Barrio Logan in San Diego
1850 - New Town is established on the bay and population
began to move south from Old Town
1854 - The San Diego & Gila Railroad was proposed
to connect San Diego with one of the possible transcontinental
routes being planned after the 1853 Gadsden Purchase;
Charles Poole made the first survey of a possible route
from Yuma to Otay and north along the bay into New Town
1867 - Alonzo Horton purchased the 960 acres of the
47,324 acres of pueblo lands (confirmed by the U.S.
in 1874) and also set aside 1440 acres for a city park;
over the next 25 years, 80% of the pueblo lands would
be sold to private owners, and other portions would
be reserved for attracting a railroad to San Diego
1869 - Matthew Sherman formed a committee "to
solicit gifts of land to induce the Memphis and El Paso
railroad to locate its terminus in San Diego. That project
did not materialize however. The following year, Sherman,
along with Alonzo Horton, E. W. Morse and others, organized
the San Diego and Los Angeles railroad, a paper corporation
with a land grant from the City Trustees with which
they hoped to lure a transcontinental railroad to San
Diego. In 1871 Sherman went to Washington to lobby for
passage of the legislation chartering the Texas and
Pacific to build a rail line from Texas to California.
While Sherman was in Washington, Congressman John A.
Logan worked out the final details of the bill, which
provided Federal government land grants and subsidies."
It was Logan, incidentally, from whose name San Diego's
"Logan Heights" was derived: one of the major
streets in a subdivision laid out in 1886 on railroad
lands was named for him, and gradually the entire area
in southeast San Diego came to be called "Logan
Heights." After passage of the Texas and Pacific
bill in 1871, Tom Scott, president of the railroad,
came to California where he was entertained royally
by officials and business leaders in San Francisco,
Los Angeles, and San Diego. He finally agreed to establish
the terminus of the Texas and Pacific in San Diego in
exchange for title to lands previously granted by the
City Trustees to other railroad corporations such as
the San Diego and Los Angeles, and the San Diego and
Gila railroad. Among the lands included in this arrangement
were four Pueblo Lots (1158, 1159, 1162 and 1163) immediately
southeast of Sherman Heights, covering the area from
Commercial Street to the waterfront, between 24th and
32nd Streets. The Texas and Pacific never completed
the rail line, for the company was ruined by the stock
market crash of 1873. " (5)
1868 - Frank and Warren Kimball purchased 26,632 acres
of the old Rancho de la Nacion, called it National City,
and laid out a 100-foot wide path six miles long for
a railroad; the California Southern Railroad connected
with the East in 1885, but the boom of the 1880s ended
in 1889 when the Santa Fe decided to make Los Angeles
the western terminus rather than San Diego
1906 - John D. Spreckels led a corporation to build
San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad to Yuma, finished
in 1919 but never successful, abandoned in 1976 after
flash flood
1910 - Logan Heights "was once primarily a residential
area and one of San Diego's oldest communities. Starting
between the years of 1910 and 1920 the area began its
transformation into a predominantly Mexican-American
community as immigrants fled north from revolution and
a poor Mexican economy." (1)
1917 - U.S. Navy built a large radio station in Chollas
Heights.
1920 - " Nearly one-half million Mexicans entered
the United States on permanent visas during the 1920s,
some 11 percent of total U.S. immigration during that
decade. Thousands more entered informally, before passage
of restrictive regulations. Even after establishment
of more stringent immigration rules and procedures,
thousands continued to cross without legal sanction.
. . By 1930, more than 30 percent of Mexican-born U.S.
residents lived in California. They entered nearly every
occupation classified as unskilled or semi-skilled.
Chicanos became the bulwark of southwestern agriculture.
By 1930, manufacturing, transportation, communications,
and domestic and personal service had become the other
major sectors of Chicano employment. Chicanos made up
75 percent of the work force of the six major western
railroads. They also held blue-collar positions in construction,
food processing, textiles, automobile industries, steel
production, and utilities. In California during the
1920s, Chicanos constituted up to two-thirds of the
work force in many industries. A small Chicano middle
class developed, often oriented toward serving the Chicano
population. The growth of barrios and colonias fostered
expansion of small businesses such as grocery and dry-goods
stores, restaurants, barber shops, and tailor shops.
Small construction firms emerged. Chicanos entered the
teaching profession, usually working in private Chicano
schools or in segregated public schools." (3)
1921 - "the property on which the present Naval
Station is now located was deeded to the government
by the City of San Diego on September 3, 1919 for the
purpose of building thereon a docking and fleet repair
base. The property consisted of 21 water acres and 77.2
land acres, the former being mostly marsh and tide flats.
The reclamation work was done by the U.S. Navy and the
U.S. Shipping Board and consisted of hydraullic fill
from dredging in connection with the preparation of
a suitable channel. The concrete ship building plant
of the U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation
occupied the land. Of four vessels of 7,500 tons each
contracted to be built here, only two, the USS Cuyamaca
and the USS San Pasqual, were completed. Due to excessive
costs the c/nStracts were cancelled. On February 15,
1921, the Navy acquired the land, buildings and certain
machinery from the U.S. Shipping Board, and, on June
10, 1921 the USS Prarie, Commander H.N. Jenson, USN,
Commanding was ordered to proceed to the vicinity of
the Destroyer Base to take over the property and commence
its reorganization pre-paratory to the receipt of the
destroyers which were to be placed out of commission.
The base was occupied March 1922. Just prior to this,
on February 23, 1922, the U.S. Destroyer Base, San Diego,
California was offically established by the Secretary
of the Navy in General Order No. 78. By the letter part
of the year 84 World War I destroyers were located at
the base. The primary mission of the Destroyer Base
at this time was the upkeep and preservation of the
decommissioned destroyers. On May 141, 1930 Congress
authorized the exchange of 9.0 acres at the northern
extremity of the Destroyer Base for 6.1 acres adjoining
the base property and belonging to the City of San Diego.
The land acquired by the government in this exchange
was located on the water front and was more desireable
to the Destroyer Base than that relinquished. After
the exchange, the resulting acreage of the base was
94.7 acres." (2)
1930 - "In the early 1930s, Chicanos established
some 40 agricultural unions in California. The largest,
El Confederacion de Uniones de Campesinos y Obreros
Mexicanos (CUCOM, Confederation of Mexican Farm Workers'
and Laborers' Unions), created in 1933, ultimately included
50 locals and 5,000 members. Most of these unions later
joined the American Federation of Labor or the Congress
of Industrial Organizations. The Great Depression brought
a dramatic population reversal among Mexican Americans.
Tabulated immigration to the United States from Mexico
fell from nearly 500,000 during the 1920s to only 32,700
during the 1930s. At the same time, official figures
indicate that some half- million persons of Mexican
descent moved to Mexico." (3)
1938 - WPA built a pier and community beach along the
bayfront
1940 - " By 1940 Logan Heights had grown into
one of the largest Mexican-American communities on the
West Coast, containing fifteen percent of San Diego's
Spanish- speaking population. At this time the barrio
extended to the waterfront where there was a local beach
and community pier which served as a social gathering
place. Barrio Logan lost this access to the waterfront,
however, when World War II began and the Navy and defense
industries moved in along the bay. To many longtime
residents of Logan Heights, this was viewed as the first
step taken by outside forces that would result in the
dismantling of their community." (1)
1941 - "The Destroyer Base was placed under the
Commandant of the 11th Naval District for wartime operation
in March 1941. By 1943 a total of 659 land and 262 water
acres was included within the boundries of the base
property. Facilities were greatly increased during this
period. On October 19, 1943 the desigantion of the U.S.
Destroyer Base was offically changed to the U.S. Naval
Repair Base and as such became a component of the U.S.
Naval Base, San Diego. During the period from 1943 until
the close of hostilities in 1945 more then 1,500 officers
and 41,500 enlisted men had been received and trained
for repair duties. During the same period 5,117 ships
were sent to the Repair Base for conversion, overhaul,
and maintenance, including the repair of battle damage.
During the final year of hostilities 28,000 officers
and enlisted personnel were on duty at the Naval Repair
Base. On September 15, 1946, the U.S. Naval Repair Base
was by order of the Secretary of the Navy, redesignated
the United States Naval Station, San Diego,. California."
(2)
1942 - "The turnaround from the labor surplus
of the 1930s to the labor shortage of the 1940s had
a special impact on agriculture and transportation.
For help, the United States turned to Mexico, and in
1942 the two nations formulated the Bracero Program.
From then until 1964, Mexican braceros were a regular
part of the U.S. labor scene, reaching a peak of 450,000
workers in 1959. Most engaged in agriculture; they formed
26 percent of the nation's seasonal agricultural labor
force in 1960. Along with opportunities, World War II
also brought increased tensions between Chicanos and
law-enforcement agencies. Two events in Los Angeles
brought this issue into focus. In the Sleepy Lagoon
case of 1942-1943, 17 Chicano youths were convicted
of charges ranging from assault to first-degree murder
for the death of a Mexican American boy discovered on
the outskirts of the city. Throughout the trial, the
judge openly displayed bias against Chicanos, and allowed
the prosecution to bring in racial factors. Further,
the defendants were not permitted haircuts or changes
of clothing. In 1944, the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee
obtained a reversal of the convictions from the California
District Court of Appeals, but the damage had been done."
(3)
1945 - NASSCO was founded in 1905 as California Iron
Company, moved to the waterfront in 1944 as National
Iron Co., began building ships in 1945, changed its
name to NASSCO in 1949
1950 - "Throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s,
however, Barrio Logan remained California's second largest
Mexican-American community. At one time, this neighborhood
was home to nearly twenty thousand residents. This would
soon begin to change. As San Diego's downtown area expanded,
the city of San Diego and the state of California began
to take steps toward modernization. Consequently, the
makeup of Barrio Logan completely changed. In the 1950s,
city zoning laws were changed turning Logan into an
industrial area rather than a residential one. The neighborhood
immediately experienced an influx of Anglo-owned junkyards.
These auto junkyards were set up next to school yards
and homes, creating resentment in the community. To
this day, there exists an antagonistic relationship
between those affiliated with the junkyards and the
residents of Logan." (1)
1962 - Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers
Union. "At the age of thirty-five, he left his
own well paid job to devote all his time to organizing
the farm workers into a union. His wife had to become
a fruit picker in the fields to feed their children.
Chavez traveled from camp to camp organizing the workers.
In each camp, he recruited a few followers. By this
time he had also gotten many other members of his family
involved in the movement. At the end of six months,
300 members of the National Farm Workers Union, as the
group was first called, met in Fresno, California. At
that first meeting, they approved their flag, a red
background with a black eagle in a white circle in the
center. "La Causa" (The Cause) was born! With
a strong leader to represent them, the workers began
to demand their rights for fair pay and better working
conditions. Without these rights, no one would work
inthe fields. A major confrontation occurred in 1965.
The grape growers didn't listen to the union's demands,
and the farmhands wanted a strike.
At first, Chavez wanted to avoid a strike, but he was
finally convinced that there was no other way. The workers
left the fields, and the unharvested grapes began to
rot on the vines. The growers hired illegal workers
and brought in strikebreakers and thugs to beat up the
strikers. The dispute was bitter. Union members-Chavez
included- were jailed repeatedly. But public officials,
religious leaders, and ordinary citizens from all across
the United States flocked to California to march in
support of the farm workers. Then, in 1970, some grape
growers signed agreements with the union. The union
lifted the grape boycott, and its members began to pick
grapes again. That same year, chavez thought that even
people who could not travel to California could show
their support for his cause. Thus he appealed for a
nationwide boycott of lettuce. People from all parts
of the United States who sympathized with the cause
of the farm workers refused to buy lettuce. Some even
picketed in front of supermarkets." (4)
1963 - Interstate 5 was constructed and divided the
community.
1969 - The San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge opened after
two years construction; the population declined from
20,000 to 5000 in the next 10 years
1969 - "During the late 1960s and early 1970s,
the United States was in the midst of massive social
change that would find its way to Barrio Logan. The
black civil rights movement had inspired many emerging
leaders of the Chicano community. Then in the 1960s
the United Farm Workers movement led by Cesar Chavez
sparked a new political awareness in Chicanos everywhere.
Among many other events, student organizations such
as MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan)
were formed. Young Chicanos were creating a political
movement that was all their own. This
Chicano youth movement culminated in March of 1969
when the first National Chicano Youth Conference was
held in Denver, Colorado. Over fifteen hundred young
people attended, including several of the young artists
who would later become some of the original muralists
of Chicano Park. The conference created a document known
as El Plan Espirutual de Aztlan or "The Spiritual
Plan of Aztlan." This plan called for Chicano youths
to create political and social planning at the grass
roots level. It also called for Chicano artists to become
active participants in the social and political causes
of their communities. Those who had attended the conference
returned to their own neighborhoods excited by the way
the meeting in Denver had affirmed their Chicano culture."
(1)
1970 - April 22, Chicano Park occupied by area residents
1981 - San Diego Trolley was dedicated in 1980, built
on the rail line of the defunct San Diego and Arizona
Railroad; in 1981 began service south to the border,
stopping at Barrio Logan
1989 - San Diego Convention Center opened on Harbor
Drive
1990 - Barrio Logan population at 13,488; 44 percent
live below the poverty level
1993 - Communites At Risk report published by Environmental
Health Coalition, identifying Barrio Logan as a toxic
waste disposal site
Sources:
A Turning Point: The Conception and Realization of Chicano
Park by Kevin Delgado
Hinds, James W. "San Diego's Military Sites,"
typed mss, San Diego Historical Society, 1986, pp. 120-122.
A History of Mexican Americans in California by NPS
Cesar Chavez biography from Cesar E. Chavez Institute
for Public Policy
Matthew Sherman by Clare Crane, Journal of San Diego
History, Vol 18, Number 4, 1972
Barrio Logan Fact Sheet from Environmental Health Coalition
Environmental Justice Case Study: Industrial Pollution
in Barrio Logan identified the Kelco Corp., located
next to the Perkins Elementary School, as a major polluter
Article provided by http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/projects/178/barriologan00.html
