Beyond the Beyond: The Giants of Catalina Island

Beyond the Beyond: The Giants of Catalina Island

When I was a teen, my grandmother took me to Catalina Island. We spent a lot of time on the beach, saw a movie (The Flintstones), I accidentally walked in front of the camera of an America’s Most Wanted episode, and we joined a group of people so that I could go snorkeling (I’ve been a licensed scuba diver since age 13). I remember taking a bus around the island and the tour guide telling us a story about finding one of the island’s wild boars completely asleep in the road one day. Evidently, the pig had eaten some of the local mushrooms that grow on the island and was probably having the time of his life before being disturbed by the guide. He said they had to inch around him in the bus, as he was too heavy to carry.

I only later learned about the Catalina giants—mysterious, almost mythical creatures said to have once roamed the island. In the early 1920s, amateur archaeologist and museum owner Ralph Glidden is said to have excavated not one, not two, but thousands of remains of giant skeletons who once lived there. These skeletons, some buried with urns and other artifacts, were said to have been seven to nine feet tall.

The only humans known to have lived on Catalina Island in a well-documented way were the Gabrielino-Tongva people, the island’s indigenous inhabitants for thousands of years. They were skilled hunters, fishermen, and traders, and they left behind evidence of their lives in the form of shell middens, tools, and small settlements scattered across the island. So, if there were a race of extra-large people living on the island, it must have been long before they arrived. Glidden fueled speculation that these were members of an advanced group who went extinct or left before the Native Americans showed up.

In his book The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America, author Richard Dewhurst claimed that a megalithic structure found on the island contained over 4,000 skeletons, with a ruling class of skeletons measuring over nine feet tall. He claimed that these, along with various copper items, were confiscated by the Smithsonian and hidden to support mainstream archaeological narratives.

Many academic scholars refute these claims, citing that Glidden was a sensationalist who often exaggerated stories and achievements. That any photos taken were deliberately shot to achieve a forced perspective and make things appear bigger than they are. But there is the legendary soapstone urn, which is tied to the Catalina giants. In 1928, Glidden claimed he had uncovered a 138-pound soapstone urn containing the skeleton of a young girl, whom he called “a princess.” She was crouched inside, with 64 children arranged around her in body. Beneath this group, he said, rested the remains of an exceptionally tall man, roughly 7 feet 8 inches tall, with a spear reportedly lodged in his side.

The Bible repeatedly references giants in its pages. They’re often called the Nephilim, which some biblical scholars have interpreted as either fallen angels, their offspring with humans, or simply extraordinarily large human beings. In Genesis 6:4, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” In Numbers 13:33, when the Israelite spies report back from Canaan, they say, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Could these passages be referring to the ancient race whom Glidden claimed once inhabited the island?

It’s a fun idea to play with. Some giant civilization that either ruled or protected the natives living on Catalina Island, or perhaps was living there long before the Gabrielino-Tongva people. And if a megalithic structure was indeed found buried underground, why hasn’t it been excavated? Who built it? And does it have ties to the many similar structures found all over the world? We may never know the answer to these questions, but the next time you’re there exploring the island, watching out for wild boars, deep in some sleepy psychedelic journey, lying in the middle of the road—keep an eye out.

Do you believe that giants once roamed the earth? Message @beyondthebeyond1 on Instagram.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Eastern Sierra Now. Readers are encouraged to conduct further research and consult with relevant experts or professionals before making any decisions or taking any actions based on the information provided in this article.

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TM Rush