DID YOU KNOW?

AFTER THE 1915 Panama-California Exposition, the Navy took over Balboa Park as a training ground for new recruits as World War I, which began in the summer of 1914, intensified in Europe. Most of the exposition buildings were not suitable for use because they were too large or not well-ventilated, but the Navy adapted the available space as needed. The lily pond in the park was used for boating and swimming exercises.

Training lasted at the park for just a few years. After the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Woodrow Wilson authorized North Island to be used jointly by the Navy and the Army. Recruits moved over to North Island’s Naval Air Station San Diego until the Naval Training Center San Diego in Point Loma was commissioned in 1923.

During World War II, the Navy again took command of Balboa Park, renaming it Camp Kidd after an admiral who was killed at Pearl Harbor. Balboa Park became off-limits to civilians and was used for training, education and as an extension of Balboa Naval Hospital to accommodate the overflow of injured soldiers and house nurses. When the war ended, the Navy relinquished all of Balboa Park, except for the hospital, back to San Diego. ■

LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION