metropole Hotel. The way lies 
 by the Grand View Hotel, ascending by the 
 road on the right of this hotel to Maiden Lane; 
 here keep to the right and ascend the flight 
 of steps, 64 in number, which materially 
 dimini.shes the labor of the climb. 
 
 View from the Summit Looking Over Avalon 
 
 About 50 yards beyond the top of the steps 
 is The Little Chapel by the Sea (always 
 open to visitors), and in the porch which 
 commands a beautiful and extensive view, 
 seats will be found for visitors, and a powerful 
 telescope by means of which they may examine 
 the shipping, and even recognize their friends 
 on the Pleasure Pier or on the sea-front. 
 
 S. John's Chapel (The Little Chapel by the 
 Sea) is the private Chapel of the Rev. Harry 
 Wilson, who is a priest of what is known in 
 America as the Episcopal Church. Though the 
 chapel is private, the services are open to all 
 comers. 
 
 The return to the town can be made in less 
 than five minutes, or the walk may be extended 
 
 to the old Wireless Station, for which 
 point of view a trail starts from the black 
 gate at the foot of the steps of S. John's 
 Chapel. After passing the gate, turn to the 
 left, leaving the water tanks on the right, and 
 then follow the trail to the right, and the old 
 Wireless Station will be reached in about ten 
 minutes. The view is magnificent. 
 
 The return may be made by the coach-road 
 in about ten or fifteen minutes. The road 
 passes the Roman Catholic Church, which is 
 well worth a visit. 
 
 If it is desired to extend the walk, the 
 coach-road may be followed up the side of 
 Descanso Canyon for about twenty minutes 
 to the Saddle, where a beautiful view of .Avalon 
 
 54 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Canyon is obtained. A trail to tlie left leads 
 back to Avalon, which can be reached in about 
 twenty minutes. 
 
 The walk may be still further extended by 
 following the coach-road for some half an 
 hour further to the Farnsworth Loop or 
 Ohmy Point, where the view over the sea is 
 very fine. 
 
 The return may be made by an old trail, 
 which can be reached by ascending the ridge 
 which ends in the Loop. Lower down where the 
 trail divides the right-hand path should be 
 taken. The trail ends at the Golf House, 
 which may be reached in about 40 minutes. 
 
 LONGER EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 The drive to the Summit (1400 ft.) should 
 be taken by everyone who is either physically 
 unfit or unwilling to undertake the expedition 
 on foot. Quite apart from the beautiful views 
 that are obtained, it is an experience which 
 every one should enjoy before stage-coaches 
 are entirely eliminated by the all-conquering 
 automobile. 
 
 The sensation of driving behind four or six 
 resolute horses, guided by a skilled old-time 
 stage-driver is one which will remain a life- 
 time in one's memory. 
 
 The drive begins up Marilla .Avenue, and 
 turning to the right passes through a gate of 
 ingenious device; and a little higher the first 
 stop is made, at a point which commands a 
 singularly beautiful view of Avalon. 
 
 The next turn in the road brings one to the 
 edge of Descanso Canyon, overlooking the 
 home of Mr. Hancock Banning; and half a 
 
 mile further the Saddle is reached, which 
 affords an extensive view of the Avalon Canyon, 
 the Golf Links and the Southern Mountains. 
 From here the road mounts steeply till the 
 head of Descanso Canyon is passed, then the 
 road makes a sudden turn completely round in 
 a loop, known as The Farnswortli Loop, or 
 more popularly as "Ohmy Point," from the 
 exclamations of the passengers. The turn 
 is so sharp that the leading horses are entirely 
 lost sight of around the curve of the rock, and 
 the same event happens at a corner a little 
 higher up, called The Devil's Elbow, where 
 there is a steep descent into Wild Cherry 
 Canyon; a short distance further the road 
 passes by Raven's Roost, where a number of 
 these birds spend the night. 
 
 Near the end of the journey there is a second 
 loop which goes by the name of The Wish- 
 Bone, which it closely resembles in shape 
 There is a small spring here where water may 
 generally be obtained. From this point the 
 road continues to ascend the mountain side 
 until the Summit is reached, the highest 
 point on the road. The road itself continues 
 on the left to Middle Ranch, Little Harbor, 
 and the Isthmus, ending at Rowland's 
 some five miles beyond the Isthmus and about 
 25 miles along the road from Avalon. 
 
 The height at the Summit is about 1400 
 feet, and the view extends for some 200 miles, 
 from Santa Barbara to San Diego. On a 
 clear day mountains in Mexico may be seen. 
 To the south through a dip in the hills the 
 Pacific Ocean is visible, and the Island of San 
 Clemente. 
 
 Buena Vista Park 
 
 55 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVAI.OX 
 
 In Descanso Canyon 
 
 Those who wish to make the expedition on 
 foot will find it more interesting to start from 
 the Golf Links, beginning from the ascent 
 either at the Golf House or at the bluflt near 
 the seventh green, and following an old trail 
 up to the Summit. 
 
 Middle Ranch 
 
 For a day's excursion into the interior of the 
 Island a drive to Middle Ranch is greatly to 
 be commended. The distance is about 12 
 miles, and excellent food is provided at the 
 ranch house. About a mile further on is 
 Eagle's Nest, where a veritable nest is to be 
 seen in a large tree, and nearby is a cave which 
 was once a dwelling for prehistoric Indians. 
 
 The drive may be extended to the Isthmus, 
 and the return made the next day by coach or 
 by boat. A good plan is to sleep at Middle 
 Ranch, and walk on the next day to the Isth- 
 mus and return by boat, arrangements, how- 
 ever, must be made beforehand. There is a 
 telephone to Middle Ranch at the Company's 
 office at Avalon. 
 
 From the Summit to the Palisades across 
 the Island, via Silver Ridge 
 
 This is an interesting walk right across the 
 Island, which does not entail any difficulty. 
 The proper ridge will be found from the 
 Summit by facing 4crog§ the Island, and keep- 
 
 ing as much to the left as possible without 
 descending into the Avalon Canyon. There is 
 a large space of high, rolling ground near the 
 Summit, and after this is passed it is necessary' 
 to be careful to get upon the proper ridge, 
 which is the one which bounds the Avalon 
 Canyon. 
 
 About half way across, at the Silver Knobs, 
 the course turns slightly to the right, and a mile 
 or so further on the Palisades is reached, from 
 which one looks straight down into the sea 
 1500 feet below. At the far end of the Palisades 
 a descent (very steep) may be made into 
 Silver Canyon. An easier route may be found 
 by descending a small canyon on the right. 
 
 The Silver Knobs (1380 ft.) are of con- 
 siderable importance as they form practically 
 the key that unlocks the secrets of a maze of 
 canyons and ridges. They are situated in the 
 fiddle of the Silver Ridge which stretches 
 across the Island at this point. Silver Knob 
 No. 1 is marked by one small cairn of stones, 
 No. 2 by two cairns, and No. 3 by three cairns. 
 Visitors are invited to increase the size of these 
 cairns by adding stones and so make them 
 more permanent and more prominent. 
 
 Silver Knob No. 1 is at the spot where two 
 ridges come up from the southward, one of 
 them from the middle of the Avalon Canyon 
 above "Chicken Johnnie's," and the other 
 from The Pacific Ridge which bounds the 
 
 56 
 
WTT.SON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 alon Canyon. Silver Knob No. 3 is where 
 
 • ridge which leads to the Silver Mine and 
 
 ver Canyon meets the Silver Ridge. 
 
 \n admirable walk is to make the entire 
 
 cle of the Avalon Canyon. Ascend the 
 
 ach Road to the Summit, then along 
 
 ver Ridge to Silver Knob No. 1, then to the 
 
 cific Ridge, Mt. Wilson and Mt. Shatto, 
 
 urning by Mt. Martha. 
 
 rhe above walks are indicated in Wilson's 
 
 ip of .Avalon. 
 
 BLACK JACK, 2000 Ft. 
 
 Black Jack may easily be reached from the 
 niniit by following the ridge of hills that lies 
 rallel to the shore, and which leads from the 
 mmit to Black Jack. It may also be 
 ended from White's Landing, which may 
 reached by the sea. From Black Jack, 
 ho Lake may be visited, and the ridge of 
 : hills may be followed till the Isthmus is 
 ained. 
 
 MT. ORIZABA (2109 ft.) 
 
 rhe ascent of Mt. Orizaba, the highest 
 int of the Island, should be made from 
 ddle Ranch, where the night may well be 
 !nt. 
 
 SJear the top of Orizaba Echo Rock is 
 jated, where there is a magnificent echo 
 ich will reply seven times to the call of the 
 itor. 
 
 THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Mt. Washington (850 ft.) 
 rhe ascent of Mt. Washington from Avalon 
 .y be easily accomplished in about three- 
 arters of an hour. The start may be made 
 m Buena Vista, which can be reached by 
 ! cable line if desired, or by the path to the 
 t of the line. 
 
 By this ridge the Water Tank can be 
 iched by a gentle incline, and from this 
 int, 600 feet high, the harbor of San Pedro 
 1 be seen on a clear day. In ten minutes 
 Ik the summit of the mountain can be 
 ained, where there is an extensive and 
 ignificent view. 
 
 rhe tourist may be tempted to continue 
 walk further, and make the ascent of the 
 St mountain, Mt. Martha. This however 
 3uld not be attempted by the ine.\perienced, 
 from this side the slope is not only steep but 
 apery, and requires care or an accident might 
 iily ensue. If the ascent must be made from 
 s point, it would be best, after descending 
 the divide, to work along to the third ridge 
 the right, where the slope is less steep. 
 
 Mt. Martha (1025 ft.) 
 
 The chief difficulty in the direct ascent of 
 t. Martha is in the negotiation of a stifT 
 rbed wire fence, which is intended to keep 
 : sheep from Invading the town of .\valon. 
 gate however may be found at the end of the 
 m buildings, which may be reached via 
 venth Street. .After passing the fence ascend 
 
 the right until the ridge is reached, from 
 lich the summit can be attained in about 
 
 hour's climb. The view is similar to that 
 )m Mt. Washington, but more extensive. 
 
 Mt. Shatto (1550 ft.) 
 
 The expedition may be extended to Mt 
 Shatto, which is reached by the ridge about a 
 mile long running south from Mt. Martha. 
 This point overlooks the sea at the end of the 
 Island, and a magnificent view of the Island 
 of San Clemente can be obtained on a clear day. 
 The ridge here turns to the west and in a 
 short time Mt. Wilson (1673 ft.) can be 
 reached, the highest point in this section of the 
 Island. 
 
 From this point a return can be made down 
 a long and easy ridge which reaches down to a 
 little beyond the Golf Links, or the walk may 
 be extended around the Pacific Rldge(1200 ft.), 
 where a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean 
 can be obtained, and the return made by a 
 fairly easy descent to the neighborhood of 
 "Chicken Johnnie's." Or the walk may be 
 extended to the Silver Knobs and the Summit. 
 
 When the direct ascent of Mt. Wilson is 
 made the ridge may be reached by going a 
 short distance beyond "Chicken Johnnie's," 
 and ascending the hill on the left. To reach the 
 Pacific Ridge go a mile further up the .\valon 
 Canyon, and look out for a hill on the right 
 which is marked by a watercourse running 
 straight down it. This watercourse may be 
 ascended, and then by keeping to the right, 
 and later on to the left, the Pacific Ridge will 
 be reached without difficulty. 
 
 GRAND CANYON AND SILVER CANYON. 
 
 This is one of the most beautiful and inter- 
 esting walks on the whole Island, but should 
 not be undertaken without a guide as the 
 difficulties involved are considerable, and there 
 is serious danger of being lost. The sides of 
 these canyons are in many places very pre- 
 cipitous, and very rotten, and a grave accident 
 might easily happen. 
 
 Grand Canyon is reached from the Summit, 
 via the Hay Press, a conparatively smooth 
 piece of ground on the left of the road to the 
 Isthmus, about half a mile from the Summit. 
 
 From here there are two ways of reaching 
 Grand Canyon. (1) Via Hay Press Canyon, 
 which involves a long and steep descent^ into 
 Grand Canyon; (2) via the head of Grand 
 Canyon, which can be found by walking from 
 the Hay Press in the direction of Mt. Orizaba. 
 This canyon should be entered as near to the 
 head as possible, as the sides, even close to its 
 extremity, are quite steep. 
 
 .About half a mile down the canyon we come 
 to the Great Falls, which consist of three 
 falls, making in all a descent of 225 feet. In 
 summer they are quite dry, and the upper fall 
 is the only one which presents serious difficulty 
 to a good rock climber. This fall is about 60 
 feet high, and is almost perpendicular, but 
 the rocks are firm and good holds can be 
 obtained both for hands and feet. The route 
 should be carefully inspected before the descent 
 is attempted. The following directions are 
 giv'en for the climber standing at the top of the 
 fall and looking downwards. 
 
 The descent is commenced a little to the 
 left of the center of the fall. About ten feet 
 below, a ridge a few inches wide extends to the 
 left. This must be followed to the left side of 
 the fall where the descent can be made with 
 
 57 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 comparative ease. Some distance from the 
 bottom there is a ledge which leads back to the 
 center of the fall, from which point the re- 
 mainder of the descent can be accomplished. 
 During the whole of the descent, the "Alpine 
 Rule" of moving only one hand or foot at a 
 time, so as to keep three firm holds all the time, 
 should be rigidly observed. Each hand-hold 
 and foot-hold should be tested before weight 
 is put on it, as a slip in any part of this climb 
 would have very serious ■'esults. 
 
 For the inexperienced a rope is a necessity. 
 This should be fastened securely around the 
 waist, and paid out slowly by another member 
 of the party at the top of the fall so that it is 
 kept tight the whole time. The inexperienced 
 should not attempt this descent without com- 
 petent assistance. The lower falls can be 
 descended with comparative ease. 
 
 At the lower end of the falls the canyon 
 turns to the right and goes directly towards 
 the Pacific Ocean. At this point Hay Press 
 Canyon comes in from the left, and some 
 distance further Little Cottonwood Canyon 
 (very steep), and some way further on 
 comes the junction with Silver Canyon. The 
 canyon from this point continues in a straight 
 line to the sea, but from this point it is called 
 Silver Canyon and not Grand Canyon. The 
 camping grounds on Silver Canyon are lower 
 down. 
 
 In the lower part of Grand Canyon and the 
 whole of Silver Canyon below the Silver Mine 
 there is a small stream of good water which 
 runs the whole of the summer. 
 
 The point of junction between Silver Canyon 
 and Grand Canyon takes place at a spot where 
 the canyon is wide and where there is a con- 
 siderable growth of Wild Tobacco. From this 
 point the journey may be continued either 
 straight to the sea, and the return made via 
 the Palisades, or the return may be made via 
 the upper part of Silver Canyon, which is 
 well worth a visit. Following the latter route, 
 about a mile up from the junctio-.^^we come to 
 the Silver Mine at a point where Silver 
 Canyon itself turns sharp to the left and other 
 canyons come in to the right. The mine is 
 well worth inspection, the tunnel has been 
 carried about a hundred feet into the heart of 
 the rock, where on the left the silver "lead" 
 may be seen glistening with little points of 
 precious metal. Anyone is at liberty to chip a 
 piece off with a knife and take it away, if he 
 can. A supply of matches should be taken for 
 the exploring of this mine. 
 
 The return to Avalon from this point is made 
 up the steep hill which looks straight down the 
 portion of the canyon which has just been 
 ascended. Standing at the opening of the 
 mine this hill stands to the left, and can be 
 identified by an old trail leading zig-zag up it. 
 This trail will lead to the top of the ridge, which 
 if followed will end in Silver Knob No. 3. 
 
 At this point the turn of the ridge to the 
 left should be followed via Knob No. 2 to 
 
 Knob No. 1. This Knob may be identified by a 
 long ridge which goes up to it from the head of 
 the Avalon Canyon, and by another long ridge 
 which goes up from the center of the ."Avalon 
 Canyon a little above "Chicken Johnnie's." 
 I't is this last ridge that should be followed for 
 the descent, which can easily be made in this 
 direction. 
 
 A variation of the above expedition is to 
 follow the ridge beyond Grand Canyon instead 
 of descending into the canyon itself at its 
 source. This ridge may be followed across 
 the Island, and the descent (very steep) made 
 into Silver Canyon near to the sea. This 
 ridge is very high, and the view is magnificent. 
 At a point opposite Little Cottonwood Canyon 
 there is a wonderful echo, answers coming in 
 various directions to a single call. 
 
 TO SILVER CANYON FROM AVALON. 
 (About Three Hours Walk.) 
 
 The shortest route is to go up the Avalon 
 Canyon to "Chicken Johnnie's," then take 
 to the river bed and walk on about ten minutes, 
 when a large round bluff will be seen facing 
 the traveler. This bluff is quite steep, but it 
 may be ascended easily as there are many 
 paths on it, and when the ridge above is 
 reached it will lead directly to Silver Knob 
 No. 1. From this point the shortest way to 
 reach the camping ground in Silver Canyon is 
 to follow the Silver Ridge to the Palisades, 
 and make the descent near the lower end of 
 Silver Canyon. 
 
 The most interesting route, however, is to 
 turn off to the right at the Third Knob, and 
 follow the ridge down to the Silver Mine. 
 From this point the canyon can be followed 
 downwards, a turn to the left being made 
 where Grand Canyon comes in on the right. 
 The return may be made via the Palisades. 
 
 TO THE SILVER KNOBS AND SUMMIT. 
 (About 3 or 4 hours.) 
 
 An easy expedition can be made by starting 
 in the same manner as above, turning to the 
 right at the Silver Knob No. 1, and following 
 the Silver Ridge up to the Summit. The 
 
 return can be made either by the coach-road 
 or by any of the ridges that descend from the 
 Silver Ridge into Avalon Canyon. Care should 
 be taken to select a long ridge rather than a 
 short one. 
 
 Distances at Sea 
 
 When making a voyage, or when looking 
 at the sea from the shore on a clear day, there 
 is a distinct, definite line which marks the 
 boundary between the sea and the sky. This 
 line is called the horizon, and is the result of 
 the earth being round. The higher one is placed 
 above the water the further off the horizon is 
 situated, and the further one can see, because 
 one can look down upon more of the surface 
 of the water. If a ship is seen which is nearer 
 
 58 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 than the horizon, naturally the whole of it 
 that is above the water is visible; but it the 
 ship is a short distance beyond the horizon, 
 )nly the top of the hull can be seen, and 
 further off still only the masts are visible. 
 
 The following table shows the distance of 
 the horizon from points at various heights. 
 The first column gives the height of the 
 observer's eye above the water, and the 
 second the distance in miles of the horizon, and 
 the third the distance of the horizon in knots 
 or nautical miles with a correction made for 
 normal refraction in clear weather: 
 
 Feet Inches 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 17 
 
 24 
 
 32 
 
 42 
 
 54 
 
 66 
 
 80 
 
 96 
 
 112 
 
 130 
 
 146 
 
 266 
 
 416 
 
 600 
 
 1066 
 
 1666 
 
 Miles 
 
 3 
 4 
 S 
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 20 
 25 
 30 
 40 
 50 
 
 Nautical 
 
 Miles 
 
 1. 
 
 1.90 
 2.81 
 3.62 
 4.75 
 5.64 
 6.51 
 7.45 
 8.45 
 9.34 
 10.28 
 11.27 
 
 12. 17 
 
 13. 12 
 13.85 
 18.88 
 23.45 
 28. 17 
 37.00 
 46.94 
 
 .\ man swimming in perfectly smooth water 
 with his chin touching the water has an hori- 
 zon half a mile distant; if he can see a row- 
 boat it must be within a mile and a half of 
 him, but if he can see the people in the boat, 
 but no portion of the boat itself the distance 
 is about two miles. These distances are 
 computed on the supposition that the water is 
 absolutely still; in the sea this is practically 
 never the case, and when the swimmer is on 
 top of a swell he can see a great deal further. 
 
 A man standing on the pier at Avalon has 
 the horizon at a distance of about five miles, 
 the actual distance depends upon the state of 
 the tide. From this point, if he sees a launch 
 coming in the distance, it is not more than 
 seven miles away, but it, looking through a 
 telescope, he can see the masts but not the 
 boat itself, the distance will be about eight 
 miles. 
 
 .•\ man seated in a row-boat has the horizon 
 two and one-half miles distant. He can see 
 another boat at about three and one-half miles, 
 and with the glass, if he can see people in the 
 boat but not the boat itself, the distance may 
 be about four and one-half miles. This is for 
 calm weather; a swell might add about a mile 
 to this distance. 
 
 .\ man standing in a launch has the horizon 
 about three miles away. He can seie another 
 launch at a distance of about five miles, and if 
 he can see the masts of a launch but not the 
 hull the distance is about seven miles. 
 
 From the lower deck of the Cabrillo the 
 horizon is about four and one-half miles dis- 
 tant; from the middle deck about si.x miles; 
 and from the upper deck about seven miles. 
 From the upper deck the masts of a ship can 
 be seen about fifteen miles away. 
 
 These calculations do not take into account 
 the question of mirage, which when it occurs 
 upsets all calculations. Mirage alters the 
 direction of the rays of light and makes the 
 curved surface of the sea appear perfectly flat. 
 This sometimes occurs even at night time, the 
 writer having seen the lights of Long Beach 
 from a launch just outside the bay of Avalon, 
 whenthey should have been 500 feet below the 
 horizon. 
 
 From the ridge above Buena Vista Park, 
 350 feet above the sea, the beach at Balboa 
 should be visible on a clear day. 
 
 From the tank on the hill above, 600 feet 
 above the sea, the Harbor at San Pedro should 
 be visible on a clear day. The masts of the 
 ships in the harbor might be seen at a much 
 lower point. 
 
 A Dolphin 
 
 59 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 Tables and Prices 
 
 N. B. — All time tables and prices are subject to alteration and should be 
 checked by the passenger. 
 
 Trains and Steamboats. 
 Leave Los Angeles — 
 
 Pacific Electric Depot (Sixth and Main) 9:15 A.M. 
 
 Southern Pacific Depot (Arcade) 9:05 A.M. 
 
 Salt Lake Depot (P'irst Street) 8:45 A.M. 
 
 Steamer leaves San Pedro about 10:00 A.M. 
 
 Arrives at Avalon about 12:20 P.M. 
 
 Baggage is received for checking at Los Angeles at Pacific Electric Ry. 
 before 8:20 A.M.; at the Southern Pacific before 8:45; at Salt Lake Rv. before 
 8:30. 
 
 During the summer season there is a second service which 
 Leaves Los Angeles — 
 
 Pacific Electric and Salt Lake about 2:00 P.M. 
 
 Arrives at Avalon about ' 5:30 P.M. 
 
 And on Saturdays there is an extra service which 
 Leaves Los Angeles — 
 
 Pacific Electric Depot at 5:00 P.M. 
 
 ■The Little Chapel by the Sea." 
 60 
 
 Interior 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Returning from Avalon. 
 
 The usual time for the departure of the steamers during the summer season 
 is about 8:00 a. m. ahd 3:45 p. m. Public notice is given of the exact time of 
 departure. 
 
 On Sundays the boat returns at 6:00 p. m. 
 
 At other times of the year the steamer leaves the Island about 3:30 p. m. 
 
 Church Services — Sundays 
 
 S. Catharine's, Marilla Avenue. (Roman Catholic) Mass 8:00 A.M., 10:00 A. M. 
 
 Pastor, Rev. E. H. Fitzgerald. 
 S. John's (The Little Chapel by the Sea) S. John's Heights (Episcopal) 
 
 Mass 7:30 A.M. 
 
 Evensong and Sermon 4:00 P.M. 
 
 Pastor, Rev. Harry Wilson. 
 Avalon Church, Metropole Avenue. (Congregational) 
 
 Morning Service 10:30 A.M. 
 
 Evening Service 7:00 P.M. 
 
 Pastor, Rev. James M. Campbell, D. D. 
 Christian Science Meetings are held in the Eagle Hall at 11:00 A.M. 
 
 Prices 
 
 The undermentioned prices are the charges usually made during the summer 
 season at Avalon. They are given for the general information of visitors, but 
 are not to be considered as being in any way official. Out of the season lower 
 prices may be obtained in some instances, notably in the rent of houses. 
 Round Trip from Los Angeles to Avalon — 
 
 Good for sixty days ^2.75 
 
 Weekend tickets 2 . SO 
 
 There arc rumors that these prices may soon be reduced. 
 Accommodation in Hotels, Rooming Houses and Tents, from 50 cents a day, 
 
 upward. 
 Tents, Small Tent for two persons, ^6.00 a week. 
 
 Large Tent for four persons, ^11.00 to $14.00 per week; $2.00 a week extra 
 for each additional person. 
 
 Kitchen Tents, $1.50 a week. 
 
 In all cases a reduction is made when taken for a longer period. 
 Furnished Houses may be rented from about $25.00 a week, upward. 
 All Glass-Bottom Boats, per trip, 50 cents each person. 
 Speed Motor-Boats — 
 
 Short trip to Seal Rocks or Moonstone Beach $0. 50 
 
 To Isthmus • 1 .00 
 
 Excursion Launches — 
 
 To Isthmus — Lunch included 1 .00 
 
 Round the Island, Lunch included 1 . 50 
 
 Fishing Launches — 
 
 Half Dav, $5.00; Whole Dav, $10.00. 
 
 Large Launches, Half Day, $6.00; All Day, $12.00 or $15.00. 
 
 Special terms when hired b\' the week. These prices include the use of rods, 
 lines and bait. 
 Sailing Boats — 
 
 One hour, $1.00; two hours, $1.50; half dav, $2.00. 
 
 All day, $3.50. 
 
 Small Sloop, $4.00 a day. 
 
 61 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Row Boats — 
 
 One hour, 25 cents; half day, ^1.00; all day, ^1.50. 
 
 These prices include the use of hand-lines and bait. Fishing Rods may be 
 rented. 
 
 By the week, Flat-bottom Boats, ^4.00; Round-bottom Boats, ^5.00. 
 Driving, Stage Coach to Summit, Round Trip, ^1.00. 
 Riding Horses, $3.00 per day. 
 
 Hunting, Goats, Quail and Doves. Horses, $3.00 each. Guide $5.00. Ahorse 
 must be taken for the guide. 
 Rifles and Shot Guns, 50 cents a day. 
 
 Hotels. In the following is a list of Hotels, the numbers and letters are 
 references to the locations as shown on Wilson's Map of Avalon. 
 
 1 Grand \"\e\ 
 
 2 Pacific 
 
 3 Bay View 
 
 4 Rose 
 
 5 Catalina 
 
 HOTELS 
 
 C4 
 
 C4, 5 
 
 CD4 
 
 C4 
 
 C5 
 
 6 Metropole 
 
 7 Stamford 
 
 8 Hermosa 
 
 9 Central 
 
 10 Del Mar 
 
 11 Glenmore 
 
 D4, 5 
 D5 
 D5 
 D5 
 D5 
 DS 
 
 There are also numerous Rooming-houses, Apartments, Flats, Camps etc 
 for rent. ' 
 
 WE WILL MEET YOU AT AVALON 
 
 Announcements 
 
WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Index 
 
 Heavy type indicates an illustration. * A star 
 Map of Avalon and 
 
 A Page 
 
 *Abalone Point 49 
 
 A Canyon 52 
 
 Across Island 56 
 
 A Catch of Fish 20 
 
 A Day at Avalon 10 
 
 A Good Haul 29 
 
 *Apartments 62 
 
 *Aquarium 11 
 
 Aquarium Reefs 43 
 
 A Real Vacation 40 
 
 Around the Island 43 
 
 Arrival at Avalon 8 
 
 Avalon— 1912 34 
 
 *Avalon Canyon 54 
 
 Avalon the Beautiful 2 
 
 B 
 
 ♦Bachelor Point 51 
 
 Baiting Hook 27 
 
 Band 35 
 
 Band Programme 35 
 
 Banning Brothers 33 
 
 *Bath House ." 18 
 
 Bathing at Avalon 16 
 
 Behold the Fisherman 19 
 
 *Ben Weston's Beach 48 
 
 *Ben Weston's Point 48 
 
 *Binnacle Rock 49 
 
 *Bird Rock 44 
 
 *Black Jack 7, 43, 57 
 
 Black Sea Bass 20 
 
 *Buena Vista Park 10, 11, 50, 52, 55 
 
 *Bulrush Canyon 48 
 
 ♦Bull's Head , ' 45 
 
 Buttons 25,27 
 
 ♦Button Shell Beach 43 
 
 C 
 
 "Cabrillo" 7 
 
 ♦Camp Banning 43 
 
 Canvas City 41 
 
 ♦Catalina Harbor '. 46, 47 
 
 Cata Unite 5 2 
 
 ♦Cherry Canyon 44 
 
 ♦Chicken Johnnie's 11 
 
 ♦Chimney Beach 43 
 
 Chimney Rock 43 
 
 ♦China Point 48 
 
 Chinese Smuggling 48 
 
 ♦Churches 61 
 
 ♦Church Rock 48, 49 
 
 Climate 36 
 
 ♦Coach Road 55, 56 
 
 Concert 10, 1 1 
 
 ♦Cottonwood Canyon 4S 
 
 Curio Stores 11 
 
 D 
 
 Danciiig..... 10, 11,35 
 
 Deep Sea Fishing 20 
 
 ♦Descanso 1 1, 43 
 
 ♦Descanso Canyon 51, 56 
 
 Devil's Elbow 55 
 
 ♦Devil's Slide 44 
 
 Distances at Sea 59 
 
 Dolphin 59 
 
 Diving at Gardens 13 
 
 Diving Boys 7 
 
 Diving Mac 12 
 
 Doves 31 
 
 indicates that the place is marked in Wilson's 
 Catalina Island. 
 
 Page 
 
 Drinking Water 42 
 
 Drives 51 
 
 Drive to Summit 55 
 
 E 
 
 ♦Eagle Rock 44, 45 
 
 ♦Eagle's Nest 53, 56 
 
 ♦Echo Lake 57 
 
 ♦E^merald Bay 45 
 
 ♦Empire Landing 43 
 
 Eucalyptus 39 
 
 F 
 
 Fall Weather 38 
 
 Farns worth Loop 55 
 
 Fighting the Fish 23 
 
 ♦Fisherman's Cove 44 
 
 Fishing Tackle 26 
 
 ♦Five-dollar Beach 49 
 
 ♦Flats 62 
 
 Flying Fish 7, 15 
 
 ♦Fourth July Harbor 44 
 
 Foxes 31 
 
 ♦Frog Rock 43 
 
 G 
 
 ♦Gallagher's Beach 38, 43 
 
 Game Fish 20, 23 
 
 ♦Gibraltar Rock 43 
 
 Glass-bottom Boats 9 
 
 ♦Goat Harbor 43 
 
 Goats 31 
 
 ♦Golf Links 1 1, 29, 30 
 
 ♦Grand Canyon 57, 58 
 
 ♦Great Falls 57 
 
 ♦Greek Theater 34 
 
 ♦Green Spot 43 
 
 H 
 
 ♦Hamilton Beach. ; 43 
 
 ♦Haypress 57 
 
 ♦Haypress Canyon 57 
 
 ♦Hen Rock 43 
 
 ♦Hermit Goldfish 13 
 
 Hermit Swain 43 
 
 History of Island 33 
 
 ♦Hotels 62 
 
 ♦Howlands 45, 55 
 
 Hunting 31 
 
 I 
 
 Ice 42 
 
 Ideal Sailing 37 
 
 Incline Railway 10 
 
 ♦Indian Rock 45 
 
 ♦Information Bureau 8 
 
 ♦Ironbound Bay 45 
 
 ♦Isthmus 10, 44, 55 
 
 ♦Isthmus Cove 42 
 
 ♦Italian Garden 43 
 
 ♦Jewfish Point. . 49 
 
 ♦Johnson's Landing 45 
 
 Journey 7 
 
 L 
 
 ♦Land's End 45 
 
 Large Game Fish 23 
 
 Leaping Sword-fish 20 
 
 Leaping Tuna 20 
 
 Light House Keeping 41 
 
 63 
 
lUN 16 1913 
 
 WILSON'S GUIDE TO AVALON 
 
 Page 
 
 Light Tackle Club 25 
 
 ♦Lion's Head 44 
 
 Little Chapel by the Sea 11 , 54, 60 
 
 Little Cottonwood Canyon 58 
 
 ♦Little Harbor 46, SS 
 
 ♦Lobster Bay . 45 
 
 Longer Expeditions 55 
 
 ♦Long Point 7, 43 
 
 ♦Lorenzo's Camp 45 
 
 ♦Lovers' Cove 49, 51 
 
 M 
 
 ♦Maiden Point 51 
 
 Marine Gardens 8, 11, 13 
 
 ♦Middle Ranch 55, 56 
 
 ♦Middle Ranch Canyon • 48 
 
 ♦Middle Rock 49 
 
 Milk 42 
 
 ♦Moonstone Beach 10, 11, 43 
 
 Mounted Fish 11 
 
 Mt. Martha 57 
 
 Mt. Orizaba 7, 57 
 
 Mt. Shatto 57 
 
 Mt. Washington 57 
 
 Mt. Wilson 57 
 
 N 
 Night Trip 11. 15 
 
 O 
 
 ♦Ohmy Point 52,55 
 
 One Day's Catch 27 
 
 Old Ben 14 
 
 ♦Old Wireless Station 10, 11, 54 
 
 P 
 
 ♦Pacific Ridge 57 
 
 ♦Palisades 49, 56 
 
 ♦Parson's Beach 45 
 
 ♦Pavilion 10, 34 
 
 ♦Pebbly Beach 11, 51, 52 
 
 ♦Perdition Cave 44 
 
 Pinnacle Peak 43 
 
 ♦Pirate Harbor 45, 47 
 
 Pirate John 46 
 
 Population 40 
 
 Prices. .'. ol, 62 
 
 Private Party 9 
 
 Prizes 25 
 
 Porter's Marine Band 10 
 
 O 
 
 Quail 31 
 
 R 
 
 Rainfall 38 
 
 ♦Ram Point 45 
 
 Ravens' Roost 55 
 
 Records 22, 23 
 
 ♦Ribbon Rocks 45 
 
 Rides 51 
 
 Roaring Cave 43 
 
 Round the Island 11 
 
 Row-boat Fishing 27 
 
 S 
 
 Saddle 54, 55 
 
 ♦St. John's Chapel 54 
 
 St. John's Heights 10 
 
 ♦Salta Verde 4S 
 
 Santa Catalina Island Co 33 
 
 Sardines 27 
 
 I } Page 
 
 \ ■' Sea Lions 14 
 
 ♦Seal Rocks 8, 11, 14, 49 
 
 ♦Shag Rookery 43 
 
 ♦Ship Rock 44 
 
 Short Expeditions 51 
 
 ♦Silver Canyon 48, 57, 58 
 
 ♦Silver Canyon Rock 48 
 
 ♦Silver Grey Goats 45 
 
 ♦Silver Knobs 56, 58 
 
 ♦Silver Mine 58 
 
 ♦Silver Peak 45 
 
 ♦Silver Ridge 56 
 
 ♦Smugglers' Glen 45 
 
 ♦Soapstone Quarry 45 
 
 Southern Mountains 57 
 
 Speed Motor Boat 15 
 
 ♦Spook Cave 43 
 
 ♦Spouting Cave 44, 45 
 
 ♦Spring Landing 45 
 
 Steamboat Services 60 
 
 ♦Stone Quarry 44 
 
 ♦Submerged Sugarloaf 13 
 
 ♦Sugar Loaf 7, 11, 43, 49, 51 
 
 ♦Sullivan's 45 
 
 Summer Day 36 
 
 ♦Summit 10, 1 1, 56, 55 
 
 Sunburn 38 
 
 Sunday Church Services 61 
 
 Swimming 17 
 
 Sword Fish 20 
 
 T 
 
 Tackle 24 
 
 Tennis 31 
 
 Tent House 40 , 
 
 Tent Life 40 
 
 Thermometer Chart 36 
 
 Three Hours at Avalon 8 
 
 Three-Six Club 25 
 
 Thunderstorm 38 
 
 Time Tables 60 
 
 Timm's Landing 33 
 
 ♦Torqua Spring 43 
 
 Trade Winds 21, 36 
 
 Train Service 60 
 
 ♦Twin Rocks 43 
 
 Trotting 21 
 
 ♦Trask Home 44 
 
 ♦Treasure Beach 45 
 
 Tuna 20 
 
 ♦Tuna Club 24 
 
 Two Days at Avalon 11 
 
 V 
 
 "Victory" 24 
 
 ♦Volcanic Ash 48 
 
 W 
 
 Walks 51 
 
 Whales 7 
 
 ♦White Rock 51 
 
 ♦White's Landing 43 
 
 Whittier Boys 43 
 
 Wild Cherry Canyon 55 
 
 Wild Goat 32 
 
 ♦Willow Cove 43 
 
 Wireless Only 41 
 
 Wise Old Bird 5 
 
 ♦Wishbone 55 
 
 Y 
 
 Yachting 38 
 
 Yellowtail 20, 28 
 
 64 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 017 139 361 9