What Was Life Like On California's "Shipwreck Islands"? | West Of The West | Absolute History

I'm Swiss and I never saw any doc about the channel islands in Cali but this will sure not be my last, this doc got me all emotional, from the beginning to the end! What an amazing history, landscape and people there... I hope when I pass, my soul will visit all of the islands before I definitively leave this place, to bathe in the serenity and absolute beauty of this special corner on this earth! Thank you for this upload!

The book "The Island of the Blue Dophins" changed my life, and I was thrilled to find this video

Nothing more hilarious than the pure excitement in that archeologist who found the jewelry box lol so cool tho

Taking that bag of trash to the person who left it “I believe you left this on my island”. Epic!

It's a Time Capsule. It's very intentional, items are related. They tell a story. This is an incredible, historic find that can't be hidden from us now.

What an enjoyable and educational experience. I appreciate your effort to bring lesser known areas to our attention. I am the richer for these documentaries.

This was amazing!! 💗😭💗 I’m from California, born and raised here, still live here, and love this state so much! But I’ve been beginning to realize how little I know about this place, and how much I want to learn more. The part that made me particularly emotional was about Juana Maria, the lone woman of San Nicolas Island. I first read the book “Island of the Blue Dolphins” in 4th Grade, and I’ve loved it ever since. I remember my class talking about her history, and even watched a movie adaptation of the book. I still have a copy of the book, and will reread it from time to time. I’m not sure what I loved specifically about it as a child (other than it being beautifully written), but it hits way differently reading it as an adult. Now whenever I reread it, it never fails to make me cry!! I knew practically nothing about the Channel Islands, so this was a great educational experience. I look forward to finding out more about them, and my beloved California in general. 💜

I woke up and watched this w my coffee in the morning. It was such a good piece. I absolutely adored all of the history and the animals of the Islands. Then you speak of their beliefs and things they've done for many years. It got me emotional.God bless all who were a part of the Islands and writing this piece, it filled my mind and heart w knowledge. 💓

I have never seen a documentary about the California islands, only Alcatraz. Thanks for the video!💕🇺🇲

I'm a 2nd generation native Californian, daughter of a migrant farm worker who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the influx of dust bowl "Okies". In 1964 I boarded a Navy Constellation and flew for the first time in my life. We landed on "The Rock", what many called San Nicolas Island at the time. It was almost completely barren except for the shacks & radar dishes, and the quarters, mess, etc. that supported the workers, both military and civilian. I'd read, "Island of the Blue Dolphins" but couldn't associate the idyllic notion it portrayed, with this sterile looking wasteland around me. Today, seeing the dedication of so many to the restoration and preservation of the islands fills me with gratitude.

That's the first document I've seen on the Channel Islands. Thank you.

What a fantastic documentary!

Beautiful weaving of history and stories through a timeline so diverse. Thank you I loved it!

I loved this! My dad did research from mid60's to '73 on Flathead Lake in MT, that helped with the ban of DDT. There was a dangerous decline in the Osprey population, due to cherry growers using DDT in the orchards. The over spray went into the lake, the fish ingested the DDT, and soft shell eggs were not hatching. I'm so happy to see areas that were poisoned by DDT come back to natural wildlife. Great job to everyone involved. My dad would've loved to see this.....

The story of the bag of trash that had a piece of mail in it was, for me, a very Alice's Restaurant moment.

Absolutely stunning and beautiful..I was crying my eyes out at the very end for sure

I live on the coast of Ventura County and these are what I call my Islands.

This is such a gem !! Born and raised in Southern California I remember the rehabilitation issues at that time. This documentary is a real find.

I can see Catalina from my house on most days, sometimes so clearly you can practically count the trees. I worked in the music industry for a good portion of my life, & always knew that Joe Walsh was an exceptional man, by virtue of the fact that he was able to remain in a band with Don Henley for as long as he did! To say that Don is a bigger jerk than Gene Simmons & Ted Nugent COMBINED would be a gross understatement of epic proportions. Joe's quite the opposite. I'm so glad, & not at all surprised, to learn that he found something as worthwhile as the preservation of Santa Cruz Island to provide a sense of purpose & keep him grounded. It's rare that a man can look back on his life's accomplishments & say that he will leave this world a better place than he found it. Thanks for all you've done, Joe! You're the real deal! 💯🌎❤️ ✌🏼

this was so neat! thank you.🌻