San Diego Legends: Events, People, and Places That Made

San Diego Legends: Events, People, and Places That Made History

This book brings together for the first time the many extraordinary accounts of famous and infamous people, places, and events in San Diegoâ€™s past. From Father JunÃpero Serra and Pedro Fages, to modern stars of stage and screen, youâ€™ll meet the pioneers, plunderers and performers who once called this city home. Many people and events have "made headlines" in the San Diego papersâ€”from the rise and fall of C. Arnholt Smith to the Heavenâ€™s Gate suicidesâ€”and this book reveals the stories behind the news stories. There are fascinating historic tidbits, including a "nudist invasion" that wreaked havoc at the 1935 California-Pacific Exposition, the 1852 murder of the cityâ€™s first mayor, and a dramatic shootout at Campoâ€™s Gaskill Store. Tales from all over the county are here, from the San Pasqual Battlefield to downtownâ€™s former Harlem of the West to the would-be route of the "Impossible Railroad." The author also brings together for the first time a dozen tales from local Indian tribesâ€”including an ancient Kumeyaay creation legend!

San Diego Legends: Events, People, and Places That Made History