PREFACE
When the writer started to prepare this History of San Diego County, it was with the hope that no preface would be necessary. Yet, as the work of gathering the necessary facts and preparing them for print progressed, the need for a few preliminary remarks became evident. An important reason for this lies in the fact that the writer could not have a longer time than was allotted to him to complete his manuscript. It would have been a pleasant task, for instance, to go more deeply into the rich stories of reminiscence which have been collected about San Diego, whose olden days are full of romantic appeal. It was impossible, however, within the limits of time and scope that had been laid down, to do more than select from these a few stories which seemed to be most important or distinctive or typical.
The task was taken up and completed in full realization that the earlier periods of San Diego's history had been very ably covered in other histories, notably in that completed nearly fifteen years ago by William E. Smythe, then a resident of San Diego. It would be next to impossible for anyone to prepare a history of this city and county without giving much consideration to Mr. Smythe's history. He did excellent work in collecting facts, some of them from rapidly dwindling sources, and he wrote those facts into a book of real merit.
Since any history of San Diego has been published, however, has come the period of the city's greatest material advancement. In this time has been the Exposition, by which San Diego sent out to the world notice that here was a city which could not be held back longer, and by which thousands of Americans from other parts of the nation were made to learn that in the matchless climate of Southern California lay the greatest opportunity for comfortable living. This educational work, incidentally, has been carried on in an admirably effective way by the advertising of the San Diego-California Club in the last few years. In this later period, too, came the completion of the San Diego & Arizona Railway, built through the determination of John D. Spreckels, San Diego's foremost citizen, that the city should realize its hope, cherished for many years, in which there were many cruel disappointments, of a direct outlet to the East from San Diego's magnificent harbor. In these recent years also there was the San Diego of war times, with the growth almost overnight of great military and naval establishments here. Following that, San Diego has become a great naval basean honor to which the port had long been rightfully entitled. To collect the essential facts of these later years and to set them forth in proper proportion with the earlier history of San Diego was work waiting to be done. It has been a real privilege to hold the commission for that work.
It has been the writer's good fortune to live in San Diego through all this period of the city's greatest advancement and to be somewhat closely in touch with much of this growth and well acquainted with many of the men who were responsible for much of it. From a newspaper office he has seen much of San Diego's recent development and has helped, to the best of his ability, to chronicle affairs of those years accurately and truthfully in more or less permanent form. No one could go through: these years in such a way without building up in his heart a sincere love of San Diego and its people. So, although the work of writing this story of San Diego was at times hard because another daily task engaged most of the writer's time, it was after all a pleasant duty.
Let it be set down here that no attempt has been made to clothe this history of San Diego in fancy words. The task was begun in the conviction that the best history was a well-marshaled array of facts and that the collection of many essential and interesting facts was much more important than long chapters regarding a lesser number of such facts. San Diego's history is crowded with such facts, and a sincere attempt has been made in the following pages to present them truthfully, simply and clearly. It has been done, too, without any prejudice of creed or of politics or of any other kind. The writer has had no active connection with the collection and preparation of the biographical sketches which make up the other volume of this history; in fact, he has had only scanty knowledge of the names to appear in it. Certain it is that he has not added a line to this volume because a name was to appear in the other volume and that he has not subtracted a line because anyone's' name was to be in the other part of the history. And in maintaining this standard it is pleasant to add that he has been faithfully assisted by the publishers.
The writer herewith expresses his gratitude to the many friends who have rendered him valuable assistance. From this long list may be mentioned especially the following:
Members of the Public Library, staff of San Diego, headed by Miss Althea Warren, who not only placed many volumes at the disposal of the writer but gave him many valuable hints; Mr. George W. Marston and Judge M. A. Luce, who provided much valuable firsthand information regarding some of the attempts to bring a railroad to San Diego; Mr. Austin Adams, playwright, who prepared a sketch of the writers who have, been inspired by residence in San Diego; Miss Gertrude Gilbert, whose article on Music and Musicians in San Diego is incorporated in this volume: Mr. James H. Heath, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Escondido; Mrs. E. Thelen, prominent resident of National City, who supplied many valuable facts regarding the history of that place; Dr. Winfield Barkley, for many years-identified with county development; William Tomkins, long secretary of the Chamber of Commerce; G. A. Davidson, banker and head of San Diego's great Exposition: Mr. Eddy Orcutt, whose services proffered because of interest in the work and friendship for the writer; resulted in the drawings of a charming picture of older days in Old Town; Judge Thomas J. Hayes, a resident of San Diego during and since the "boom" days, and many others. Secretaries and other officers of various organizations, civic, fraternal and religious, have been glad on all occasions to assist in the compilation of data for this volume. To them all the thanks of the writer are cordially given.
Finally, let it be added that the writer has been keenly aware throughout his task that it was a large one and that a great deal more time than was available to him might well be spent in study of San Diego's past. Here was the beginning of California. Here the Franciscan Fathers started civilization of the west coast of America. Here grew up a population whose story is full of romance. Documents and historical works bearing on the early history of the place simply abound. Many works of fiction have been inspired, at least in part, by what has happened at San Diego or near it. The bibliography compiled by the San Diego Public Library alone is of impressive length. Here is a rich field for historian or writer of fiction based upon history, and if anything of value as a readable history and work of reference has been added to the long list by this writer he will have been fully compensated.
San Diego, December, 1921. CLARENCE ALAN MCGREW.
