San Diego wasn’t always the city it is today. In the 1800s, people were building parks, moving goods along dirt trails, hunting whales for oil, and even testing cable cars on downtown streets. These five historical highlights focus on parts of the city’s past that have been mostly forgotten but helped shape how San Diego grew.
1. Pantoja Park — San Diego’s Oldest Downtown Park
Pantoja Park, Downtown San Diego — Statue of Benito Juárez, who served five terms as President of Mexico in the 1800s. The statue was a gift from Mexico in 1981. (Photo courtesy of the City of San Diego Digital Archives)Pantoja Park in downtown San Diego was established in 1850 as Plaza Pantoja. It is the city’s oldest park in what was called New Town. Named for Spanish navigator Don Juan Pantoja y Arriaga, the park served as a gathering place for civic events and community life. Today, it remains a public space — a small reminder of how early residents valued shared green space.
2. Ballast Point’s Whaling Station
Ballast Point, San Diego — View of Battery Wilkeson and Fetterman overlooking the 1890 lighthouse and whaler’s warehouses at Ballast Point. The ruins of Fort Guijarros are visible at the far right. (Photo via Wikipedia / Public Domain; source: Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA, Inc.)Before the waterfront was dominated by the Navy and modern industry, Ballast Point hosted a whaling station. Built in 1858, it processed whale oil used in lamps, soap, candles, and machinery. The station operated until 1873, when petroleum replaced whale oil and whale populations declined. Today, the site is part of Naval Base Point Loma, with historical markers noting its past.
Ballast Point Historical Marker No. 50 — Marker noting the location of the former whaling station. (Photo courtesy of www.californiahistoriclandmarks.com/landmarks/chl-50Today, the site is part of Naval Base Point Loma, with historical markers noting its past.
USS Scranton at Naval Base Point Loma — Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine arriving at the site of the historic whaling station. (File Navy photo)3. La Playa Trail — San Diego’s First Commercial Route
La Playa Trail Markers — Photos of various markers along the historic route connecting Old La Playa with Old Town and the Presidio. (Photos courtesy of the La Playa Trail Association website / with permission.Long before paved roads, the La Playa Trail connected the bayside anchorage at Old La Playa with inland settlements near Old Town and the Presidio. It is considered the oldest commercial route in the area. Indigenous peoples used paths along this route for centuries, and Spanish and Mexican settlers later moved goods from ships to inland communities. Much of today’s Rosecrans Street follows the trail’s original path.d communities. Much of today’s Rosecrans Street follows the trail’s original path.
4. The Spanish Arrival That Changed the Region
Father Junípero Serra — Oil painting, circa 1700s, representing the Spanish missionary whose arrival in 1769 marked the start of permanent Spanish settlement in San Diego. (Photo via Wikipedia / Public Domain)In 1769, the Portolá expedition and Father Junípero Serra arrived in the San Diego Bay area. Their landing led to the establishment of the Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá, marking the start of permanent Spanish settlement in Alta California. Today, Spanish Landing Park commemorates this moment with plaques and open space along the bay.
5. San Diego’s Short-Lived Cable Railway
San Diego Cable Railway — Image from the ASCE Anniversary Project showing the short-lived cable railway that operated downtown from 1890 to 1892. (Photo courtesy of the San Diego History Center)In the late 1880s, San Diego tried its own cable railway to handle downtown’s steep hills. The San Diego Cable Railway began service in 1890, but the system lasted only a few years before financial issues and changing transit needs led to its closure in 1892. The equipment was later converted into electric streetcars. The experiment shows the city was willing to try new solutions to move people around.
Even if most San Diegans never hear these stories, they reveal a city in motion — trying new ideas, using its natural resources, and connecting communities long before modern roads and buildings appeared.
Sources
San Diego History Center, Cable Railway History, 1969. City of San Diego, Historic Resources Board Report, 2017. San Diego History Center Archives – Cable Railway Company Records. Hillcrest History Guild, Hillcrest Timeline.Spalding Place Historic Info
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