Who has owned Catalina Island over the years?
The Gabrielino Indians lived on Catalina Island for over 7,000 years. When Cabrillo discovered the island in 1542, it was claimed by the king of Spain. Mexican ownership dates from 1821, when Mexico achieved its independence from Spain. In 1846, Governor Pio Pico of Mexican California granted Catalina Island to a private citizen, Tomas Robbins, who owned it until 1850. In that year, he sold Catalina to Jose Maria Covarrubias for $10,000. Covarrubias sold the island to Albert Packard of San Francisco in 1853. The Island then went through a complex phase of ownership changes and divisions until it was acquired by James Lick in 1864. By 1867, Lick had entire ownership of the Island. In 1887, George Shatto bought the entire Island for $200,000 from the Lick Estate (Lick died in 1876), but lost the island due to debt and foreclosure. The Lick Estate then sold the island to William Banning in 1892 for $128,740. The Bannings established the Santa Catalina Island Company in 1896 and transferre
