Timeline of Hopper Island history

This is a timeline of Hopper Island history, comprising legal changes and political events, as well as sociological and cultural events, on Hopper Island.

20th century[]

1940-1949[]

1947

July 18 - Sherman Hopper bought Hopper Island.
July 18 - The South Pacific Mandate entered UN trusteeship as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The status of Hopper Island, previously part of the Mandate, was not specified.
August 1 - Sherman Hopper arrived on Hopper Island.
August 12 - Hopper finished his first hut.
August 22 - Cary Castenada, one of Hopper's Navy friends, arrived on the island.
August 31 - Hopper and Castenada finished the dock on the island's northeast side. They called it Coronado Beach, a reference to the city near San Diego, California.
September 14 - Hopper and Castenada finished a second house, now the Beach House Library.
September 27 - Six friends arrived by boat. Two of them (Rose and Bertram Gilpatrick) remained on the island, while the others returned after one week.
September 30 - Construction on a community house began.
November 2 - After months of delay, due to shortage of timber, the community house was finished. The Gilpatricks immediately moved in. Joshua Hunter arrived the same day and also moved in.
November 8 - The first dirt road, between Hopper's house, the dock and the community house, was finished. The first motorized vehicle, a 1944 Ford GPW, arrived by boat on November 13.
December 25 - The inhabitants of Hopper Island celebrated their first Christmas and agreed to proclaim independence on New Year's Day.

1948

Flag of Hopper Island — The flag of Hopper Island, designed by Rose Gilpatrick, was based on the American thirteen stripes design.

January 1 - Hopper, Castenada, the Gilpatricks, and Hunter proclaimed the island independent and named it Hopper Island. The island had a permanent population of five people and counted four buildings. The flag of Hopper Island, designed by Rose Gilpatrick, was raised for the first time in Coronado.
January 3 - The five inhabitants formed the Pacific Friends Company, to which they conferred the ownership of the entire island. At the same time, they erected the Pacific Friends Assembly (later renamed General Assembly) that was granted the power to make and enforce rules and regulations. All five members were given voting rights in the Pacific Friends Company, and in the Assembly, and Hopper was given exclusive veto rights.
January 5 - The plan was made that about twenty more people would be invited to come to Hopper Island. More people were needed for fishing and various other works.
March 18 - Three adjacent houses were built in anticipation of the new inhabitants.
April 2 - Works on a dirt road leading from Coronado to The Lagoon began.
July 20 - Eight Americans, friends of the Gilpatricks and Hunter, arrived on Hopper Island, planning on living there permanently: Madeleine and William Smith, Olivia and Eugene Rutherford, Mary-Anne Isaac, Helen Saint-John, Robert Draper and Bobby Fitzgerald.
August 21 - Helen Saint-John and Bobby Fitzgerald left.
August 28 - The Smiths finished their own Coronado house.
September 3 - The Brit Albert Powell arrived on the island and immediately began building a cabin on Coronado Beach.

1949

February 6 - Joseph Loughead, a Scottish friend of Albert Powell, arrived on Hopper Island.
April 5 - Three more Americans arrived: Patrick Crane, Andrew J. Lebowski and Mary Bush Taylor.
May 20 - Two more houses were built.
September 11 - The Gilmore family from Ohio arrived: father Lou, mother Peggy, and daughters Pattie and Abilene. On the same day, Francisco Van Buren arrived.

1950-1959[]

1950

January 16 - The dirt road to The Lagoon, named Utopia Road, was finished.
March 27 - The Assembly's plan to invite at least twenty more people finally materialized: six young American females, three young American men, and two Canadian women arrived on the island: Annie Buchanan, Elisabeth Rosen, Elizabeth Willows, Louie Mather, Patricia James, Tracy Kennedy, James Gilmore, John Holland, Pedro G. West, James Bennett, and Rudolph Dutch. Due to their young age, they were the first to be considered "second generation".
April 24 - Abilene Gilmore and Pedro G. West formally entered into a relationship.
June 1 - Two new members were admitted to the Assembly to represent the new arrivals: Lou Gilmore and John Holland.

1951

1952

March 5 - Abilene Gilmore gave birth to a baby girl: Lesley West.
May 28 - The Assembly decided the resident population should not exceed 40 and announced an immigration stop. Population increases due to birth would be allowed.
May 31 - In protest against the immigration stop, John Holland decided to leave the Assembly.
June 5 - Patricia James and John Holland formally entered into a relationship.

1953

January 17 - Patricia James gave birth to a baby son: Dimitri Holland.
February 8 - Two new community members arrived on Hopper Island, to allow the population to diversify: an Italian woman, Maria Russo, and a German adolescent, Joachim Adler. Russo, who was a midwife, became the island's nurse, midwife and nanny.
June 1 - Mary-Anne Isaac was admitted to the Assembly to fill Holland's empty seat.
June 12 - The construction of a new community center - the first brick building on the island - was completed. Originally, there were a community hall, a restaurant and ten apartment flats in the two-storey building.

1954

September 15 - Elisabeth Rosen gave birth to a baby girl: Louisa Rosen. The identity of the father was unknown.
October 14 - Patricia James gave birth to a second child: Sophie Holland.

1955

October 8 - Patricia James gave birth to a third child: Alexander Holland.
November 1 - Annie Buchanan gave birth to a baby girl: Johnny Bennett-Buchanan. James Bennett was the father. The population of Hopper Island reached 40.

1956

August 30 - Bertram Gilpatrick died.
September 7 - Francisco Van Buren was made member of the Pacific Friends Assembly to fill up Gilpatrick's place. In exchange, Van Buren brought in a major investment.
October 2 - Rose Gilpatrick moved in with Sherman Hopper.

1957

January 3 - Annie Buchanan gave birth to a second baby girl: Anne-Marie Bennett-Buchanan. The island's population reached 40 again.
August 12 - Rose Gilpatrick reputedly broke up with Hopper and went to live in a house in Coronado Beach.
September 1 - A new seat in the Assembly was created. James Bennett took the position.

1958

December 27 - Maria Russo left the island forgood.

1959

May 20 - An adolescent male from Belgium arrived on the island: Alain Dujardin.

1960-1969[]

1960

1961

February 6 - Johnny Bennett-Buchanan died of pneumonia.
April 1 - Tracy Kennedy and Rudolph Dutch became formally engaged in a relationship.

1962

May 28 - Elizabeth Willows gave birth to a baby boy: Edgar Willows. The identity of the father was unknown.
July 8 - Cary Castenada began on his "pet project": the construction of a number of huts on the West End of Hopper Island, nicknamed Sunset Boulevard.
August 1 - Mary-Anne Isaac decided to leave the Assembly for personal/health reasons.
August 5 - Tracy Kennedy gave birth to a baby boy: William Dutch.
October 3 - Eugene Rutherford joined the Assembly to fill Isaac's seat.
October 31 - Construction on the first hut at Sunset Boulevard was finished.

1963

January 18 - Abilene Gilmore gave birth to a second baby girl, more than ten years after her first: Grace Gilmore West.
February 1 - Construction of the second hut at Sunset Boulevard was finished. Castenada, Hopper, the Rutherfords and the Smiths began to spend part of their days at West End.
July 23 - Tracy Kennedy and her son William Dutch left the island due to conflict with her partner, Rudolph Dutch.

1964

February 2 - Castenada finished the Sunset Boulevard project, including three huts, sanitary facilities, outside kitchen and paths between the beach and the huts.
March 5 - Pattie Gilmore and Louie Mather, both single, requested that they may bring a male friend to the island. The Assembly consented, to allow the population to rejuvenate.
June 30 - Ben E. Jefferson, a friend of Louie Mather, arrived on the island.
July 18 - Bill Steinberg, Pattie Gilmore's ex-boyfriend, arrived on the island. They immediately engaged in a relationship.

1965

April 29 - Pattie Gilmore gave birth to a baby girl: Susan J. Steinberg.

1966

November 2 - Pattie Gilmore gave birth to a second child: Jeremy G. Steinberg. Jemery's birth marked the last birth in a series that became known as the "Baby Boom" (1952-1966).
December 20 - Ben Jefferson and Louie Mather broke up. Mather decided to leave the island.

1967

March 10 - Ben Jefferson decided to leave the island as well.

1968

October 5 - Having noticed the end of the "Baby Boom" period, the General Assembly decided to invite four adolescents to the island. The upper population limit was raised to 50.

1969

January 9 - Four American adolescents from New York City arrived on the island: Jim Black, Emma Gotfelty, Teresa Vandewater and Joe W. Wallace.

1970-1979[]

1970

1971

March 12 - Alain Dujardin left Hopper Island and moved to Kiribati.

1972

1973

1974

May 10 - Lesley West gave birth to a baby boy: Joshua Black. Jim Black was the father.

1975

January 31 - Emma Gotfelty, who had gone into a relationship with Alexander Holland, gave birth to a baby boy: Alexander Holland, Jr.
August 2 - Louisa Rosen, who had gone into a relationship with Joe Wallace, gave birth to a baby girl: Elly Rosen-Wallace.
December - Joe W. Wallace broke up with Louisa Rosen. Their baby stayed with Louisa; Wallace's last name was dropped.

1976

May 28 - Madeleine Smith died.

1977

January 5 - Emma Gotfelty gave birth to a second child: Samantha Holland.
August 31 - James Bennett resigned as member of the Assembly.

1978

January 1 - Bill Steinberg was made a member of the Assembly, to fill Bennett's seat.

1979

August 2 - Lou Gilmore died.
August 17 - Teresa Vandewater returned to the United States.
December 11 - Olivia Gatsby Rutherford died.
December 14 - Lesley West gave birth to a second child: Olivia Black.

1980-1989[]

1980

February 20 - Joe W. Wallace left the island for the United States.
May 2 - Due to a population decrease, the Assembly decided on inviting more people to the island. A family of four arrived: Lewis Stuart, his wife Joanna Usher Stuart, and their two little children Thomas and Gale.
October 1 - Lewis Stuart was made a member of the Assembly, filling Gilmore's seat.
October 1 - William Smith died.

1981

March 1 - Patrick Crane died.
April - Dimitri Holland and Anne-Marie Bennett-Buchanan were married in the Philipines.
October 21 - Andrew J. Lebowski died.
November 27 - A middle-aged Australian arrived on the island: Maurice P.G. Allen.

1982

1983

July 4 - Grace Gilmore West gave birth to a pair of twins: Jane and Helena Willows. They were fathered by Edgar Willows.
August 29 - Peggy Gilmore died.

1984

June 17 - Rudolph Dutch died.

1985

December 11 - Eugene Rutherford died, exactly six years after has wife.

1986

January 2 - James Gilmore joined the General Assembly, filling Rutherford's seat.
February 15 - Grace Gilmore West gave birth to a third daughter: Sarah Willows.
October 21 - The Marshall Islands attained independence.
November 3 - The Federated States of Micronesia attained independence.

1987

January 1 - The General Assembly agreed upon allowing small numbers of tourists onto the island. By October 1987, one of the huts at Sunset Boulevard would be furnished to accommodate for one couple of tourists. It was also resolved that a new restaurant was to be build on Ocean Street and that the General Store on Utopia Road would be expanded.
January 28 - Twenty-three-year-old Sal Morgan arrived on the island, through a connection with Robert Draper.
July - New arrival Sal Morgan and Susan J. Steinberg, who was born on the island, became engaged in a relationship.
October 10 - The Assembly's goals from January were achieved.
November 2 - One couple of wealthy American tourists arrived on the island. They stayed at Sunset Boulevard and remained on the island for 5 days.

1988

May 4 - Two Australian teenagers arrived on the island: Drew Pidy and Joaquin Rochester. For the first time, the permanent population on the island reached 50.
June - Sal Morgan and Susan Steinberg broke up. After a few days, Steinberg and Joaquin Rochester were revealed to be in a romantic relationship.

1989

January 12 - Cary Castenada died at Sunset Boulevard.
February 26 - Elisabeth Rosen took in Castenada's place in the Assembly.
April 11 - Joshua Hunter died.
April 29 - Rose Gilpatrick moved back in with Sherman Hopper and they remained together until her death in 2007.
July 1 - Maurice P.G. Allen took up Hunter's seat in the Assembly.
October 1 - Laura P. McCandless, a New Zealand adolescent girl, arrived on the island through a connection with the Gilmore family.

1990-1999[]

1990

March 30 - Susan J. Steinberg gave birth to a baby girl: Hannah Rochester. She was fathered by Joaquin Rochester.

1991

April - Laura P. McCandless and her boyfriend Sal Morgan married in Australia.

1992

May 1 - Laura McCandless gave birth to a baby boy: John C. Morgan.
December 29 - Susan Steinberg gave birth to a second child: Quentin Rochester.

1993

April 7 - Laura McCandless gave birth to a second child: Emma Morgan.

1994

October 1 - Palau attained independence.

1995

June 24 - Laura McCandless gave birth to a third child and second daughter: Amy L. Morgan.

1996

1997

November 21 - Patricia James died.
November 30 - Laura McCandless gave birth to a fourth child and third daughter: Estelle H. Morgan.

1998

May 12 - Francisco Van Buren died.
June 4 - Gale Stuart decided to leave the island to start a career in the United States.
July 1 - Emma Gotfelty entered the General Assembly to fill Van Buren's seat.

1999

January 1 - Maurice P.G. Allen died after having survived two strokes.
March 1 - Joachim Adler, a bachelor of advanced age, was made a member of the General Assembly, filling Allen's seat.
August - Elly Rosen and Thomas Stuart became engaged in a relationship.

21st century[]

2000-2009[]

2000

May - Samantha Holland and Joshua Black, who were both born on the island, married in Australia.

2001

January 29 - Robert Draper died.
February 6 - Elizabeth Willows went to an Australian hospital, where she died of cancer in May.
June 7 - Elly Rosen gave birth to a baby girl: Emily Rosen-Stuart.

2002

May 10 - Samantha Holland gave birth to a baby boy: Nicholas T. Black.
October 3 - Jack Weiner, a Canadian senior, became a permanent inhabitant of the island.

2003

February 1 - Jim Black died in a fishing accident.
October 20 - Three American teenagers arrived on the island: Benjamin Paterson, Hank M.J. McCain and Doreen Sweetzer.
October 28 - Samantha Holland gave birth to a second baby boy: Luke S. Black.

2004

January 16 - Dylan Martinson, a British-American widower, and his son Ryan, were invited to the island.

2005

March 14 - Helena Willows gave birth to a baby girl, fathered by Benjamin Paterson: Kaitlyn Paterson.
September 1 - Under impulse of many people on the island, the General Assembly decided it would devise a plan to increase tourism, targeting very wealthy tourists who look for solitude and isolation from modern technology.
October 10 - A souvenir shop on Utopia Road opened.

2006

June 7 - Joanna Usher Stuart died.
August 31 - The General Assembly approved the construction of two luxurious tourist residences near the existing developments at Sunset Boulevard.

2007

April 3 - The construction of the Blue Pacific Resort began.
August 19 - In a ceremony in the Federates States of Micronesia, Ryan Martinson married the third of the Willows girls, Sarah.
September 1 - Rose Gilpatrick died. As a consequence, Hopper became the only first-generation member still seated in the Assembly.
October 21 - Olivia Black joined the General Assembly to fill in Rose Gilpatrick's long-held seat.

2008

April 5 - Jane Willows, who had entered in a relationship with Hank M.J. McCain in 2006, gave birth to a baby boy: Tyler McCain.
April 20 - The construction of the Blue Pacific Resort by a Chinese company was finished. The first guests arrived the next weekend.
December 25 - Dimitri Holland went to a hospital in the Philippines, where he was diagnosed with cancer. Having survived the disease, he went to a nursing home in California. His wife Anne-Marie Bennett-Buchanan accompanied him.

2009

February - Jane and Hank McCain broke up; Tyler (whose last name was changed to Willows) stayed with his mother.
October 3 - James Bennett died.
November - Hank M.J. McCain and Olivia Black became a couple.
December 14 - Doreen Sweetzer decided to leave the island and return to the United States.

2010-2019[]

2010

September 25 - Sarah Willows gave birth to a baby girl: Ava Martinson.

2011

March 1 - An adolescent male from Greece arrived on the island: Aaron Garoyian.
August 17 - Sarah Willows gave birth to a second child: William Martinson.
December 20 - Mary Bush Taylor died.
December 30 - Lewis Stuart drowned in the ocean.

2012

January 30 - Drew Pidy joined the General Assembly to fill Stuart's seat.
March 11 - Elisabeth Rosen proposed to the General Assembly to abolish itself after the summer and erect a more democratic and demographically diverse assembly. The proposal was met with mixed reactions.
April - Sherman Hopper's health declined. He decided to stay at the Coronado community center, no longer planning to go out west every now and then.
June 2 - Sherman Hopper was diagnosed with severe throat cancer. The medical team from Australian expected he would die within two months.
June 9 - The Assembly decided to prepare for a major celebration on July 18, 2012 to commemorate that Sherman Hopper bought the island exactly 65 years before. The celebration will also function as a sort of farewell to Hopper.

People on the island[]

Included are all people who stayed on the island for at least six months.