La Jolla has a rich history spans from ancient indigenous roots to its development as an exclusive seaside community. Here’s an overview of the area’s historical journey:
Indigenous Origins
The true history of La Jolla begins much earlier than the late 1800s, with the Kumeyaay people who “have always been here before roads” ‘Still here’: The enduring history of La Jolla’s Indigenous and other development. The Kumeyaay were the original inhabitants of this coastal region, living here for thousands of years before European and American settlement.
Early American Period
When California became a state in 1850, the La Jolla area was incorporated as part of the chartered City of San Diego La Jolla – Wikipedia. The land remained largely undeveloped until the 1870s, when Charles Dean acquired several pueblo lots and subdivided them into what became known as La Jolla Park, though Dean was unable to develop the land himself and eventually left.
The Founding Era
The modern development of La Jolla began in the 1880s. In 1886, Frank T. Botsford came to La Jolla and declared it “magnificent” PBS – Weekend Explorer – San Diego – La Jolla, California, purchasing over 400 acres of pueblo lands already known as “La Jolla Park” two months later. The first lots in La Jolla were auctioned off in 1887, the year of La Jolla’s official founding Historic Beach Cottages in La Jolla – lajolla.ca. Botsford built his home on the corner of Prospect and Ivanhoe and became known as the Father of La Jolla.
The name “La Jolla” itself has uncertain origins – some believe it means “the jewel” in Spanish, while others suggest different derivations, but no one knows definitively where the name came from.
Resort Development
In 1894, La Jolla started to grow beyond cottages and tents, helped by the opening of a railroad and a hotel The History of La Jolla: Home to Grande Colonial Hotel – The Grande Colonial. Visitors arrived on the Abalone Special, a scenic train with open-air cars that provided breezy rides to and from San Diego, establishing La Jolla’s reputation as a resort destination.
Notable Figures and Growth
The community attracted wealthy philanthropists and intellectuals, most notably Ellen Browning Scripps, who contributed significantly to the area’s cultural and educational development. The University of California San Diego would later be established in the area, further cementing La Jolla’s reputation as a center of learning and research.
Today, La Jolla is known for its stunning coastline, upscale community, scientific institutions, and cultural attractions, while efforts are being made to acknowledge and preserve the history of the indigenous Kumeyaay people who were the area’s first inhabitants.
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