After cruising the northern Channel Islands, we woke up this morning outside of Little Harbor on Santa Catalina. This small protected inlet is coupled with Shark Harbor, only separated by a small peninsula known by locals as the “Whale’s Tail.” This area carries some interesting history of the island. Being a protected sandy beach with low rolling hillsides, it was home to the earliest inhabitants of the island some 12,000 years ago. The Tongva, as they are known, created villages here and lived a subsistence lifestyle off the plethora of marine life and terrestrial plants. Remains of their pottery and middens, collections of shell and animal fragments, have been found throughout the island.
Currently, this beautiful location is used as a campground and popular getaway for island residents and mainland people to enjoy the beaches and seclusion of Santa Catalina. The Catalina Island Conservancy manages 88 percent of the island’s remote places and protects the few mammals like bison and Catalina fox that roam freely throughout the island.
