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San Diego History continued...
For thousands of years, the area that is now California was home to many Native American tribes. These tribes came across the Bering Strait land bridge in search of big game. It was not until 1542 that the first European stepped onto the soil that is now San Diego. That first European was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Cabrillo was exploring from Spain but was not looking to colonize the area. Instead, he was looking for a northwest passage to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans when he discovered the area. Cabrillo named his discovery San Miguel. After that, it would be decades before anyone else paid any attention to San Miguel.
Sixty years later, in 1602, another Spanish explorer arrived in San Miguel. Sebastian Vizcaino landed in San Miguel and renamed it San Diego, after the patron saint of his flagship, San Diego de Alcala. However, Spain still was not interested in colonizing California. Instead, Spain, along with other exploring countries, was more interested in a growing empire in the Pacific and in the Orient. This drew explorers away from San Diego. It would be 167 years before colonization would begin.
Spain finally decided to colonize Baja California and the rest of the area in the mid-1700's. This decision was made in order to discourage Russian fur traders who were moving down the coast of northwest America. Rather than start a full-scale war with the Native American tribes for control of the land, Spain sent military support to the mission priests, who were trying to make Christians of the Indians. In the process, perhaps not coincidentally, they raised the Spanish flag.
Soon after, Spain began a push northward from Baja California. This effort was led by Jose de Galvez, who was an advisor to the Spanish king, Charles III. A Catalonian captain named Don Gaspar de Portola led the military forces. A Franciscan priest named Fray Junipero Serra led the charge for the church. With these two dynamic forces leading the way, a string of missions, presidios and pueblos was established. San Diego was the logical choice for the base of the expedition due to its location halfway between Loreto in Baja California and Monterey.
In the summer of 1769, Serra and Portola arrived in San Diego. This was in spite of the fact that the overland march was filled with disaster. Portola and a group of men continued on but Serra decided to stay in San Diego. In July, 1769, the first mission in California was dedicated. The San Diego de Alcala became the first of 21 missions started by Serra. Within the walls of the missions was 5,000 Indian converts. Serra died in 1784.
The Spanish mission system survived and prospered into the 19th century. The missions had a healthy trading industry, trading hides, grain and leatherwork. However, in 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain. This meant doom for the old system. In 1833, after a long period of pressure from the Spanish-Mexican settlers of California, the Mexican government began parceling out the mission property to political favorites.
In 1846, the mission San Diego de Alcala and its 58,000 acres were turned over to Don Santiago Arguello. At that time, the town of San Diego, also known as Old Town, had a population of about 350. By this time, the war between the United States and Mexico had reached the west coast of the United States. Forces from the U.S. had taken San Diego, with its strategic southern California port, with little resistance. When the war ended in 1847, San Diego became a part of the United States. However, this did not bring settlers to the area. In fact, by the end of the Civil War, the population of San Diego had dropped by half. A gold rush had everyone rushing to northern California and ignoring the southern part of California.
In 1867, Alonzo Horton, a wealthy trader and landowner, came to San Diego in search of land and a place to realize his dream of starting a city. If there is one person who can be called the “Father of San Diego”, it was Horton. Horton had been living in San Francisco. He had built his first city, Hortonville, in Wisconsin, before moving west. Horton was blown away by the land that would become his “New San Diego.” However, when it came to the town that already lied three miles to the north, Horton was disgusted. He once remarked that he would not give $5 for the deed to the town and would not accept it as a gift!
Despite this, Horton purchased 960 acres and 27.5 cents an acre, just south of the town. He then immediately returned to San Francisco to set up a land sales booth and began billing San Diego as the city of the future.
For the next 20 years, San Diego experienced periods of boom and bust. Its economy was built primarily on land speculation. Its booming periods seemed to always coincide with news of a railroad system for the city. By the 1880's, when a rail system finally connected San Diego to the east, the city was soaring. Its population had reached some 35,000. Its streets and saloons were crowded and its hotels and rooming houses were full.
The success of San Diego, however, was about to come to an end. Although the city had its railroad, all of the real traffic went through Los Angeles. The big cargo ships never arrived and there was little industry to support the thousands of newcomers. The city was once again a “Bust Town” by the late 1880's. In spite of this, San Diego was reincorporated as a city in 1886.
Although most San Diegans continued to dream of success in railroads and commercial shipping over the next decade, it was the military that would eventually shape the future of San Diego. The strategic importance of the location of the city was evident during the Spanish-American War. The city's clear flying weather and natural harbor was enough to attract the military once again in World War I.
In 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. San Diego was chosen as the site for the War Department's Army division in the southwest. The army immediately set up Camp Kearny. The Army's Rockwell Field was opened in the area. By the end of the war, Rockwell Field had 101 officers, 381 enlisted men and 497 planes. San Diego's future as a navy city had been established.
Also during this time, the city began to develop somewhat of a tourism industry. In 1915 and 1916, the city held an exposition tied to the completion of the Panama Canal. This exposition was responsible for building much of the 1,400 acre Balboa Park. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flocked to the city, many never left. Also, the beginnings of a movie industry began to take shape.
Tourism continued to play an important role in the city's economy during the 1920's and 1930's. People were attracted to the new film industry and many people flocked to the south to Tijuana, Mexico, and its legal gambling houses. What would eventually become the world-famous San Diego Zoo found its permanent home in Balboa Park during the early 1920's.
With World War II looming in the distance, the city's military presence boomed. The Army had developed Camp Callen and Camp Elliot nearby. With these camps in place, San Diego became the home of the 11th Naval District Headquarters. It was also home to the Naval Training Center, the Miramar Naval Air Station, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot and Camp Pendleton. At the end of the war, thousands of veterans who had discovered San Diego decided to make it their permanent home. Many found jobs in the city's growing defense and aerospace industry. This new industry fueled the city's economy for the next two decades.
After experiencing yet another “bust” during the 1960's, San Diego once again bounced back during the 1970's and 1980's. This was due once again to real estate speculation, an ever-growing tourism industry and a strong military presence.
Today, the city of San Diego focuses most of its energy on its tourism industry. It has the feel of a modern city coupled with its humble Spanish beginnings. The Spanish influence is everywhere. This due in part to the fact that the city lies less than one hour from the Mexico-United States border.
The city is home to many fine educational and cultural institutions. Among the colleges and universities in San Diego are the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego State University (SDSU) and the University of San Diego, Roman Catholic. Among the museums located in the city are the San Diego Maritime Museum, the Whaley House Museum and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
Other attractions within the city are numerous. Some of the more popular ones are the San Diego Zoo, Mission Bay, Old Town, Balboa Park and Sea World. Several of the city's historic districts such as the Gaslamp Quarter-San Diego's first commercial district-are now centers for performing and visual arts. The city's Spanish influence can be seen in the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the International Film Festival and the Latino Film Festival.
San Diego is also the home to two professional sports teams. Playing their home games in the city are the San Diego Padres, of Major League Baseball, and the San Diego Chargers of the NFL.
For a city that owes its roots to a lowly Spanish monk, San Diego actually plays home to more than a dozen world faiths. It is literally a cultural melting pot. With its tourism industry, military presence, surfing and, not to mention its unbelievable weather, San Diego truly is a city that has it all.
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