Fast forward to 1964, when Red Rock Island was purchased by San Francisco attorney David Glickman for just under $50,000. He had dreams of turning it into a destination hotel, but those dreams never came to fruition because Glickman moved to Thailand and got a taste for the gem trade.
Soon after, Glickman's acquaintance, Mack Durning, acquired at least part of the island. Durning didn't do much with it except visiting occasionally with his sons.
Over the years, other buyers showed interest. The most notorious potential owner was Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, a controversial guru with a commune in Oregon and now the subject of a popular Netflix series, "Wild Wild Country." His followers are most famous for poisoning salad bars with salmonella. The island deal fell through when Rajneesh was deported.
In 2007, Glickman and Durning tried selling the island for $10 million, but nobody bought it. The island was still on the market when Glickman died in 2011.
In 2012, Durning tried selling it for $22 million. But a few months later, he slashed the price to $9 million. His real estate agent said there were interested buyers, but before the island could be sold, Durning also died.
A Private Island For Purchase?
Today the island is owned by Durning's son, Brock Durning. Reached by phone in Alaska, he confirmed that he owns the island, but he refused to say if it's for sale or not.
The island is not publicly listed. However, both of Brock Durning's parents said over the years that, for the right price, it is always for sale.
Eve Kearney, our question asker, said she'd like the island to be turned into either a wildlife sanctuary or a "Goonies" theme park.
"So us folks who grew up in the '80s could visit it and relive the Goonies cave!"
There is one potential roadblock to Kearney's plan: The island is split among three counties — Marin, San Francisco and Contra Costa. If she were to develop a theme park on the island, she might need to get approval from all three, which would be a planning nightmare.
