88 
SB Mr- TROPIC CA LIFO RNIA 
SAN DIEGO-CITY AND COUNTY. 
BY DOUGLAS GUNN, EDITOR OF THE SAN DIEGO 
“ UNION.” 
T HE Bay of San Diego was discovered 
in the year 1542 by Juan Rodriguez 
Oabrillo, a PorhlgOcHC navigator in tin 
service of Spain Tlio prosent mime of 
the harbor was given by Sebastian Viz¬ 
caino, who surveyed it in No\ember, 1G02. 
On the 16th <lav of July, 176'.), the iHsl 
Catholic Mission in Alta (upper) Cali¬ 
fornia was founded ho)'" by the Father 
Francis Junipern Soria, who had arrived 
here with a party overland from Lower 
California on July 1st. The found'd ion 
of the (irst mission building was laid on 
the point of the hill overlooking the liver 
where the “ Old Town ” of Sim Dingo is 
now situated. This is known as Presidio 
Hill, and remnants of the ruins ol the old 
Presidio and Church arc yet to be seen 
there. The missionary qvitirtors were re¬ 
moved up the valley ol the Sail Diego 
river nbout sis miles, iu August. 1774. 
The present mission buildings—or rather 
their ruins—stand on this last abated site. 
They were begun in 1775, and (lie church 
was dedicated the next year; but the 
establishment was not finally completed 
until 1784. 
The Mission Fathers cultivated the land 
extensively, they had wide Helds of grain, 
vineyards and orchards, tilled by their 
Indian converts, and they also possessed 
large flocks and herds, They brought in 
water for irrigation by u ditch from a 
point on the liver some miles above tin* 
Mission, and the ruins of their massive 
stono dam are to ho seen in the Cajon 
Valley. Traces of then- ditch also remain. 
The old Mission olive orchard ia our host 
preserved relic of the past. Home 300 
trees, in thrifty growth, produce their 
yearly crops of olives. From this olive 
orchard all the olive trees in California 
have been propagated; it is the first 
planted in the .State; cuttings were aenl 
from it by tlm Fathers to the other mis¬ 
sions as they wove successively established 
Iu 1HH» the last Mexican Governor, Pin 
l’ico, by order of llm General Govern¬ 
ment, sold the lauds of tho Mission Han 
Diego, nearly 110,1)00 acres, nmerving to 
tho Chinch about 22 ucrea, wbieli, with the 
crumbling buildings, olive orchard, otc., 
are still tlm property of the Catholic 
Church. 
The municipal or Pueblo organization 
of Han Diego was effected January 1st, 
1835. Up to 1K25, Hourly the cnlii'i 
civilized population lived within tin hunt* 
ol tho L’resiilio. Gradually the soldier*' 
families moved down lo llic font of 
hill, and formed tin* little setiletriani 
which ufforward hi.in llm Pueblo and 
build 1800 was the comity seat of Sun 
Diego county. Thirteen votes in all were 
coot for officers ol llm Pueblo at the first 
town election in Decoiuber, |N34. July 
7th, 18411, the change of Hag* took place, 
ami Han Diego was I, henceforth an Auinii* 
can town. Han Dingo iiauuly wim orgiin 
ized by act of the Giiltforuiu Legislature in 
1850, and on April 1st of that year the 
first county election was held. The town 
polled 157 votes at that election. Tho 
first county assessment roll shows the 
Value of taxable property in 1850 as 
follows; Hand, lands, $265,281; ten 
stores, $05,30588 house*, $104,802, 
efitlln, 0.7HO head, $02,280 : total value, 
$517,258, The city assessment roll for 
the same vear gave, for Old Town, 
$254,210; New Town, $80,060; Middle 
town, $30,000; total value, $375,100. 
Tho aggregate population of the county 
in 1850 was 78!), of which about (100 
belonged to the city, 
The growth of San Diego proper, dates 
from the year 18(17, id which time the pro¬ 
ject of a Southern Pacific Ruilro.nl (fir*t. 
broached iu 1854, and which had slumbered 
during the period of the civil war) was 
revived. As tho proposed Pacific terminus 
of the road, San Diego tame immediately 
into 'prominence. The Old Town was 
built some distance inland from the Bay. 
What was called New Town consisted 
simply of the Government barracks and 
Urn officers' quarters, and tlie ruins of a 
small wharf. Mr A. E, Horton came horn 
in the Spring of 1857, and conceived tlm 
idea that there would he an important city 
at this point, mid that it. would bo built On 
the Bay. Accordingly, lie bought at 
public Side in May a tract of some 000 
acres of Die Pueblo land on tfle Bay 
shore, hail it surveyed as a town silo, and 
gave i! the name of Morion’s Addition to 
Sail Diego. Tills tract is the centre of 
the present city of San Diego. The wharf 
now owned by the Pacific Coast Steamship 
(Anupnny was Imilfc by Mr. Horton in 
1858. The new town grew rapidly; hand 
some residences and substantial brick 
business structures were erected, and the 
county inland began to fill up with 
people at tlm same time. The railway 
prospect, us stated, was the chief stimulus 
fo tue growth of tlm new city; but the 
people soon began to give attention to tho 
development of the resources of the 
county; and when it was found that 
patioiuiG must lie had, under delay iu rail¬ 
road ufl’iiiis, the people were prepared to 
exercise that virtue No uouinumity ha* 
even' exhibited greater courage and stronger 
faith tluiii San Diego, and the reward will 
surely he limped by Imr enterprising 
eilizmiH. Tho eummeren of llm port bits 
steadily (uoroimoud; good roads have been 
built lo all pai ls of I,lie liileiior, farms and 
ureUarda have bunii culiivttled; mines have 
been opened and worked, important in 
dllrillil'M luiVD been C*lublinllod; mill, ill 
H[jitu of " lull'd tiuwiu,” the enmity hits 
made steady progress in population and 
wealth. The eontiast between Hie picsuut 
stale ol iilTairs and that existing twelve 
years ago may be lusl shown by com¬ 
parative statistics. In iHliN (lie total 
population of town and county was lee 
Id lit n 2,0U(l; total assessed valuation of 
property iu town and county, $171,610 
Tho only industry was entile rinsing, l lm 
olive glove at tin* old Mission, a few 
oimigo frees al Hun Luis Ivey, soruo scat¬ 
tering native fig Iitnl pear trees, and the 
small vineyards of tho ranelios, were nil 
that the county could slmw (or fruit. 
About everything that the people con¬ 
sumed, aside from beef, was imported. 
In 1880 the estimated population of the 
county is 12,800; the city having 3,000, 
The taxable valuation of property for the 
current fiscal year is $5,500,000. Total 
acres of land enclosed in the county, 
124,000; total acres under cultivation 
40,504; acreage in wheat, 10,000; in 
barley, 11,0(10; in hay. 10,235; in corn, 
2,000; iu other products, 7,358. Tlm 
wheat, crop of the pre-. lit -eu—>n is ex¬ 
pected to go aimvi twelve million pounds; 
the barley crop about, half as much. 
Estimated number of bearing lemon trees, 
5,300; orange trees 5,030, e.live trees, 
8,710; acres grape vines, 3,130. The wool 
clip of this year is estimated to be about 
two million pounds; iu 1878 it was 
1,050.000; in 1876. 1.837,860. A very 
important industry, in which Sun Diego 
couuty leads the- Stale, if no', indeed, the 
world, is that of bee-keeping. Some 
statistics from the Assessor's returns as to 
tho honey productions ol roi-vut years will 
bo interesting: In 1873 the honey exported 
from Sail Diego amounted to 116,000 
pounds; in 1875 it reached 650,000 
pounds; in 187fi this was more than 
doubled, the exportation being 1,277,155 
pounds; while in ls7S we shipped the 
amazing aggregate of 2,075,000 pounds of 
llOUey! The following gem ml statistics 
am from tho Assessor's return of last year- 
Live vtock—horses, 3,610; mules, 325; 
horned cattle, 10,470. sheep. 115,420; 
hogs, 2815. Improvements, etc.—grist 
mills, steam power. I; water power, I; 
barrels Hour made, 3, 1 15. .sa,r mills, steam 
power, 6; (oet. lumber -awed, 1,650,000; 
shingles made, 75.0(H). t,bn>rl/. mills, 
Bteaiu power, 4; tons quartz crushed, 
1,000. Mill's of rniltuad m llm county, 
151!. Tho Southern l’acifio Railroad 
ontnr» (lie county at u point about 00 
miles north ol the Bay, and crosses tlio 
euunly in n millth-eastoi I y direr I foil to the 
Colorado river at Yuiua. 
Sun Diego 1ms always been prominently 
identified with llm nuhonie ol a Southern 
tmns.-eoutincu!al railroad, liming been 
tainted out a- the proper ILeifi,- iriminiei 
ruin the very inception of that project. 
Ill tho law of t’uiigiesM uf 1871, i liartering 
the Texas 1‘acifio Company to build the 
thill) M'CUiid parallel line, it i. enacted 
that this read '’shall ba constructed and 
maintained, as a continuous line, from 
Mamin. II, Texas, In ship*' channel in tho 
Bay l>( Sau Diego, California; pursuing 
in tin* location Un roof the most direct and 
chgihli: route, as nrin us uiai be (lie 32ml 
piimllel of moth latitude. Tins Com 
panv holds a tract of about 5, (Hit) acres of 
laird on tfii" water (font of S.n Dn go for 
Uuiuiiuil and other purposes, and declares 
its uiichangeid'li di.se:u to build Us lino t<> 
Sau Diego, although Construction has so 
lur been earned on oidi at, lie eastern 
end, Some nmntlrs ago (In' Direclois of 
licit important Boston eoipni.iluui, tho 
AtoliUmi, Topi !oi and Santo l 1 ', liailwad 
Company sent two of their number to Han 
