In 1913, most of the Den land passed into the hands of speculators
Jack and Coto Cavalleto, who purchased 200 acres on the eastern
end for a $5,000 down payment. In 1920, Jack Cavaletto sold
his 99 acres to Col. Colin Campbell for about $65,000, while
Coto sold his to other speculators for $52,000. Ruins of the
Campbell estate can still be found just west of the Devereux
Slough and portions of the estate's bathhouse remain on the
beach just east of Coal Oil Point. Eventually, the Devereux
Foundation, a private school for slow-learning and emotionally
disturbed children, purchased the Campbell property for $100,000.
During the 1920s, what was still an unnamed, mostly uninhabited
mesa was subdivided with the intention of turning it into a
resort community. This was never a very successful project,
however, perhaps because of the abundance of tar on the beach.
During that period, three subdivisions were created but without
coordination. This resulted in the present non-alignment of
east-west streets that is apparent along Camino Corto and Camino
Pescadero. One of the street-namers of the period didn't know
the Spanish language very well, resulting in "Del Playa," instead
of "De la Playa." However, the largest of these subdivisions
was called "Isla Vista" - literally "island view" - and the
name stuck for the entire area.
After the resort fantasy petered out, the Signal Oil Co. purchased
most of Isla Vista when oil was discovered north of I.V in 1928.
This also was not a very successful project, and, except for
a couple of dozen beach houses, Isla Vista was pretty much uninhabited
at the outbreak of World War II.
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