Chula Vista

The earliest known residents of Chula Vista found in this area were animal fossils. Some of the fossils include the including the Mesorodont, a pig like creature, the Subyracodon, a relative of the rhinoceros and the Carnivore Nimravus which was a saber-tooth. Some of these fossils date back to 29 million years. Many of these fossils have been found in EastLake, a new community of Chula Vista. In fact there is a park in EastLake on King Creek Circle that displays copies of the fossils. In Otay Ranch there has been a baleen whale, clams, mollusks, and an extinct walrus found from the Pliocene Era.
The first human inhabitants of Chula Vista were the Kumeyaay Indians. They were also called the Southern Diegueño, Diegueño-Kamia, Ipai-Tipai and Mission Indians. They arrived 10,000 years before the Spanish and were the Native Americans of Chula Vista. The Kumeyaay Indians were hunter gatherers. They planted crops, fruit trees, hunted wildlife, grew wild animals in captivity, and fished for survival. Their history is rich and very alive today not only in Chula Vista but throughout San Diego. Many tribes now run casinos on their reservations and give back much of their proceeds to the community.
The Spanish left Navidad, Mexico on June 27, 1542 to explore areas to the north, find a quicker passage to Asia, and search for cities of gold, as they found in South and Central America. The famous Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his three vessel armada made up of the San Salvador, Victoria, and the San Miguel set out for conquest. The sailed north up the Baja Peninsula and eventually reached San Diego Bay in September of 1542. They explored the San Diego and California coast extensively. Cabrillo would claim every place he went for the crown of Spain.
In 1602 in early November a new Spanish Explorer named Sebastian Vizca´no made his way to San Miguel. He renamed the area San Diego after his flagship which was named San Diego de Alcala. Sebastian Vizca´no sailed by 4 islands off the coast of what is now Baja California. These Islands can be seen on a clear day from most of the South Bay of San Diego. I´ve even seen them as far west as the mountains of Jamul. They are also a great area to go fishing, although make sure you have a Mexican fishing license. He named these islands "The Coronado Islands" "Las Yslas Coronado´s". Ironically he did not name them after Juan Cabrillo. The name came from four Roman stonemasons who became martyrs on A.D. 303 for refusing to make Roman images under Emperor Diocletian. The Roman stonemasons were named "Los Quattro Coronati" "The Four Crowned Ones". The islands look like 4 sharp mountaintops that peak out of no where off the coast of Baja Mexico. Many people think these islands are off the coast of South Bay San Diego but they are indeed further south not far off the coast of Mexico. The Coronado Peninsula, although most people think of it as an island, was named after these four islands.
In 1795, Chula Vista became a part of a Spanish land grant known as Rancho del Rey or "The King's Ranch." The Spanish, eager to claim the land and to dissuade other nations from coming to California decided that Missions were to be built in California. The first of 21 Missions in California, of course this was long before it was a state or even part of the United States was founded in 1796. The Missions were created to spread Christianity to the local Indians. The Missions were under protection from the Spanish Government. The Missions provided a foothold for future settlers. Mexico formed its own government in 1831 and Rancho del Rey was renamed Rancho del la Nacion or National Ranch in English. The ranch included modern day Chula Vista, National City, Bonita, Sunnyside and Sweetwater Valley. This ranch was used by the Spanish as grazing land for their livestock. In 1833 the Mexican government began dividing up the Mission property. They gave most of the land to political supporters and friends of the Mexican government. In 1845 Rancho del la Nacion was granted to John Forster, who was the son-in-law of Mexican governor Pio Pico.
On April 25, 1846 the U.S. Mexican War began. Volunteers joined state regiments to fight the war. As many as 75,000 men enlisted to defend the United States. There wasn´t any need for a draft; there were many patriotic Americans at the ready to take on the task. So many tried to volunteer that in fact thousands were turned away. Many more men enlisted in the U.S. Army as well. History is split on who caused the U.S. Mexican War. Many historians say it was the United States and their want for new lands and new slave states. Many others say the war was fought to defend the rights of free people, mainly Texans, to determine their destiny. The Mexican government denied them their freedom.
The war lasted less then two years. The U.S. was victorious and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. This treat is still in force today. It made the Rio Grande the boundary of Texas but also gave the United States of America all the territory that includes the states of New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California, parts of Colorado and Wyoming. In return the U.S. paid Mexico 15 million dollars, which was a staggering amount at the time. Mexico sold this land to the U.S. as an indemnity for the cost of waging a war the U.S. had not sought and because it had no money with which to pay either the indemnity or the millions of dollars in debts that it had owed to private U.S. citizens for years. The United States claimed California following the Mexican-American war in 1847. Even though California became a state in 1850, Mexican land grants were allowed to continue as private property under American law. John Forster owned many ranches and vast land tracts in California. He decided to sell Rancho del la Nacion in 1855. It changed hands several times and was then purchased by the Kimball brothers in 1868 for a price tag of $30,000. They improved the land with cities and farms. They also set aside land for the railroad which later came into National City.
The introduction of the Santa Fe Railroad to the area would prove to be an important item in the history of Chula Vista. Not just because of the transportation and shipping that railroads provided but because of its board of directors. A professional town planner named Colonel W.G. Dickerson and several of the Santa Fe Railroad Board of Directors, formed the San Diego Land and Town Company. This company was part of the Santa Fe Railroad which is today credited with developing Chula Vista. Their plan was to attract settlers to Chula Vista and sell them land. They marketed the new land to be sold as 5 acre parcels with large streets capable of having steam motor cars use them. There were 5,000 acres total in the Chula Vista tract, just 1 mile south of National City. In 1887 these lots were sold for $300 per acre. From this marketing campaign the Chula Vista real estate boom of the 1880´s began. In contrast 1 acre lots in the Gates at the Woods by Eastlake in east Chula Vista are running about 1 million dollars each today. The name Chula Vista stuck when a Chula Vista resident and designer of the Sweetwater Dam, named James Schulyer called the area "Chula Vista" which in Spanish translates to beautiful view.
The Sweetwater Dam was completed in 1888 by the San Diego Land and Town Company. It supplied a consistent water source to the National City and Chula Vista. This allowed Chula Vista to grow many crops and orchards. Citrus trees became the most productive crop in Chula Vista and before long Chula Vista was the largest lemon growing area in the world. The San Diego Fruit Company was formed to manage citrus orchards. The National City & Otay Railroad connected the communities of the South Bay area.
In 1887, the railroads were built so quickly that the companies anticipated by the railroads to use the railroad for transportation weren´t ready. This made it unbelievably cheep to travel on the railroads. Many people came to visit San Diego and decided to stay. They all bought homes in Chula Vista. This added to the Chula Vista real estate boom.