I grew up in a small coastal town, Swampscott, Massachusetts, whose history extends back to 1629.   Many of the homes, like my own, were at least 100 years old...passed down to generation after generation.  The "past" was literally our present, and the buildings archived the who and when of it.  A date chiseled on the stone foundation by a great-grandfather not only spoke of the time, but left the essence of the man who knew he was providing a home for his descendants.

Things are different here in the New Land of the West.  The first settlers in what we call Catalina were the indigenous people who were much "greener" in their choice of building materials.  Their dwellings have returned to the earth, but they did leave their mark with their pottery, rock paintings and petraglyphs.  Again, it seems to be our human desire to say, "We were here", and to have others witness our existence.

My goal with this small effort is to "witness" the lives of those who built our village of Catalina.  As fortune would have it, I was contacted at the Our Catalina website by the granddaughter of Catalina's founder, EB Garner.  Wanda Wilson was kind enough to send me photos and newspaper clippings, and to spend hours talking to me by phone about her grandpa and Catalina's early days.

I'd really like this to be an ongoing community project, so pass the word that I'm looking for photos, personal stories, and older newspaper clippings that can be archived for the future.

As time allows, I'll continue to add more material.  This is just a beginning.  We'll see where it leads.....
Diane-Kate Murphy
email:  webmaster@ourcatalina.com
voicemail:  (520) 247-7530