During the 1860s, a cotton plantation established by the Ryder brothers of Australia flourished there. In 1884 there was a well-established sugar cane plantation plus a sugar mill on the island. The Mill was shut down in 1895 and it was dismantled and used to enlarge the Penang Mill in Ra. The Ryders were succeeded by the Borron family. In early 2005 Mago Island was purchased by
Hollywood actor/director
Mel Gibson for $15 million from Japan's
Tokyu Corporation. Descendants of original native inhabitants of Mago, who were displaced in the 1860s, have protested against Gibson's purchase. Satellite images of the island dating from 2008 show a dirt airstrip of . There is no port on the island; a short stone pier is located on the island's north side. There is only one loosely arranged village on the island whose appearance is more indicative of a resort. Agriculture consists of only a few small areas of fields. An episode of the
NBC sitcom
30 Rock titled "
Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning" (Season 5, Episode 12) featured a story about a disaster on the island.
Jack Donaghy, played by
Alec Baldwin, decides to air a pre-recorded telethon to benefit the victims of the disaster. However, Donaghy is shocked to learn the only "victims" of the disaster are Mel Gibson and his guest,
Jon Gosselin. ==References==