How the Wrigleys Built Catalina's Tourist Empire—and Preserved Its Interior

Santa Catalina Island may look like a preserved escape from modern Los Angeles, but its landscape was shaped by concentrated ownership, corporate planning, tourism, and conservation. This American history documentary traces Catalina from the Indigenous homeland of Pimu through ranching and extraction, the 1915 Avalon fire, and William Wrigley Jr.'s acquisition of control in 1919. Discover how the Wrigley family developed transportation, utilities, attractions, and the landmark Catalina Casino—built for movies and ballroom dancing, not gambling—while creating a tourism-dependent island economy. The story also examines postwar change, the 1975 transfer of roughly 42,000 acres to the Catalina Island Conservancy, and the lasting effects of limited land, housing, access, and private commercial control. Subscribe to The Remaining Trace for more documentaries about American landmarks, private land empires, infrastructure, wealth, power, and the forces that transform historic places. Share your Catalina memories or local knowledge in the comments.