Carlsbad Time Lines
Q2 2023 Carlsbad, California, Historical Society
President’s Letter
Many of you have visited our museum in the Magee House. You’ve seen our interpretive displays that feature items of historical interest, signage and images. In addition to doing historical research, we as an organization maintain our interpretive museum by creating displays that explain Carlsbad’s history. To do this we need a variety of materials: written, images, and of course physical items.
What you might not know is that we maintain a strict collection policy. We only accession items that fit our policy, and we have a specific way to deaccession those items that no longer fit our needs. We also offer on a loan basis items we wish to retain ourselves but cannot display due to lack of space. All donated items have a deed of gift signed by the donor that assures us donated items are actually being transferred from them to our organization.
We store our collection items in acid free containers, keep an interior climate controlled by AC and dehumidifiers, and cover large fragile display items with cotton cloths when we are closed in order to prevent light exposure and preserve their structural integrity.
Part of our ongoing process of museum management reminds me of the seasonal transition from winter to spring when I was a kid on the east coast. It was marked by my mother’s cleaning, sorting and discarding cold weather clothing that would be outgrown by the time fall rolled around. Overall a general inventory of the household was done, with some items no longer kept, and others were cleaned and stored.
In this newsletter we are including our collection policy, our gift deed and our accessioning information.
Our collection policy is set up to ensure we accept only items of historical significance that enhance our historical narrative. This is because of the limited space available in Magee for storage, and the overall cost in manpower hours of : cleaning ( removing pests that will potentially degrade our collections), inventorying, and high cost of the archival quality physical containers.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy summer,
Sue
Bobbie Hoder
Long time resident, city employee and supporter of the arts, Bobbie Hoder, passed away on April 14, 2023. A celebration of Bobbie's life will be held at the Schulman Theater at the Carlsbad City Dove Library on June 17, 2023 at 1 pm.
Bobbie's love of Carlsbad, her professionalism and activism to increase the arts, will be missed.
City Council with Bobbie Hoder and Jim and Pat Hansen
From a Local Business website:
“Bobbie Hoder, one of the founding members of the Carlsbad Charitable Foundation, has been named one of three Carlsbad residents honored as Carlsbad Citizens of the Year for 2009. The award is for individuals who have volunteered for many years with theater and arts groups as well as other nonprofit causes in the Carlsbad community. Hoder, a Carlsbad resident since 1965, worked for the city for 36 years before retiring and launching a new full-time career as a community volunteer. She served as president of the Carlsbad Community Theater for 17 years and remains on the group’s advisory board. She also serves as president of the board of directors of Hospice of the North Coast and is involved with a number of other community groups such as New Village Arts, ArtSplash, Playreaders, and was a long-time member of the Performing Arts Theater of the Handicapped board. “Bobbie has given countless hours of her time to help make Carlsbad a better place to live. We are proud to call her, as well as our other 2009 honorees, Jim and Pat Hansen, friends and neighbors and applaud their selection as Citizens of the Year,” said Carlsbad Mayor Claude “Bud” Lewis.”
The Heart of Historic Carlsbad by Ken Langen
Mira Costa College’s Media Arts and Technology (MAT) class recently offered free aid to non-profit groups. For the society, I presented two proposals, in person, to the class: 1) An update of “The Heart of Historic Carlsbad” brochure and 2) The creation of “The Heart of Historic Carlsbad” video. Both proposals were accepted! The MAT students involved met with board members at Magee House to discuss the projects. Susan Gutierrez edited the brochure for historical accuracy and wrote the lengthy script for the video. I recorded the video narration at my home studio. Looking forward, both the brochure and the video will be accessible at the CHS website. We are grateful to the students for their help. Their professional portfolios will be enhanced by association with the historical society. Thanks immensely to Susan for her diligent research and exemplary writing!
Work continues on the restoration of Buena Vista Lagoon
This lagoon separates Carlsbad and Oceanside. SANDAG has been working hard at this and the Buena Vista Audubon Society is excited that this project will eventually restore the northern edge of the lagoon next to the Audubon Nature Center. A 2020 plan by the San Diego Association of Governments will remove the dam (also called weir), and excavate decades of accumulated sediments. Barges have been testing the sediment depth by drilling.
The lagoon currently does not have a free flow to the Pacific Ocean because a dam was installed in the 1940s that limits water flows during tides.
1940s Lagoon Photo
Aerial surveys are also being taken and compared to historical surveys and the sediment depth data, to attempt to restore the lagoon as much as possible to the way it was before it was blocked from the Ocean.
The water in the lagoon is no longer salty enough to support the life that it once supported, and invasive species have moved in. Even bird diversity has been affected.
According to Philip Diehl:
" Property owners around the weir wanted to keep the weir because of the wide expanse of open water it creates. Environmentalists and government agencies wanted to remove the barrier to create a more natural saltwater marsh and provide homes for marine life and native plants.
In the end, the compromise approved in 2020 should do both. It removes the weir but includes an area of deeper, open water to be created near the homes at the western end of the lagoon."
Buena Vista Lagoon today
Part of the restoration project that is pending is the beginning of a proposed "mitigation" for the North Coast Corridor Project. (Mitigation means relief or alleviation.)
The project is expected to be completed by early 2026.
Saint Malo development expanded into Lagoon
Current view of the Lagoon west end. Notice how narrow the (closed) connection to the ocean is.
1946 Aerial Photograph of Buena Vista Lagoon (Thanks to Oceanside Historical Society)
Zooming in on the Lagoon border with the Ocean
The 1946 aerial photographs above shows that the connection to the Pacific Ocean was considerably wider then. Saint Malo has perhaps gained territory by landfill.
Saint Malo, named after a French fishing village, was started in 1928 by the purchase of 28 acres of land by Pasadena resident Kenyon Keith. It was annexed by Oceanside in 1950 at the request of the residents.
Local Audubon gets grants to restore lagoon
About $540K will pay for planning, design, permits for recently acquired land. Restoration of the Buena Vista Lagoon will focus on the wetlands, which store carbon and help cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The following interview details the condition of the land surrounding the south side of the Buena Vista Lagoon
Interview with Al and Afton Jandro
Date of interview: May 4, 2001
Place of interview: Carlsbad City Library (Cole)Interviewer: Susan Gutierrez
Transcriber: Dee Morning
SG: When did you move to Carlsbad?
Al: In August of 1946. Afton was from Idaho and I came from Minnesota originally. We moved to Carlsbad from North Hollywood. Been in California since 1936, married in 1938.
SG: Why did you choose Carlsbad?
Al: We had some friends in North Hollywood that had moved to Leucadia and we came down on weekends and helped them build their house. We liked the area so we initially started to buy property in Vista. We decided that was a pretty bum deal and we happened to notice an advertisement for fifty acres in Carlsbad. Next time we came down we took a look at it. We weren’t really impressed but we wanted to grow flower bulbs on it so we bought it. Turned out you couldn’t raise anything on it actually.
SG: Where was it?
Al: On the corner of El Camino (Real) and Vista Way, right where the May Company is and then south of that.
SG: Did you grow anything?
Afton: Well, I was out there plowing with the tractor and a fellow who lived kitty corner over across the street there on the Henie property came over. He was Joe Alvarado, the ranch manager for Leif Henie, Sonia Henie’s brother. He (Alvarado) said to me, “You’re wasting your time, this ground is worthless. The ocean backed up on it years and years ago and it’s salty and won’t grow anything. We were shocked!
SG: What did you do then?
Afton: Went to court.
Al: We proved that they had misrepresented the property but we still kept it.
Afton: The court gave us a reduction on our price.
Al: Well, not really. Then our neighbor Reg Marron Sr. came over and showed us why the land wasn’t productive for what we wanted to do. Meantime we decided to go into the dry cleaning business. And then one day I was helping Reg with his water pump that he had for his stock and I said “You know, we ought to see about leasing this land, put it into a shopping center or something like that.” The Stanford Survey that we had seen showed that El Camino was going to be widened and (Highway) 78 improved and we would probably be able to salvage that property as a commercial property.
Paintings on Permanent Loan to Gage House
We are reactivating our Community Loan Program! Rather than hideaway historic items of interest and that we currently have no place to display, we are creating collections of items that reflect a broad scope of Carlsbad History and will be available for on loan displays. The first this year are a collection of six paintings reflecting Carlsbad’s artistic side. These paintings: oil, acrylic, and watercolors, all feature architecture and landscapes, and will be on display at the historic Luther Gage House. We are doing this to increase our visibility.
Schutte House
Train Depot
Shipley-Magee House
Gertrude Meyers Carriage House
Olde Karlsbad
Acrylic Landscape Coastal /HillsideView
Carlsbad Historical Society Collection Policy
Purpose
The Mission of the Carlsbad Historical Society (CHS) is to collect, exhibit, preserve and interpret the history of Carlsbad, the surrounding area, significant landmarks, and institutions. The Carlsbad Historical Society Museum will collect examples of the material culture that illustrate the history of Carlsbad. Artifacts, documents, written materials and memorabilia added to the permanent collection will be used for exhibition, study and documentary purposes. Items sought and accepted for exhibition should relate to the key ideas and events of the story of Carlsbad History and contribute strongly to the understanding and appreciation of the immigration of Carlsbad residents and subsequent generations. Whenever possible the artifact should have an association with a specific person or institution; an artifact with such an association is preferable to one without.
Collection Policy Statement
The Carlsbad Historical Society follows collection management procedures as outlined by the American Association of Museums and other professional museum organizations in order to provide effective and secure care for its holdings while promoting use of the collection for education, exhibition and research purposes.
In keeping with the statement of purpose, the Museum does not accept items for donation and accession into the collection that do not directly relate to Carlsbad. Only unrestricted gifts/ donations are to be accepted. Some, unrelated, unrestricted items may be accepted as donations for fundraising purposes with full donor understanding and consent.
Proper registration and accessioning practices will be followed for each item accepted and the Carlsbad Historical Society will fully document with appropriate record keeping.
Acquisition Procedures
The Collection Committee will evaluate whether the object in question should become part of the collection. The Committee will recommend to the full Board that the object be accessioned.
Acquisition Policy
The Carlsbad Historical Society actively seeks examples of culture that illustrate the history of Carlsbad. The Society may accept gifts of other items with the understanding that they may be used in any manner the Society chooses. Donors are informed that this may mean the sale of the item with the revenue contributed to the acquisition fund.
Objects may be acquired by purchase, bequest, gift, exchange or abandonment. No objects shall be knowingly or willfully accepted or acquired which are known to have been illegally or unethically collected.
Title to all objects shall be free and clear, supported by documentation.
The Carlsbad Historical Society will accession artifacts into its collection provided the following conditions are met:
The artifact is directly related to the city of Carlsbad and or its surrounding area. The artifacts will illustrate the history of Carlsbad, CHS has written proof of ownership of the object, CHS can maintain the object or group of objects in a stable condition and provide a storage or exhibition environment. CHS will maintain detailed associated records for all accessioned objects. All accessioned objects will be assigned an accession number and be entered into the accession file system. Location of these objects will be clearly indicated in the accession files.
Permanent Collection
Artifacts, documents, written materials and memorabilia added to the permanent collection will be used for exhibition, study and documentary purposes. Items sought and accepted for exhibition should relate closely to the key ideas and events of the story of Carlsbad and subsequent generations of Carlsbadians. Whenever possible, the artifact should have an association with a specific person or institution; an artifact with such an association is preferable to one without.
UER Collection
UER is an acronym for the Utility , Education, Research,/ Reference Collection, which is a “ hands on” use collection. Items in this collection area sought for educational or institutional use. Such, they might be used as general reference material for the public, or serve to illustrate talks and demonstrations.
Deaccession Policy
The Carlsbad Historical Society may consider objects in the collection for deaccessioning unless there are specific restrictions to the contrary. Disposal of Deaccession objects shall be carried out in an ethical manner consistent with professional museum standards.
Carlsbad Historical Society Deed of Gift
I, ____________________, hereby donate the books, papers, and to other historical materials described below to the Carlsbad Historical Society. I am the owner of these materials and now give and assign to the Carlsbad Historical Society legal title, property rights and all rights of copyright which I hold.
The materials shall be maintained, organized and made available for research under the usual procedures of the Carlsbad Historical Society. The papers will not be made available to researchers until a standard inventory of their contents has been prepared.
The Carlsbad Historical Society may dispose of any materials which its representatives determine to have no historical value or permanent interest.
Description of Materials:____________________________________
Signed:__________________________________________________
Dated:___________________________________________________
The gift of historical materials described above is accepted on behalf of the Carlsbad Historical Society, subject to the terms and conditions above.
Signed and dated:___________________________
New Members
Kevin and Deborah McCann - Life Members
Reflections By The Sea - Business Member
Posting in Social Media
History can be found in a variety of places. This image was located on the Facebook “Growing Up In Carlsbad” page.
Picture of Barrio store that preceded “Lolas” store: Jauregui Store in Barrio Carlos shows Connie (now Trejo) and her dad in the 1940s
Carlsbad Historical Society
P.O. Box 252 Carlsbad CA 92018-0252
(760) 434-9189
www.carlsbadhistoricalsociety.com
