The history of Coronado begins in the early seventeenth century
when the Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino caught sight of a
group of islands seventeen miles off the coast of southern
California and named them Las Yslas Coronadas. These men surveyed
the territories now known as San Diego and Coronado yet failed to
settle in the area. For almost 200 years the peninsula remained
bare.
While still under Spanish control in the early nineteenth century,
Coronado was used as a safe harbor by whalers who also began to
build hide houses to carry out their work. After Mexico gained its
independence from Spain in 1821, land grants were issued for
various sections of California, thus creating the grand rancheros
and haciendas of this period. On May 15, 1846 a land grant was
issued to Don Pedro Carrillo by Governor Pio Pico for "the island
or Peninsula in the Port of San Diego." Carrillo's ownership of the
land was brief as he sold the property just five months later to
the American captain of a trading ship, Bezer Simmons, for
$1000.00.
The peninsula changed hands several times over the next 39 years
until it was purchased by Elisha S. Babcock, Jr., Hampton L. Story,
and Jacob Gruendike, for $110,000.00 on November 19, 1885. Babcock
then invited his brother-in-law, Heber Ingle, and Josephus Collett,
a railroad stockholder, to become investors. Thus the founding
fathers of what is today known as Coronado organized the Coronado
Beach Company on April 7, 1886.
Work began immediately on the resort community that the Beach Co.
investors envisioned. The men hired hundreds of laborers of various
nationalities to begin the division and landscaping of lots, the
laying of railroad tracks, and the construction of a water and
irrigation system. In order to accommodate the growing number of
people journeying to the peninsula, Babcock and Story created the
San Diego and Coronado Ferry Company on April 16, 1886 with the
ferry Coronado completing its first run on August 19th. Babcock and
Story leaked news of a proposed hotel on Coronado to the local
newspapers which caused a great deal of excitement in the community
of San Diego and beyond. With the increased publicity surrounding
this grand venture came new interest in the community planning of
the peninsula. Thus on November 13, 1886 the Coronado Beach Co.
held an auction for the sale of lots ranging in price from $500.00
to $1600.00. By the end of the day, the Beach Company had sold 350
lots for a total of $110,000.00, which was, incidentally, the
purchase price of the entire peninsula.
The resort community was now coming together with many new
residents building homes and businesses. The investors then began
to concentrate on the design and construction of the new hotel. The
Beach Company hired James and Watson Reid as the architects of the
Hotel del Coronado and work began almost immediately with the
groundbreaking ceremony held on March 19, 1887. The Hotel del
Coronado, completed in early 1888, officially opened its doors to
the public on February 19th.
By the fall of 1887 and throughout 1888 Coronado was developing
into a community, particularly with the founding of various
organizations. The first school session began on January 24, 1887
in the walled tent on Seventh Street and D Avenue until
construction of the first schoolhouse was completed in 1888. A
Boating Club was organized in late 1887 with an Athletic Club and a
Baseball Club to follow in early 1888.
July 1889 proved to be a momentous month in the history of Coronado
as John D. Spreckels became an investor in the Coronado Beach
Company, buying out Hampton L. Story's one-third interest. Over the
next three years, Spreckels bought controlling interest in the
company and became the sole proprietor of the Hotel del Coronado.
He also oversaw the building of the grand mansion on Glorietta
Boulevard, the establishment of Tent City, and the sale of North
Island to the U.S. government in 1917. While the Hotel del Coronado
became one of California's most beloved destinations, the resort
community increased its visitors with the rise of Tent City.
Vacationers flocked to the make-shift city at the foot of the Hotel
del for summer fun. There were swimming facilities, carnival
booths, a ferris wheel, a children's bull fight, aquaplaning,
sailing, and numerous activities for the entire family. Tent City
remains a fond memory for many residents of Coronado and
vacationers from around the world who visited the peninsula between
1900 and 1939.
Many of Coronado's treasured traditions began in the first quarter
of the twentieth century. The founding of the Horse Show, Flower
Show, the arrival of Edward, Prince of Wales, and the early
experiments, in aviation on North Island, including the departure
of Charles Lindbergh in 1927, have established Coronado as a
premier city.
