About the El Rancho Escondido

An introduction and general information about the El Rancho Escondido on Catalina Island in Southern California.

NAME: El Rancho Escondido
ATTRACTION TYPE: Historic site and working ranch
OWNED AND OPERATED BY: Catalina Island Company
ADDRESS: Interior of Catalina Island
LOCATION: Catalina Island, Southern California

El Rancho Escondido is a historic ranch situated in a small valley about 12 miles outside the city of AvaLon.

Horse Ranching on El Rancho Escondido
The ranch was established in the 1930's by Philip Wrigley and his wife Helen Wrigley to develop a breeding program for the wild horses of Catalina island. Later (by the 1950's) the ranch was primarily used for breeding Arabian horses for exhibiting at shows and entering in competitions.

The Rusack family owns EL Rancho Escondido today

Santa Catalina Island Vineyard
Today the El Rancho Escondo property is the home of a vineyard on its southwest-facing hillsides. The vineyard produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zindafel grapes for the Rusack Wine Company. Catalina's vineyards are also known as the Rusack Winery's Santa Catalina island Vineyards. There is not yet a tasting room on Catalina Island for Catalina grape wines, but they can be ordered through Rusack's Isla Wine Circle Club and purchased at the Ruck Winery in Ballard Canyon near Santa Barbara, which is where the Catalina island grape wines are made, bottled and sold).

Construction at El Rancho Escondido < r/> As of early 2019 the El Rancho Escondido property was a construction zone as it was undergoing major renovations and upgrades to its buildings, plumbing systems, and electrical systems.

Future Plans for El Rancho Escondido < r/> In future years, the rancho hopes to again offer visitor activities and experiences on the rancho property including a Catalina Arabian horse demonstration, visits to the rancho's Trophy Room, tours of the property, and wine tastings that include RUSAK's Santa Catalina Island wines and RUSAK's Santa Barbara County wines.

Resources

- Catalina Island Conservancy "El Rancho Escondido" Article
- Catalina Island Company "El Rancho Escondido" Article

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More About Attractions on Catalina

Catalina Island Travel Guide

California for Visitors

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