Edward Heuck didn't own Lot 1157 for long. By November 8th, he had sold the plot to William H Cleveland for $60, making a fifty dollar and fifty cent profit off of the land.
I have the deed for that sale too, see?
I have the deed for that sale too, see?
1867 Deed. My property - the deed, not the property.
"Book 2
Pag 354
Date Nov 8th 1867
Consideration, $60.00
Covenants Grant bargain sell ***** ****** release convoy + confirm
NAME OF GRANTOR AS SIGNED
Edward Heuck (LS)
NAME OF GRANTEE IN BODY OF INSTRUMENT
Wm H Cleveland
Ack'd Nov 9th 1867 before G.A. Pendleton co clk with Official Seal.
Filed, Nov 9th 1867 at 15m. past / h Pm. G A Pendleton Recorder.
DESCRIPTION.
Frl lot or parcel of land lying + being between lots 1156 + 1157 + the Bay of San Diego + bounded on the N by sd lot 1156 - of the E by sd lot 1157 + on S+W by the Bay of San Diego being the same land conveyed to sd Heuck by the Trustees of The City of San Diego by deed dated Nov 5th 1867.
Last entry, I featured the original deed that is referenced in this deed, just in case you're curious about the "conveyed to sd Heuck by the Trustees of The City of San Diego" part. If you haven't read it yet, click here to give it a read and the rest of this blog will make better sense. There is another paper adhered to this deed, about half the size.
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
County of San Diego
On this 9th day of ********** one thousand eight hundred and 67 before me G A Pendleton, County Clerk and of official clerk of they county court in and for said County personally appeared Edward Heuck , personally known to me to be the individual described in and who executed annexed instrument as a party hereto acknowledged to me that he executed the same, freely and voluntarily, and for the uses and purposes thereon mentioned.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my official seal, the day and year in this certificate first above written.
SEAL
(OK)
G A Pendleton
Clerk
Cleveland, the man who bought the land from Heuck, was an associate of Hortons. Both would be future Board of Directors for the San Diego Library Association. Cleveland however would be dead by 1871, and Horton apparently claimed his property. (Note: I am actively looking for documented evidence of Horton's claim to the land, which I don't have. If anybody has any information regarding this, please click here to email me.) Horton started by building a five hundred foot Pier at the foot of Fifth Avenue, the southeastern edge of the Lot. From Smythe's History of San Diego, Horton explains the construction of the pier in his own words:
"A man from San Francisco had agreed to put in half the materials and do half the work on this wharf, if I would give him five blocks of land for it. I agreed and he began work under this arrangement; but he soon backed out and I took it off his hands and finished the work myself. This was the first construction work I did in San Diego. The wharf cost altogether $45,000. This Judge Hollister, the same man who bid against me for the last parcel of land I bought from the city trustees (Lot 1133), was the assessor, and he assessed this wharf at $60,000 and tried to make me pay taxes on that valuation. But I took the matter up with higher authorities, showed them just what the wharf had cost, and got the assessment canceled." - History of San Diego, 1542-1908
Seems like this Judge Hollister had it out for Horton for a little while, however things soon began to pay off as 20 houses soon popped up along Fifth Avenue. Because Horton had arrived with so much money, he employed many people and was able to get his way on a lot of things. A slightly off topic, but interesting way he would influence San Diego was by employing only people who's political affiliations leaned towards the Republican Party. Within two years of arriving, Horton claimed to have turned the majority of the city into Republicans.
A picture mural from the San Diego History Center featuring Island Avenue, J Street, Fourth Ave and the 5th Street Wharf. All of it part of Lot 1157.
Because it cost about $30 per passenger and $15 per ton of freight to ride a steamer one way from San Francisco to San Diego, Horton went to the owner and negotiated to have the price lowered, but the owner wouldn't budge. He then went to another man who owned a steamer and for half of the profits in freight, that owner would lower his freight fare to $9 per ton. To ensure even more profitability, Horton then told all of his employees that if they didn't support the opposition steamers, they could find another job. One of the steamers this person owned was called the "Orizaba" with Captain Johnson. This helped grow the population and by the end of 1869, there were 439 houses scattered about.
Every time a steamer ship docked, Horton made anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 selling land. To help beautify things a little, Horton offered to whitewash the half of their houses facing the bay, and to supply the materials for home and business owners to finish the job themselves. New San Diego soon began to overshadow Old San Diego, and talk of moving the government to the New Town soon began to surface. Between 1860 to 1870, the population of the city exploded from 731 to 2,300. By July 1870, the county records would be moved from the Whaley House in Old Town to a freshly built courthouse in New Town, but in doing so, it would split up the team that revived New Town.
"On July 9, 1870, the board of supervisors ordered the removal of the county records from the old town to the new. Judge Morrison, of the district court, immediately required the clerk to make all writs issued from his court returnable in Old Town. County Judge Thomas H. Bush issued an order directing the sheriff to use force, if necessary, to prevent the removal of the records, and a posse of citizens was summoned to aid the sheriff, a cannon planted and guard mounted in front of the jail. The Union put it that Old Town had seceded, and that “Lieut.-Gen. Bush, in command of the artillery, threw up earthworks in front of the jail and placed the field piece in position,…. and now the immortal Bush, seated astride of the plaza cannon, his soul glowing with heroic emotion, exclaims: ‘This rock shall fly from its firm base as soon as I!’ ”
The following year, a relatively new local newspaper called the San Diego Union, moved their business from the old town to the new. Later, Horton, Morse, Mannasse and the San Diego Union - notice Bush is now out of the picture - helped to pay to have Telegraph poles distributed and installed in the city. Gold was discovered in the eastern mountain town of Julian, a gem called Tourmaline was discovered in the Pala area and property values all over the county inflated. Because of the location of the pier, Fifth Street, would became a main thoroughfare, as well as the business hub of the city. Not far from Lot 1157, the Horton House was built as a Hotel and half a block was reserved for a plaza.
"Outside of Horton’s Addition, but within a mile and a quarter of the business center of the city, lots vary in value from $50 to $100 each."
The first time a lot inside the boundaries of the deed were specifically mentioned in Smythe's History of San Diego went like this:
"Two buildings on First Street between H and I, and a number of other smaller ones. Bank building now under way, $40,000 to $50,000."
"In May of this year (1870) occurred the opening of Horton’s Hall as a theater."
The slow pace of both old and new towns began to speed up, but the boom wouldn't come until later. Still these years seemed to be golden in the eyes of Smythe. Elsewhere in the county, the Derby Dike was in the middle of construction, which would divert the water coming from the San Diego River from emptying into the two bays, to out into the Pacific Ocean. In 1871, nearby Mount Hope was set aside as a Cemetery.
By 1872 the three largest landowners in the County were Alonzo Horton, John Forester and the Kimball Bros. During the year, a fire broke out in Old San Diego, destroying many of the buildings and leaving the area practically abandoned. Some excitement ensued when it was rumored that a railroad would soon pass through the city, but plans fell though in the financial Panic of 1873. The following year, the first city directory was released.
One of the early properties on the lot. Picture from City's first directory, released in 1874.
In 1875, a 27 year old Chinese man named Ah Quin came to San Diego and began working for the Southern California Railroad. He would later represent Chinatown, which was on our Lot, on the block between 3rd and Island and 4th and J. The Chinese were victims of racism however. By law, their occupations were restricted to things like farming and restaurant services.
The following year, a "Birds eye" view of San Diego was released with the lot represented prominently.
Fifth Street certainly does look like the business hub with the street lined with buildings. Notice that there are no tracks, no telephone lines, no skyrises, no stadiums. The road is dirt, the fields are dirt and there are no cars. Just a collection of one and two story wooden and brick houses, hotels, and various shops. Harbor Drive, Seaport Village, the Embarcadero: All are non-existent here. Yet, you can still look at it and know that it is San Diego.
Life out at sea was still rough during those times, so when the ships made port at the Fifth Street Pier, the sailors treated San Diego like a common seaport. Much shenanigans ensued. Naturally, businesses on Fifth Street adapted to said shenanigans and began opening bars and brothels. For instance, at the corner of 4th Street and K Street was a bar called the "First and Last Chance Saloon", its location telling a lot about why it was named that. It's so close to the pier that it became the first chance to have a drink as you entered the city and the last chance to drink before heading back out to sea.
Another Saloon in the lot was Cassidy's Saloon, which sat on Fifth Avenue. It was owned by two brothers named Pete and Dan Cassidy. Pete was a fugitive hiding from the law after he killed a cop in Milwaukee. He and his brother fled to San Diego and opened a number of bars including this one. One day, while tending to his guests, Dan seems to have had a silent dispute with somebody named "Russian Mike", so nobody was paying attention. Suddenly, a shot rang out and Dan just fell dead. Russian Mike was left standing, holding a gun, a puff of black smoke was dissipating close by.
Pete was now the sole owner of Cassidy's Saloon. Pete's bars were special for they allowed prostitution and gambling, vices that were normally frowned upon, in the back of the saloons. San Diego was much rougher back then, and as the population continued to grow, more people began to see the area as an eye-sour.
The street that is called "Market" today was called "H Street" back then, the northern boundary of Lot 1157. Wider than the other streets, it also became the northern boundary of the what became the crib district, or the "Stingaree". It got to the point where goody-two-shoes would refuse to step foot in the area after dark, lest temptation fill their souls and they get arrested, their mugshot taken for museum goers to see a hundred years later. Also, if the drudge of the Stingaree found themselves outside of their boundaries, they could be arrested.
Some of the most notorious villainy in the Stingaree included addicts, marijuana peddlers and prostitutes.
This is how the San Diego History Center described the story of how the Stingaree got its name, during a 2014 exhibition:
During the 1880s, the population once again boomed - except for the Chinese. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, was signed by President Chester A Arthur, which restricted Chinese immigration. Population boom nonetheless, San Diego opened its first telephone company and public library around this time. The transcontinental railroad finally reached San Diego by 1885, and the following year, electric lights were installed in the city. Across the bay, construction of a large hotel began on what used to be called "South Island". A man named Wyatt Earp and his wife, Josie arrived in town from San Francisco, and for a few years were involved in many local businesses. If you've ever learned about Tombstone, it's the same guy, years later.
The city was never lit by gas lamps, the name "Gaslamp Quarter" is a misnomer. Once electricity was installed, the streets were lit by arc lamps. (Click here to find out what that is)
In 1887, a story published in the San Diego Union shed some light on what happened in the Stingaree after dark. When the sun went down over the Pacific, you would start to hear music: Pianos, fiddles and other various instruments playing the hits of those times, such as "Angels Without Wings" by W.M. George Dance, "Ti! Hi! Tiddelly Hi!", by Joseph Tabraror or if the holidays were around the corner, "Away in a Manger" by James Ramsey Murray.
You would probably smell a mixture of the salty sea, horse manure, body odor and urine as you walked down the streets. You may see drunks passed out in the street, women looking for your attention (if you looked like you had a little money), and horse drawn carriages passing by on muddy roads or parked along boarded sidewalks. Along the beachfront, you might spot the Cozy Cottage and one way or another, find out that it's a brothel. Keep walking and on 4th Avenue, you might spot the Canary Cottage - another brothel, except this one was a high-end one. If you entered a bar, you would soon feel drunk. Getting too drunk could be dangerous though as people who were too drunk would be openly robbed, and if you were a sailor, you could be kidnapped and held until considered AWOL by the U.S. Navy, then turned in for a reward.
McGURK BLOCK, Fifth and Market, built 1887 - Vintage San Diego
By 1888, the Sweetwater Dam and the Hotel Del Coronado was completed. The Hotel Del sitting on former South Island, now, Coronado, was thought of as a "technological marvel" for its impressive use of electric lights that you could see from across the bay. From the pier on Fifth Ave, a road was constructed following the waterfront until it connected to H Street named "Harbor Drive". A lot of the labor for these projects was done by immigrants living in Chinatown. Despite the hard work, times were beginning to get tougher. Chinese Immigrants were further restricted by the Scott Act, signed that year by President Grover Cleveland, which prevented Chinese immigrants abroad from returning to the U.S. Despite this, Chinese businesses did just fine.
By the 1890s, there was an electric rail line that ran though the city, but it was unsuccessful and was now owned by John D. Spreckels, one of the men behind the Hotel Del. Coronado would later incorporate into a city, and on the highlands to the east of San Diego, named City Park, woman named Kate Sessions leased some land where she began to plant lots and lots of trees.
An etching of San Diego from 1890. Lot 1157 is in yellow.
A financial depression began in 1893 and an earthquake struck in 1894. By then, Wyatt Earp and his wife had long returned to San Francisco. Chinatown residents, having limited options, began opening gambling establishments and selling lottery tickets. Alonzo Horton decided to sell his plaza to the city for $10,000 without interest. Prostitution, also known as "The Flesh Trade" also began to rise. The women involved were usually orphans who ran out of options in a world that only saw them as sex toys. Though prostitution was profitable, the prostitutes were poor because they had to pay their pimps or madams, who would lodge them and offer a degree of protection. They usually suffered from addiction and carried various venereal diseases. Woman that were dressed well and didn't smoke or swear could charge higher prices for their services.
Was there an uproar over having such an area in San Diego where people openly drank and gambled? There was some. People who didn't like the drinking, drugs, gambling or prostitution going on tried to get city officials to crack down, but the truth was that there was too much money being made in the area - even back then, and business owners are a powerful class that don't like it when their businesses are affected, naturally. It would have also diverted police away from other places that needed protection, seeing as there was anywhere from 16 to 45 officers in the city then estimated to have about 27,000 people in it at the time.
City's arrest log for March of 1896
However, as the 19th century morphed into the 20th, a Temperance Movement would soon become popular. Thirty three years after Alonzo Horton bought and sold a ridiculous amount of land for a ridiculous about of money, that land grew into a large city with a dirty little district, partially represented by the deeds that these blogs have featured. Horton had proved that the land could grow into a city, now the land would have to be tamed of its "wild west" feel.
Plaque at the foot of one of the downtown establishments. I bet they're lying.
By 1900 though, the population dipped to 17,700. By now the Stingaree was home to more than 100 saloons and 120 brothels that still used wash bowls and pitchers as restrooms, while outside the Stingaree, new buildings with electricity and indoor plumbing started to spring up and the contrast soon began to show. In 1903, there was a raid on the Canary Cottage.
Before the raid, a woman named Charlotte Baker was a leader in the Temperance Movement. Along with other leaders, she started the Vice Suppression Committee which was dedicated to cleaning up the Stingaree. Understanding the need to help the women, she also started the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which raised money in hopes of building a shelter for "indigent, unfortunate, aged or helpless women and for women in moderate circumstances and for such as we may be able to pay reasonable compensation for board and lodging".
Before the raid on Canary Cottage, the establishment was made comfortable with the finest cigars and alcohol... along with the classiest women - the ones that didn't swear and all that. This attracted the "classiest" men, like the Republican mayor of San Diego at the time, Frank Frary. Because the raid took place without official warning, Frary didn't know about it and had spent the night there on 1903 when the raid began. Frary escaped by climbing down one of the two large magnolia trees that hid the Cottage from site, but the place would stay open for business and the following year, Mayor Frary would be reelected as Mayor of San Diego.
According to the San Diego History Center, the Stingaree encompassed Lot 1157 as well as well as E Street, F Street, G Street and Sixth Street.
In 1905, at the eastern edge of the county, the Salton Sea was accidentally created and just outside San Diego Bay, a Navy ship called the Bennington exploded, killing 60 sailors and starting the cemetery that sits upon Fort Rosecrans. Meanwhile, Lot 1157 would slowly continue to develop throughout the 20th century.
The end of San Diego's Stingaree began slowly and crept in from the eastern highlands of City Park. After Panama became independent from Colombia, the new country made a treaty with the United States and began building a canal though it. San Diego would be the closest U.S. port to the man-made "Northwest Passage" that was being built in Panama, so the timing seemed just right to reintroduce San Diego to the world.
... but these brothels? What would the world think?
RIO HOTEL, 536 Fifth, built 1913. - Vintage San Diego
The city loved the idea, believing they could raise millions of dollars, they decided to hold the fair at City Park. Renaming it "Balboa Park", they built many structures and prepared for the world. While the construction was underway at the park, the question of what to do with the Stingaree fell under Walter Bellon, who worked for the San Diego Department of Health.
"You may abolish the crib distrct, if you please, but is it just or wise to infect the whole community by scattering the social sore, or to purify our own city by forcing our social corruption upon the inhabitants of other cities?" How thoughtful...
Bellon's plan was simple: Conduct surprise inspections throughout the district and condemn and destroy the worst of the buildings. Of course, there would be no compensation for any of the destroyed buildings, so many of the residents and business owners simply lost out. The raid was conducted on November 10, 1912 resulting in about 120 structures destroyed and 500 rooms condemned. Many buildings in Chinatown were also condemned and destroyed, making many Chinese immigrants destitute. 138 women were arrested for prostitution and charged $100 each. They were also given the option to either leave the city, or to reform their ways, which only two accepted - the other 136 were shipped out of the city. A lot of money must have been lost.
The raid didn't solve the problem. Prostitution would rise again when San Diego became a major Navy port during WWI and there were an estimated 235 arrests per year after 1912. If anything, the raid divided the government from the poor and business class. Some were upset that only the women were arrested while the men, who were just as culpable, weren't. When asked about it, Mayor James E. Wadham claimed ignorance. Much of the blame was placed on the police.
Chart from San Diego History Center shows the number of arrests for prostitution from 1912 to 1925, showing an obvious rise since the raid of 1912... the raid didn't help.
The controversy soon passed however, as the the 1915 Panama-California Exposition began and much of the City did their best to put on a smile for the rest of the world. This is a vintage postcard of Fifth Street that I ordered off of Ebay. My only issue with it is that it doesn't tell you the year it was taken, but I'm assuming between 1900 and 1915. The back is a blank postcard template with no writing or stamp. The writing on the side says "I have opened a place here - Fred". Looks like this was taken from Fifth and Market Street, looking West.
Original Vintage postcard of what is now fifth avenue. My property.
I'm going to take a break on the first, but I will post something that day. I want to try and take some more time to focus on "Manifest Destiny". My thought for now is to display and explain certain documents and pictures I got from Ebay, but they will be much shorter. Thanks for sticking with me for this long.
A good way to see how much as changed is the see this comparison. This was a mural that stood in the San Diego History Center in 2014.
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