USA > California > San Diego County > San Diego > History of San Diego, 1542-1908 : an account of the rise and progress of the pioneer settlement on the Pacific coast of the United States, Volume II > Part 27
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HENRY DAGGETT of Daggett's Drug Store.
E. WINEBURGH Manager of the Hub Clothing Company.
LAURENCE P. SWAYNE Member Park Commission.
GEORGE BURNHAM Of Scott-Burnham Investment Company
FRED A. HEILBRON One of the leading young business men of the city.
A. C. RIORDON President Imperial Realty Company.
GEORGE F. OTTO A leading florist.
CHAPTER III
GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES
ITH the Mexican War San Diego became an W important military station and considerable improvement has been made, from time to time, of its natural advantages as a harbor of refuge and defense. Troops were quartered in the Old Mission for abont ten years after the Mexican War. The quartermaster's depart- ment was established at New San Diego in 1850-1. Among well known army officers stationed here in early days were the following :
Colonel John Bankhead Magruder, about whom many stories are told. He was a strict disciplinarian when acting officially and was sometimes called "Bully" Magruder; but he was also convivial and drank deep with Lieutenant Derby and other con- genial comrades. When the Civil War broke out, he became a somewhat noted cavalry commander on the Confederate side.
Captain Nathaniel Lyon, who was much beloved in San Diego. He gave the first ball ever held in the old barracks, and owned one of the first houses in New San Diego. He was killed at the battle of Wilson's Creek, in Missouri, early in the Civil War.
Lieutenant George Stoneman, later a general in the Union army and governor of California; Captain Edward O. C. Ord, later a Union general ; Major William H. Emory, who came with Kearny's expedition in December, 1846, and was later a Union general; Captain John F. Reynolds, who became a Union general and was killed at Gettysburg; Lieutenant George L. Andrews, whom Derby called "that mad wag," and who was on the staff of General Canby at Mobile; Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer, the hero of Fort Pickens at the beginning of the Civil War, who became a Union general, and lost a leg at the battle of Stone River (married a daughter of the Rev. John Reynolds) ; Lieutenant (afterward General) John S. Mason; Lieutenant Francis E. Patterson, who died a general in Virginia; Major Lewis A. Armistead, later a general in the Confederate army, who was killed at Gettysburg; Colonel Frederick Steele, later a general ; Lientenant George B. Dandy, afterward a general and stationed at different points on the Pacific Coast as quartermas- ter; Colonel (then Lieutenant) Hamilton ; Lieutenant Murray, who became a Confederate colonel and was severely wounded at
698
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
the first battle of Bull Run; Major George H. Ringgold; Major Edward H. Fitzgerald, who led "the Fitzgerald Volunteers" in the Garra Insurrection of 1851; Major Justus Mckinstry ; Cap- tain Foster; Captain Kellogg; Captain Winder ; Captain Edward B. Williston; Doctor John S. Griffin, of San Pasqual fame, who later lived at Los Angeles ; Surgeons Hammond, Keeney, Edgar; and many more.
The details of military life and activities in and around San Diego are somewhat beside the scope of this book. In a general
-
QUARANTINE STATION AND MARINE HOSPITAL AT LA PLAYA, SITE OF HIDE HOUSES
way, a military post and quartermaster's depot were maintained from the dates named. It was also for a time made a depot of military supplies for a large number of frontier army posts. The post at Fort Yuma was for a time supplied from San Fran- cisco by small steamers which ran up the Gulf of California, but in 1851 a line of pack trains across the desert was successfully established by William H. Hilton, who carried the supplies from San Diego to Yuma for some time, under contract. Mr. Hilton is still living, in Berkeley. Later, a military road and telegraph
699
MILITARY RESERVATION
across the desert were constructed and played an important part in the life of the Southwest. In later years, the military activ- ities in and around San Diego have had reference chiefly to the construction of the harbor fortifications, improvement of the reservation, etc.
The necessity for a military reservation on Point Loma was recognized by the officers of the United States Army immediately upon taking possession of the country. In a report to the Sec- retary of War dated at Monterey, March 1, 1849, General Henry
LIGHTHOUSE ON BALLAST POINT, SAN DIEGO Site of the old Spanish fort; Point Loma in the background
W. Halleck wrote, referring to a military reconnaissance ordered by General Kearny in 1847 :
"The most southern point in Upper California here recom- mended for occupation by permanent works of defense, is the entrance to the Bay of San Diego. On the north side of this entrance, which is probably the most favorable position for works of military defense, are the remains of old Fort Guijarros, built by the Spaniards some seventy years ago. This fort, though never of much value in itself, was occupied nearly up to the
700
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
time the United States took possession of the country, and all the ground in the vicinity is still regarded as public property."
The military reservation was made by executive order dated February 26, 1852. The land included was practically all un- granted by the San Diego city trustees. In the patent which was issued to the city for its pueblo lands, this reservation was excluded, which left the title vested in the United States under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This fact was not clearly understood in early days, even by some government officials. As
OLD GOVERNMENT BARRACKS
late as 1867, the chief of the government board of engineers for the Pacific Coast applied to the trustees of the city of San Diego for a grant of land as a military reservation on Point Loma. Nothing came of this, but it shows the lack of information regard- ing the source of the government's title to its military reserva- tion on Point Loma.
The reservation includes all the outer end of the Point Loma peninsula, to a line running east and west through the center of La Playa. It forms a strip of land about two miles wide at the widest and about three miles long. Possession was taken February 28, 1870. The works were begun on Ballast Point in
701
HARBOR FORTIFICATIONS
May, 1873, and have been carried on since. Work on the pres- ent fortifications began June 21, 1897. The barracks, officers' quarters, depots, etc., are built along the military roadway lead- ing southerly on the eastern side of the peninsula. The situa- tion is a healthful and romantic one, and the fortifications are capable of being made very strong. The defensive works are known as Fort Rosecrans. They were first garrisoned by 20 men of Battery D, 3rd U. S. Artillery, under Lieutenant G. T. Patterson, February 20, 1898. The present garrison consists of 8 officers and 194 men, Major Charles G. Woodward, U. S. A., commanding. It is a two company post. It is thought worthy of record that the first child born at Fort Rosecrans was the daugh- ter of Lieutenant and Mrs. Deangly, of the 28th Company, Coast Artillery, born February 11, 1906. The army officers and their families have, from the days of the military occupation, formed an important part of the social life of San Diego. There are also a number of retired army officers who make it their home.
In order to guard the harbor against the action of certain con- flicting currents caused by the Zuñinga Shoal, the government in 1894 commenced the construction of a jetty extending from a point on North Island, opposite Ballast Point, straight south into the ocean a distance of 7,500 feet. This jetty was several years under construction, and is a notable piece of engineering. It is constructed of willow mattresses, sunk between piles and weighted down with roek. Before commencing the work, 18.05 acres of land on the island were acquired by condemnation, and later 38.56 aeres more were purchased. The cost of the jetty was about $500,000. The fort at this place is called Fort Pio Pico.
An automatic tide gauge was set up at La Playa by Lieuten- ant W. P. Trowbridge, assistant in the Coast Survey, in Sep- tember, 1853. There had been one tidal observer before him. Lieutenant Derby writes of "an odd-looking little building on stilts out in the water, where a savant named Sabot, in the em- ploy of the U. S. Engineers, makes mysterious observations on the tide." It was continued until September 1, 1872, under the care of Andrew Cassidy, W. Knapp and H. E. Urlandt in suc- cession. Cassidy served seventeen years. A new gauge was established at the Quarantine Station in January, 1906, by Assistant B. A. Baird. The present observer is John A. Watkins.
The old lighthouse on Point Loma is a somewhat noted land- mark. There was long a tradition that it was the highest light- house in the world, but this is an error. Its elevation is 492 feet, and there are others much higher, some having more than twice its elevation. Work upon it was begun in 1851, when the mem- hers of the Coast Survey selected the site. The lantern was first lighted on November 15, 1855. Experience showed that occa-
702
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
sional fogs obscured the light, and in the 70's a new lighthouse was constructed at the southerly extremity of Point Loma, and early in the 80's another one on the extremity of Ballast Point at the entrance to the harbor. Both these lights are at the water's edge and free from the objections to the old situation. There is also a fog bell on Ballast Point, which it is necessary to use but little. The channel was not buoyed until October, 1875, when piles were driven and beacons placed upon them.
The first lighthouse keeper was named Keating. Joseph Reiner served for a time in the 50's. From 1865 to 1868 the keeper was Wm. C. Price. John D. Jenkins served in 1869, and after him Enos A. Wall was in charge for a short time. Robert D. Israel became keeper June 14, 1871, and served until January 6, 1892 -almost twenty-one years. He was succeeded by George P. Brennan. The present keeper of the Point Loma lighthouse is Richard Weis; of the lighthouse on Ballast Point, David Splaine.
The Quarantine Station at La Playa was established in 1888, and work upon the buildings was begun in 1891. The Marine Hospital in connection with it occupies nearly the site of the old hide houses. These buildings are to be turned over to the navy department and the site used as a coaling station, the quaran- tine station and hospital being removed elsewhere.
The United States Weather Bureau, at first called the "Storm Signal Office," was established at San Diego late in October, 1871, by Sergeant J. B. Wells, and the reports began a few days later. The station has recently been raised to the rank of a fore- cast station,
OFFICIALS OF THE WEATHER BUREAU.
Oct. 27, 1871 to Aug.
17, 1876, J. B. Wells.
Aug. 17, 1876 to June 29, 1877, C. E. Howgate. July 9, 1877 to April 4, 1879, M. M. Sickler. Resigned.
April 4, 1879 to June 26, 1879, W. U. Simons.
June 26, 1879 to Nov. 8, 1879, M. L. Hearne.
Nov. 8, 1879 to Dec. 5, 1880, W. H. Clenderson.
Dec. .5, 1880 to Nov. 17, 1881, William Story.
Nov. 17, 1881 to Aug. 19, 1883, Asa C. Dobbins. Died in office.
Aug. 29, 1883 to July 28, 1884, F. R. Day.
July
28, 1884 to Aug.
29, 1886, J. C. Sprigg, jr.
Aug.
29, 1886 to March
9, 1896, M. L. Hearue. Died in office.
March 30, 1896 to present, Ford A. Carpenter.
Present Assistants: Clark Simpson and Dean Blake.
Under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848, San Diego became a customs port of the United States. The port of entry was abolished by the Act of June 2, 1862, and re- established by Act of March 3, 1873. The first collector under the American military administration was Miguel de Pedrorena, appointed in July, 1847. The first collector under the civil
703
COLLECTORS OF THE PORT
administration was Wm. C. Ferrell, who served from April 3, 1849, to 1853. From 1853 to 1857 the collector was O. S. With- erby. March 23, 1857, General José M. Covarrubias, of Santa Barbara, was appointed, and served two years, when he was removed. Covarrubias' successor was Henry Hancock, who served till January 10, 1860. Joshua Sloane followed with a term extending from April 8 to July 27, 1861. Some of the stories told about his administration have been related. Captain Mathew Sherman served from December, 1868, to the following May, when David B. Hoffman was appointed. He was succeeded by G. W. B. McDonald in July, 1872, and McDonald by W. J. McCormick on March 26, 1873.
In the following fall, the collector's office was robbed and McCormick was found bound and gagged and claimed it was the work of the robbers. IIe was accused of having taken the funds himself and of trying to conceal his guilt by a pretended rob- bery. The trial excited great interest and some bitterness ; McCormick was acquitted, but removed from office.
Wm. W. Bowers was appointed on September 25, 1874, and served until July 29, 1882. George A. Johnson was then appointed, and served to August 7, 1886, when Thomas J. Arnold became collector. His successor was John R. Berry, appointed February 6, 1890, during whose administration the Itata case occurred. He was followed by John C. Fisher, on February 16, 1894, and Wm. W. Bowers was again made col- lector on March 15, 1898. He served until February 6. 1906, when Frank W. Barnes was appointed, and the latter is the pres- ent incumbent.
There is no official record of clearances of vessels and custom house receipts at the port of San Diego, prior to the year 1875. In the following table the figures prior to that year have been gathered from newspapers, and those later are furnished by the Treasury Department :
704
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
Statement showing entrances and clearances of vessels and aggregate receipts from customs at the Port of San Diego.
VESSELS ENTEED
VESSELS CLEARED
Receipts
Year
Foreign
Coastwise
Total
Foreign
|Coastwise
Total
1878
13
72
85
13
63
76
12,660.97
1879
13
148
161
20
32
52
18,038.26
1880
16
104
120
13
39
52
26,819.33
1881
54
103
157
52
24
76
35,963.56
1882
89
110
199
65
45
110
357,413.50
1883
59
81
140
38
37
75
91,142.69
1884
30
75
105
33
4
37
12,664.28
1885
31
74
105
25
2
27
2,809.99
1886
28
83
111
21
8
29
10,719.00
1887
115
138
253
109
22
131
29,847.19
1888
284
159
443
233
92
325
311,937.59
1889
225
90
315
181
58
239
122,127.64
1890
190
94
284
151
40
191
74,460.35
1891
214
104
318
182
34
216
83,964.50
1892
200
101
301
152
60
212
82,817.16
1893
183
111
294
141
49
190
93,394.26
1894
151
94
245
132
25
157
95,027.24
1895
169
90
259
144
29
173
57,507.26
1896
188
94
282
172
20
192
59,360.31
1897
169
90
259
154
9
163
38.508.26
1898
172
96
268
146
5
151
46,410.99
1899
156
92
248
146
26
178
71,522.35
1900
168
102
270
137
31
168
131,901.27
1901
136
111
247
115
33
148
140,710.84
1902
131
96
227
105
17
122
128,183.03
1903
132
107
239
113
12
125
73,967.89
1904
108
107
215
105
7
122
75,114.41
1905
100
. 114
2!4
99
13
112
53,463.39
1906
100
112
212
88
25
113
104,380.69
705
THE POSTMASTERS
The first postmaster at Old San Diego was Richard Rust, in 1850. The following year Henry J. Couts served. In 1853 George Lyons was postmaster; in 1856, Richard Rust; and the next year Lyons again. In 1858 W. B. Couts was appointed and the next year Joshua Sloane. D. A. Hollister served in 1865-6-7; then Thomas H. Bush was appointed. After Bush, Louis Rose served about ten years, resigning in June, 1883. The present postmaster at "North San Diego" is Paul Connors.
The postoffice at South San Diego was established April 8, 1869. The first postmaster was Dr. Jacob Allen. He kept a drug store and the postoffice was kept in this store. A few years later he removed to Riverside and spent his last days in that city.
On December 23, 1869, Freeman Gates was appointed to suc- ceed Dr. Allen. He made Columbus Dunham deputy postmaster, and Dunham did all the work of the office. At this time, the postoffice was removed to Dunham's building, on Fifth Street between F and G. In the following May South San Diego was made a money order office. Mr. Dunham succeeded Gates as postmaster on April 28, 1870, and served until his death, March 18, 1876. His salary as postmaster was $150 per annum. The name of the office was changed to San Diego, April 14, 1871. The subsequent incumbents have been: Daniel Choate, from March 27, 1876 ; Henry H. Burton, appointed February 25, 1881; George D. Copeland, from May 23, 1881; Gustav W. Jorres, October 12, 1885; Allen D. Norman, November 10, 1887; How- ard M. Kutchin, January 27, 1890; Richard V. Dodge, Febru- ary 16, 1894; Moses A. Luce, February 11, 1898; and John N. Newkirk, appointed February 28, 1902, and recently reappointed.
One of the most interesting relics of governmental activities now at San Diego is the old boat Pinta. She was built at Ches- ter, Pennsylvania, in 1864, and when new was the fastest boat in the navy. Later, she served as a fourth-class gunboat. Her last regular service was at the Alaska station. She was con- demned at San Francisco about the year 1896 and sent to San Diego, where she barely arrived under her own steam. At the time of the Virginius affair, in the fall of 1873, she was off the Cuban coast and played an important part in conveying the news to the United States. At present her only usefulness is as headquarters for the naval battalion.
CHAPTER IV
THE SUBURBS OF SAN DIEGO
See how the villa lifts its face of light Against the pallid olives. Look down this vista's shade Of dark square shaven slopes, where spurts The fountain's thin white thread and blows away! Here will we sit and let the sleeping noon Doze on and dream into the afternoon, While all the mountains shake in opal light, Forever shifting, till the sun's last glance Transfigures with its splendor all our world. There, Table Mountain on the horizon piles Its lofty crown, and gazes on the sea; There swarthy Loma crouches in repose, And Sierra Madre rears its purple ridge
And wears its ermine late into the spring,
When all beneath is one vast bush of flowers.
Dear Coronado! Nothing is like her; Others may please me-her alone I love. She is no place as other places are, But like a mother and a mistress too- The soul of places, unto whom I give
How gladly all my heart, and with it more, That I might give more.
-W. W. Story.
Much of the prosperity of San Diego, during the great boom and after, was due to the developments on the Coronado Penin- sula. The original name for the strip of land lying between San Diego Bay and the ocean was the Island or Peninsula of San Diego. This was changed, early in 1886, by the Coronado Beach Company, to the euphonious and now famous one of Coronado, meaning crown. There were different claimants for this tract in early days, but ft was granted to Archibald C. Peachy and Wil- liam H. Aspinwall, who derived title from Pedro C. Carrillo, on June 11, 1869, and then described as containing 4,185.46- acres.
A syndicate, consisting of Elisha S. Babcock and Jacob Gruen- dike of San Diego, Joseph Collett of Terre Haute, Indiana, and Hampton L. Story of Chicago, bought the peninsula in Decem- ber, 1885, obtaining the entire property from the head of the bay to the mouth of the harbor, and including North Island. Later, General H. W. Halleck and Frederick Billings became interested. The moving spirit in the undertaking was E. S. Bab-
707
OTIS ON CORONADO
cock, Junior. He was from Evansville, Indiana, and came to San Diego in 1884 in search of health. The price paid for the property was $110,000. Articles of incorporation of the Coro- nado Beach Company were filed in April, 1886, the capitalization of $1,000,000 being divided into 10,000 shares of $100 each. This was the parent company, which controlled at the beginning, as it does today, various subsidiary corporations, such as rail- road and ferry companies.
Writing in May, 1886, to the Los Angeles Times, H. G. Otis says :
The entire peninsula has been surveyed, and the central and larger portion, situated directly opposite the town of San Diego, and elevated some forty feet above the sea level, has been beautifully platted and largely planted to choice trees, shrubbery, etc. The soil I found exceptionally good- a light, sandy loam, warm and easily worked. A nursery of a hundred thousand plants has been established, and many of the embryo streets and avenues bear arboreal names, such as Palm, Date, etc. A street railroad, to run across the peninsula from shore to shore, is under way and will be completed shortly. One of the cars is already on the ground. A telephone line, twenty-five miles long, running almost the entire length of the peninsula connecting with the mainland on the east, and passing through National City, affords speaking communication with the city. Several subordinate companies, acting under the main company, have been organized to push the enterprise along. There are two ferry companies, a street railroad com- pany, a hotel company, a bathhouse company, etc. A large steam ferryboat is building at San Francisco for use between the mainland and the peninsula. The hotel, it is promised, will be a grand structure, ahead of anything on the coast, and costing as much as $300,000. (!) The projectors say that they will put a million dollars, all told, into the main enterprise, if so much be necessary to its perfect development; and I am assured by confident San Diegans that they have "the stuff" to make the promise good.
I should say, looking at the spot-uninviting as it is in a state of nature-that it would require even that large sum to make the peninsula blossom as the rose and bloom with the presence of a large seaside populace. But money, work, skill, and taste will do wonders; and these, coupled with the energy and persistence of the intrepid projectors, will yet make a notable place here. The plan is to sell residence lots in the tract, and so gather about the hotel and on the beaches a con- siderable permanent population. A few buildings have already been erected. In every deed a stipulation is inserted that no spirituous liquors shall ever be sold or drunk on the premises. People who want to get drunk must do so at the hotel, which reserves a monopoly of the beer business. The prohibition is, I learn, causing a good many "kicks," but the owners stand firm, maintaining that it would be the ruin of the spot to allow it to be covered with saloons. They say that they have re- fused numerous urgent applications for the purchase of lots for saloon purposes. They have planted themselves solid on
708
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
the rock of Prohibition-with a loophole in the hotel to get into. They believe in temperance, but are not bigoted about it.
While waiting for the new ferry boat to come, the Benicia was leased and put on. The new ferry boat, the Coronado, arrived in August and made her first trip on the 19th of that month. There are now two boats in this service, the Ramona and the Coronado, and a regular service is maintained. Ferry slips were constructed at the foot of Atlantic Street in San Diego, and to connect with the street car terminus on the Coronado side. The water is carried beneath the waters of the bay in submerged pipes ; this system was completed and the water turned on Octo- ber 22, 1886. The total length of the submerged pipe is 3,300 feet.
CORONADO TENT CITY
In July, 1886, W. H. Holabird arrived and took charge of the company's land sales department, giving his attention to adver- tising and preparing for an auction sale of lots at the new town- site. The first auction sale was held on November 13th, and proved a great success. Three hundred lots were sold at an aggregate price of over $110,000, and the private sales continued briskly for some time thereafter, often amounting to $25,000 a day, and on one day to $150,000. The grand total of these sales amounted to between $2,200,000 and $2,300,000. In January, 1887, there were thirty dwellings completed and in course of construction in Coronado, and the sales of lots averaged $10,000 per day. One excursion brought ten carloads of visitors from Los Angeles and the East.
709
SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES
In March, the foundations of the great hotel were laid. On December 7, 1887, a special train brought the first installment of hotel help. It consisted of two baggage cars, six sleepers, and a Pullman, and there were 324 people in the party. The hotel was formally opened on February 14, 1888, and has ever since been maintained as a winter resort.
In July, 1887, John D. Spreckels acquired the interest of W. W. Story in the Coronado Beach Company, and later he acquired Mr. Babeock's interest also, and became the sole owner.
The town of Coronado is a pleasant aeross-the-bay residence district. It suffered somewhat longer than San Diego from the depression following the collapse of the boom, but is enjoying a healthful growth. "Tent City" is one of its most attractive features. On the narrow peninsula east of the hotel, several hundred tents and palmleaf-covered cottages are erected early each summer, where a large number of people go to spend a few weeks beside the ocean. IIere there is boating, bathing, fishing, and all the pleasures of camp life, combined with most of the convenienees of life in the city. It is one of the coast's most popular resorts, especially with those who seek to escape the summer heat of the warm interiors.
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