View of boats in Isthmus Cove on the day of the Wrigley Ocean Marathon. The boats, carrying swim coaches and observers, followed the marathon swimmers. The registration numbers assigned to the swimmers are posted on the boats. The foreground boat carries the placard for swimmer number 3 (Tony Ajax, 4027 E. 14th Street, Long Beach, Calif.) and the boat on the left for no. 15 (Jack Craig, 20 Avenue 19, Venice, Calif.).
View of spectators on the shore watching swimmers begin the Wrigley Ocean Marathon at Isthmus Cove, Santa Catalina Island. Boats with swim coaches and observers follow the swimmers.
View of swimmers and spectators on the shore before the start of the Wrigley Ocean Marathon at Isthmus Cove on Santa Catalina Island. Placards on wooden posts with the swimmers' numbers are line up along the shore.
View of swimmers beginning the Wrigley Ocean Marathon at Isthmus Cove on Santa Catalina Island. Starting with the swimmer in the 1-shouldered black swim suit on the right, seven swimmers are identified in the newspaper caption from R to L. Boats in the water wait to accompany the swimmers, who attempting to swim the channel to Point Vincent on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Norman DeMille Ross was an American competition swimmer who won five events at the Inter-Allied Games in June 1919, held at Joinville-Le-Pont near Paris, and three gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. He set thirteen world records and held eighteen U.S. National Championships during his career.
View of boats and swimmers with their heads just visible above the water in Isthmus Cove at the start of the Wrigley Ocean Marathon, Santa Catalina Island. A boat in the center carries the identification placard for swimmer number 39 (Hjalmer J. Johnson, who resided at 2832 Kerskhoff Avenue, San Pedro, Calif.). The name of the larger boat on the left is partially visible as "...Patrick." During the marathon swim, a boat with a swim coach and at least one official observer followed each participant.
View of 4 swimmers, a woman on the left and 3 men on the right, on the shore before the start of the Wrigley Ocean Marathon at Isthmus Cove, Santa Catalina Island. They are all covered in dark oil to provide insulation against the cold ocean temperature. Spectators observe from higher ground behind the swimmers and a number placard for swimmer 28 is on the right.
View of a crowd of men wearing suits and hats at Isthmus Cove on the day of the Wrigley Ocean Marathon. At least 3 small buildings among palm trees dot the landscape. A sign on a building on the left reads "Observer." The shore is just out of view on the right.
Pauline Jackson is referenced as an open water swimmer in this article: "Leaders Here Boost Pauline Jackson. C. C. Firzgerald Heads Group Promoting Benefit for English Channel Aspirant. $15,000 Is Objective. Royal And Out-town Theatres Aiding Swimmer." The Afro-American, Feb. 1928: 20
View of the shore of Isthmus Cove on Santa Catalina Island on the day of the Wrigley Ocean Marathon. Placards with the numbers assigned to the swimmers, on sticks stuck in the sand, line the shore along with a few small boats. A few marathon workers are among the placards and boats and a few spectators stand on the higher ground behind them with a small building in the distance. The absence of the swimmers indicates that the time is either somewhat before or after the 11:00 am start of the marathon.