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People have been living on Santa Catalina Island, CA for at least 7,000 years. It was discovered by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the Spanish explorer. The island was awarded by Mexican Governor Pio Pico to Thomas Robbins as a land grant in 1846, just four days before the United States invaded California. James Lick asserted his ownership of the Island in 1867. It was previously owned by the army. As time passed, the lovely coves began to be dotted with tents in the summertime as the more adventurous mainlanders sailed across the channel to picnic on the shore and escape the heat of California's inland valleys. Santa Catalina Island was developing into a vacation destination.