Anacapa Island
Anacapa Iceland is a small, elongated volcanic island, which lies about 23 kilometers off the west coast of California. The island belongs to the archipelago of the Channel Islands and is part of the same Channel Islands National Park. The island is the only one of the Channel Islands, whose name is of Spanish origin. Anacapa Iceland is composed of three sub Islands (East, Middle and West Anacapa ) and has an area of 2.95 km ². On East Anacapa is a visitor contact station of the National Park, which is headed by rangers, and, according to Census 2000 has three permanent residents. On East Anacapa is also home to the lighthouse Anacapa Lighthouse.
Geology, the three islands
Anacapa is predominantly volcanic origin. Strongly weathered rock from the Miocene ( about 23 to 5.3 million years ) dominates the landscape. Probably the island was, however, unfolded, many of the undersea lava flows are visible on the island. Only in a few places there are sedimentary rocks, such as the blue-green San Onofre breccia in the south of West Anacapa The Cat skirt. The extreme weather conditions and the surf formed numerous caves and holes. Apparently extend the islands, the Santa Monica Mountains westward.
East Anacapa is the smallest of the three islands that make up Anacapa is. It is practically an inaccessible Mesa, the high surface area of about 40 hectares, situated 70 meters above sea level. On the islet there is a lighthouse, a fog signal building the park headquarters and a campsite.
Middle Anacapa is the second largest of the three islands. It is around 5 km long, but rarely wider than 200 m. Some of the beaches on the south side are accessible only by boat, and the East Fish Camp is the largest landing site. There temporarily lived some fishermen. On the north side in the central part of the island, access is possible, but this is forbidden without permission from the park authorities.
West Anacapa rises on the highest and is generally the largest of the three belonging to Anacapa Islands. Access is permitted only in Frenchy's Cove. Thus, the breeding grounds of pelicans and seabirds are protected.
Ecology
Anacapa Iceland is an important breeding ground for seabirds. After 1900, the black rat was introduced on boats in the island ecosystem by humans, large parts of the breeding areas were threatened. Thus, about 70 % of the clutches of the Lummenalks of rats were eaten. 2003 rats were eradicated by means deployed by the aircraft poison baits. After ten years, a significant increase in the breeding bird population is to demonstrate a breed of single-color wave runner was ever observed for the first time on the island.
History
First residents
Among the Northern Channel Islands are from East to West Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel Iceland. The archipelago was subject since the last maximum glaciation during the last glacial period very strong changes, as increased by the global melting of the ice sheets, the sea level by 100 to 125 m. Until then, were at the lowest water level 20,000 years ago the islands merged into a single large island, which is referred to as Santa Rosae Iceland. Your eastern edge (now Anacapa ) was 6-8 km away from the mainland. Today the islands are located 20 and 42 km off the coast. Anacapa is 2.6 km ², the smallest, Santa Cruz 249 km ² the largest island. Anacapa was 13,000 years ago, 8.5 km from the coast, 11,500 years ago already 10 km, 9,500 years ago, 12 km and 9000 years ago already 13 km away.
No later than 13000-12000 years ago for the first time, people lived on the islands. One of the reasons why people with the Pacific ocean going vessels must have sailed over and over again, are occurrences of fire and chert, which were for the manufacture of weapons and tools of the utmost importance. The deposits were on Anacapa but of lower quality, nevertheless, was there to prove a stone blade industry. A continuous settlement existed since at least 3000 BC
In the 18th century Chumash lived on the island group, but there are no indications for the colonization of Anacapa in the Spanish sources. At least 23 shell mound, a kind of garbage heaps, are known in the islands.
Designation
Among the names of the Channel Islands is not only Anacapa back to Spanish, but on Indian roots. In the language of the Chumash eneepah or ' Anyapakh meant about Mirage Island. Gaspar de Portola in 1770 mistook West Anacapa with the sails of a distant ship. Therefore, he named the island Velo Falsa (wrong sail ) and the neighboring islands of Las Mesitas ( the table ). 1774 named Juan Perez to the archipelago in Islets de Santo Tomas, George Vancouver, took over the sound of the Indian name as he heard it. So he took over the Eneeapah the Chumash, but recorded " Enecapa " on his maps. Finally, the island appeared in 1852 under the current name in the U.S. Coast Survey. The first European who sailed past the island, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was probably 1542. Most explorers mentioned the small island not even on their maps.
Transition to the U.S. and state ownership (1848 ), first nichtindigene residents, leases
In 1848 California and thus Anacapa with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to the United States. The island has always been state, never privately owned. Fischer used it occasionally as a station and warehouse, a report mentioned in 1853 an old house in the southern central part of the island. After the collapse of the indigenous cultures was interested in first Captain George Nidever for the island. He held there sheep. Although the island was owned by the state, she moved through buying and selling ownership several times. It acquired about the Pacific Wool Growing Company.
In 1902, the government stepped in and leased Anacapa Louis Le Mesnager, the 1907 Heaman Bayfield Webster followed, the enlarged herd of sheep on 500 animals. Together with his wife and two sons, he lived until 1917 in the central part of the island. 1917 When he tried to get the Congress to extend its lease for 25 years, this was the face of the threat of war in Europe no opportunity to take care of the matter, so that the family lost their lease to Captain Ira Eaton. Eaton had a resort in Santa Cruz Iceland and used during the Prohibition era Anacapa as a camp for illegal alcohol. He also signed a contract for the sub- lease to the Santa Barbara Fish Company, who settled fishermen there. Between 1927 and 1932 Anacapa had no tenants, but Raymond " Frenchy " LaDreau lived as a hermit from 1928 to 1956 at the west end of the island. He was unofficial rapporteur of the National Park Service. He left the island at the age of 80 years. C. Fay Chaffe 1932 was the last tenant of the island. 1937, the government decided not to make any more lease. Today, only members of the Coast Guard and the National Park on Anacapa live.
Shipwrecks, Beacon (1911) and Lighthouse (1932 )
On December 2, 1853 about 75 m long steamship Winfield Scott of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company ran on on the way from San Francisco to Panama on the rocks north of Middle Anacapa and fell along with $ 2 million in gold bullion. The more than 400 passengers were rescued after a week, even if the supplies were exhausted. In 1854 began to formulate plans to build a lighthouse. Therefore, the island from the Lighthouse Bureau was managed until 1938. Nevertheless, originated in 1911 an unmanned lighthouse on a 17 m high tower at the east end of the island. 1932 was built the present lighthouse at the entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel in 277 feet in height, slightly more than 90 m; he is the only one on the Channel Islands. For tower belonged 30,000 square feet of concrete surface for collecting rainwater, because on the island there was no drinking water. There were apartments for the staff, because in turn alternated until 1968 with mainland crews. Except for one, they were all in 1968 when the plant was automated, demolished.
Under protection (1938 ), National Park (1980 )
1938 Anacapa and Santa Barbara received by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the status of a national monument. 1939 the Lighthouse Bureau was disbanded and handed over to the island to the National Park Service. In 1978 the results of an extensive archaeological investigation have been published. In 1980 the Channel Islands National Park, although some parts of the island by the Coast Guard are claimed.