CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



DESCRIPTION OF MISSION BAY 



Mission Bay (False Bay) is an enclosed body of water immediately 

 north of San Diego Bay, California. A square, 2f miles on an edge, 

 would include all of Mission Bay, nearly all of the marshes Avhich border 

 it on the south, Crown Point which projects into it from the north, 

 and very little else. 



Country Surrounding the Bay 



Little of the country surrounding the bay is under cultivation. 

 Wherever there are no habitations, gardens or marshes, the land 

 is dry and barren and supports very little vegetation. The various 

 sections are discussed separately below : 



The southern marsh is about two miles long and in most places is 

 from half a mile to a mile wide. It is hard to limit it definitely because 

 there is a gradual change from a typical salt marsh to a dry sandy 

 wasteland; many sloughs and strips of marsh extend into this waste. 

 The moist area is a paradise for shore and marsh birds. There are 

 numerous small sloughs in the marsh which are not shown on the 

 accompanying map. 



The eastern shore is bordered by a new highway which will soon 

 be part of the main route from Los Angeles to San Diego. Low barren 

 hills rise back of the highway. 



The northern marsh is much smaller than the southern one and 

 although important it is far inferior to it as a retreat for birds. 



Crown Point is a mesa which projects about three-quarters of a 

 mile from the northern shore. There is a sandy beach at its base. 

 Connecting Crown Point with the southern marsh is a mile of 

 highway which passes over a bridge, a fill, and then a second bridge. 

 This highway crosses the marsh on a causeway and joins the Ocean 

 Beach-San Diego road. The north shore west of Crown Point is of 

 sandy clay, low and barren. 



The sand spit (Mission Beach) which separates the bay from the 

 ocean, is 2^ miles long and at no point much over one-quarter mile wide. 

 A combination highway and street car bridge connects the southern 

 end of the spit with Ocean Beach. 



Houses and Other Buildings 



Ocean Beach, south of the western part of Mission Bay, is a 

 residential district. The sand spit (Mission Beach) is built up fairly 

 solidly with resort type houses. Crown Point is a real estate sub- 

 division. To the east of Crown Point and along the eastern shore of 

 the bay are a few scattered houses. On the southern marsh is a group 

 of a half dozen houses known as Duckville. This spot can be reached 

 by water or by a dirt road from Old Town. 



Streams Entering Mission Bay 



The San Diego River flows through the southern marsh and enters 

 the bay at about the middle of the southern shore. The stream is dry all 

 summer but is a serious flood menace in the winter. There are a few 

 fresh-water potholes near the point where this stream enters the marsh. 



