LOOKING BACK

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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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PICRYL

CRAWFORD COLLECTION

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CRAWFORD COLLECTION BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY / PICRYL

THIS MONTH IN CORONADO HISTORY

1. January 1890 Coronado had 450 residents. A street railway ran down the center of Orange Avenue, and the community included a racetrack, museum, an ostrich farm and horseback riding with hunting on North Island.

2.Jan. 4, 1918 A boundary compromise agreement was reached between the Army and the Navy, establishing a division to delineate the borders of the Army’s Rockwell Field and Navy’s Naval Air Station San Diego on North Island.

3.Jan. 5, 1891 The Board of Trustees enacted new ordinances for Coronado including a speed limit of 6 mph for city streets, no unlawful discharging of weapons and fireworks only on specific holidays.

4. Jan. 8, 1942 Ensign John Roosevelt, son of President Franklin Roosevelt, and his wife, Anne, entertained at the tea hour in their charming home at 631 A Ave. About 30 guests were invited.

5. Jan. 15, 1944 The Naval Amphibious Training Base, the only amphibious base on the West Coast, was commissioned. Created in six months atop dredge material, the base provided a shore locale for amphibious units. The land was originally owned by the City of Coronado. After lengthy legal negotiations, the Navy bought the land for $850,000 in 1954.

6. Jan. 17, 1911 Glenn Curtiss arrived in San Diego to open the first military aviation school on North Island, inviting the Army and Navy to send officers for free flying instructions. The school started with one Navy and three Army students.

7. Jan. 19, 1920 Lillie Spreckels Holbrook married Dr. Paul Wegeforth, brother of San Diego Zoo founder Dr. Harry Wegeforth, in a small ceremony in the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Spreckels.

8. Jan. 24, 1902 Caddies at the Coronado golf links went on strike, partly over wages and partly because newer caddies had been given preference over the older caddies to follow players.

9. Jan. 24, 1910 Charles Hamilton flew from the Coronado Country Club grounds to Tijuana, Mexico, and back — the first pilot to fly across the international border.

10. Jan. 28, 1937 The first nonstop flight was flown from North Island to Hawaii. The plane, a PBY “Catalina Airboat,” completed the trip in 27 hours, 58 minutes.

Did you know?

CORONADO’S OLDEST LANDMARK, the Hotel Del Coronado’s boathouse, shown here in 1926, played a key role in guest activities for the hotel and Tent City visitors, especially during the 1920s. Built before The Del in the same Victorian style, it was completed in July 1887. It offered a variety of recreational pursuits — from canoes acquired from Old Town to sailboats and rowboats for hire. Cruises on San Diego Bay offered fishing or aquaplaning parties with close-up views of submarine tenders and pelicans beyond the breakwaters. The boathouse also served as the headquarters for Scripps Institute of Oceanography for two years in 1903 and was the site of San Diego Yacht Club for a few years.

Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado

COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO