Posted on 12/05/2011 3:26:37 PM PST by george76
The Vails' former ranch, now part of Channel Islands National Park, is no longer a home for cattle, cowboys or adventurous children. And now the family's last link to the place is being severed.
For the family that once owned Santa Rosa Island, it was part Zane Grey, part "Robinson Crusoe."
Generations of Vail cousins would arrive from the mainland and take refuge for months at a time. They would explore places with pirate-map names: Skull Gulch, Abalone Rocks, China Camp. They were city kids, but they rode with the island's cowboys and knew the island lore — stories about ghosts, about shipwrecks, about a mythical temptress named Rita who supposedly awaited new cowboys.
...
The island became part of Channel Islands National Park in 1986, and the storied Vail & Vickers ranch — a spread that spanned the island's 84 square miles of rolling grasslands and rugged coastline — shut down 12 years later. But the family continued to run a big-game operation, guiding hunters to the trophy deer and elk transplanted to the island nearly a century ago.
Under an agreement with the National Park Service and an environmental group, the sport hunting ended last month. Now, professional marksmen are tracking the remaining dozens of deer and elk from canyon to canyon, sometimes targeting them from helicopters.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.latimes.com ...
Where's PETA?
Eventually to be a dacha for the rulers.
Back in the 60s, I spent a summer on an albacore boat out of San Pedro. When it got stormy, we’d shelter in a bay on the south side of Santa Rosa. Sometimes there were some abalone boats and sometimes we had the place to ourselves. Never saw the cowboys who were said to there. Lots of fresh fish caught in the kelp and we pried abalone from the rocks at low tide. It was like a private paradise just a few miles from the California mainland. I imagine the former owners are grieving it’s loss.
Back in the 60s, I spent a summer on an albacore boat out of San Pedro. When it got stormy, we’d shelter in a bay on the south side of Santa Rosa. Sometimes there were some abalone boats and sometimes we had the place to ourselves. Never saw the cowboys who were said to there. Lots of fresh fish caught in the kelp and we pried abalone from the rocks at low tide. It was like a private paradise just a few miles from the California mainland. I imagine the former owners are grieving its loss.
What a waste!
You got it in one.
What a sad, sad story of private use and care—to public/government seizure (in a way) and use (and surely, eventually) lack of care and maintenance.
Well that sucks...but I will enjoy hiking and camping there
The island of Palmyra in the Pacific, maybe a thousand miles South of Hawaii was privately owned. During WWII the U.S. established a navy base there.
After the war, the U.S. government simply tried to steal it and say it was theirs. The family who owned it, sued and eventually won. Not sure who owns it now.
Exactly.
Actually, I’m surprised the LA Times even reported this. The only GOP candidate opposing Agenda 21 (or probably the only one who even knows what it is) is Newt Gingrich, who has said that he will proceed to undo this.
I’m not sure that it was ever formally approved by the Senate or what the current situation is. Clinton may have signed it simply on his own through some administrative sleight of hand, but whatever, I hope Gingrich can undo it and will bring this up during his campaign. It surrenders a huge amount of our sovereignty.
After the war, the U.S. government simply tried to steal it and say it was theirs. The family who owned it, sued and eventually won. Not sure who owns it now.
Not sure how it came about but the US Governent owns it now. I used to work with one of the Fullard-Leo (Then owners of Palmyra)kids back in the early 1990's
The island is owned by the US Government and managed by the Nature Conservancy. Today, you have to get permission from the Nature Conservancy and the Fish and Wildlife service to visit. We are hoping to secure permission to sail our boat down there in a month or so.
And the sin of that is that Nature Conservancy use it as their own private playground, just as they did in the tall timber north of San Fran. The whole area was put off limits to protect it, and these lowlifes built homes and cabins up there for their own use.
They are “more equal” don’t you know.
Where can I read more about this?
They could have had their land stolen out from under them like what happened to Ventura, CA rancher, Donald Scott
WHAT?! I don't know of ANY politician who has come out against Agenda 21.
Thanks, that is interesting.
About all I know is from reading the book “And The Sea Will Tell”, or more accurately, Vincent Bugliosi patting himself on the back.
Despite that it was a fascinating story. Always thought it interesting that the guy was convicted in the murders but the girl with the exact same evidence against her, was found not guilty. There is no doubt in my mind that she was in fact the mastermind of the crime.
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