LOOKING BACK

THIS MONTH IN CORONADO HISTORY

LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION

A colorized postcard of the American Ostrich Co.'s Coronado farm.

May 3, 1887

The Coronado Beach Co. and E.J. Johnson, the owner of the Fallbrook ostrich farm, signed an agreement to have ostriches on Coronado. Johnson moved an ostrich flock onto Block 40, Coronado Beach.

May 3, 1923

Army pilots Lt. John Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly arrived at Rockwell Field from Hempstead, New York, successfully completing the first nonstop flight across the United States. This was their third attempt, achieving the feat in 26 hours, 50 minutes and 38 seconds.

May 5, 1977

Hotel del Coronado received national historic designation. It was already named California Historic Landmark No. 144 on Dec. 17, 1970. The hotel, one of the oldest and largest all-wooden buildings in California, is also one of America’s largest wooden buildings.

May 7, 1929

The Coronado City Council authorized a request for orders from the secretaries of war and the Navy for a ban on flying over Coronado after instances of ordinance dropping on the Strand and the golf course at the Coronado Country Club and a machine gun slug narrowly missing a boater. The flying of government planes over the city was characterized as a menace to the lives of residents.

May 10, 1927

Charles Lindbergh took off from North Island for the first leg of his historic flight to Paris, making his way toward the East Coast.

May 15, 1846 The 4,158-acre Coronado Peninsula was deeded to Pedro Carrillo and Josefa Bandini as a wedding gift from California Gov. Pio Pico (under Mexican rule). Carrillo used the land to graze his cattle and watered them at Russian Spring, a freshwater spring on the west end of North Island.

May 16, 1887

The Coronado Evening Mercury pub-

lished its first issue. By the end of the second week in print, 500 subscribers were getting the newspaper delivered by horseback.

May 17, 1992

For the 1992 America’s Cup races in San Diego, the New Zealand team set up home base at the old Rask boat yard (where Il Fornaio and adjoining parking lot now stand), creating a little enclave called Kiwinado. The Spanish team, Desafio Espana Copa, had a compound on First Street and lived at the Hansen mansion at 700 A Ave. Apparently, they were a lively group because neighbors complained of the “Spanish Syndicate” being rowdy.

May 22, 1929

Col. Ira Copley, a newspaper magnate whose assets included the San Diego Union and Evening Tribune, purchased the mansion overlooking Glorietta Bay, previously owned by John D. Spreckels (now part of the Glorietta Bay Inn). Spreckels had bequeathed the mansion to his daughter, Mrs. Alexander Hamilton of San Francisco, who sold the property to Copley.

May 23, 1968

Escrow closed on the city of Coronado’s Rancho Carrillo property. The Coronado Cay Co. purchased the property for $4,309,678. Construction was to begin in September 1968.

Plans called for more than 1,500 homes, a marina, a small shopping center, parks, city facilities and a school.

May 25, 1887

B.L. Muir and Lizzie Barber were married in Mrs. E. D. Garrison’s tent, decorated with flowers and evergreens.

The wedding, the first marriage on Coronado, was officiated by Rev. E.F. Chase, head of the First Methodist Church of San Diego who had helped organize Coronado Beach Methodist Episcopal Church earlier that year. In 1895, the Muirs built a Queen Anne Victorian-style house at 1022 Park Place that still stands today. ■

WIKIMEDIA

LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION

B.L. and Lizzie Muir's house on Park Place was built in 1887 and still stands today.