ISLA CEDROS THROUGH TIME

ISLA CEDROS THROUGH TIME:

In the News~

1540: Francisco de Ulloa names the island Isla de Cedros

October 1846: “On the 22nd we passed San Geronimo Island, finding the channel between it and the mainland five miles broad, and on the 25th anchored under the east coast of Cedros or Cerros Island. This island presents extraordinary features, looking as if some deluge had swept the low lands, leaving them smooth and level as a newly made road. "Cerros" is certainly the most appropriate appellation for the place; it is a mass of hills piled on hills; and although here and there groves of cedars are met with, yet they are hardly in sufficient numbers to give a name to the island. Wild goats are abundant.* The extreme dryness of the atmosphere is remarkable. We found two graves of the year 1819; one of John Brown Sinclair, who was drowned when belonging to the Harriet, the other of Justin Finch, of the Shakspeare, both London ships. The head-boards were of slight deal, yet the wood was undecayed, and the inscriptions were quite legible. The bay of thei sland was surveyed, and its position proved to be long. 28 degrees 3' 0" north, lat. 115 degrees, 11' 0" west (south point). Two of the officers ascended to the summit. "The march," says Mr. Henry Troppole, "was rugged and more fatiguing than we had anticipated. In going up, hardly a drop of water could be found, though occasionally traces of where it had been were observed; in coming down we struck upon a ravine with a stream in it, which in many places was four or five feet deep. If we had had sufficient daylight we could have followed it to the sea, where it might have proved serviceable for shipping. The sides of this watercourse were lined with beautiful shrubs, and even trees, which formed a pleasing contrast to the utterly desolate and barren nature of the surrounding country. The stream had nearly led us wrong. It appeared to wind round to the west side of the island. Expecting a change in its direction, we followed it until sunset surprised us, well-nigh exhausted, at the edge of a precipice which we could not descend. We were obliged to climb up the side of the ravine, and fortunately were able to distinguish the ship at the anchorage before darkness had set in. Though the way was still rugged, we had now a more level space. The sight of the sea and vessel renewed our strength; but we were thoroughly tired, and whenever we stopped to rest we were asleep almost immediately. Awakened by the coldness of the night air, we trudged on again, and when we reached the beach we were still upwards of three miles from the ship, and it was ten o'clock before we arrived on board, thoroughly fagged out. Unfortunately we had with us no compass nor barometer; but a rough trigonometrical measurement gave the height of the island 2500 feet. Having left Cerros...”

• Mr. John Goodridge, surgeon of the Herald, discovered in this island a curious cactus, which, on being submitted to Prince Salm-Dyek, the best authority in these matters, was called Mammalaria Goodridgii, S. Dyck. Afterwards this rare species was found at Guaymas, Gulf of California, but the last specimens died before reaching England.” [Seemann, Berthold. Narrative of the Voyage of the H.M.S. Herald during the Years 1845-51 Under the Command of Captain Henry Kellett London: Reeve and Co. (1853) Vol. 1.]

March 18, 1862 [SDU]: “By telegraph from San Francisco, we learn that two en, named Beatty and Kelly, arrived there on Sunday from Cape St. Lucas, with an account of a terrible tragedy and marvelous escapes. They had been to Cerros Island, off Lower California, in company with E. B. Thompkins in the night, and was finally killed himself by one of the survivors. St. Patrick's day was celebrated in grand style at San Francisco. The trial of Schell for the murder of Gordon excites great interest there; but as the principal witness has been excluded, on the ground of being a quadroon, the chances of conviction are seriously diminished. No business of importance was transacted in the Legislature yesterday.”

1920s: “The earliest permanent residents ancestral to the modern community arrived in the early 1920s, working with a cannery served by Japanese divers and later, Mexicans trained by the Japanese. The Japanese departed on the eve of World War II, and in 1943, the cooperativa, named Pescadores Nacionales de Abulón, began operations on the island under the collectivist initiatives begun by Mexican president Cardenas.” (McVicar, K. G. Cedros Island, Baja California and Its Fishing Economy. Unpublished Master's Thesis, Department of Geography, UCLA, 1964)

“The cooperative has continued, with the normal internal political dramas and ups and downs in production, to the present day. It forms the robust core of the local economy and is a major social and economic force within the modern community.” (Des Lauriers, M. R. Island of Fog. Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Investigations of Isla Cedros, Baja California, Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, (2010)