San Diego History

I enjoy history of all kinds, but I am particularly fond of history from a local point of view; the ordinary, and extraordinary, life of particular places. There are many local history web sites out there, and I have seen quite a few. As a native of Los Angeles, I would like to say that the metropolis of the west has the best local history web site in the west, but that is, unfortunately, far from the case. The very best site in California, and possibly anywhere, is that of the San Diego Historical Society.

This is an extraordinarily impressive site. The home page is primarily and index, with links to a vast number of sub-sites. The Photo Gallery offers a slide show, there is a Timeline of San Diego history, Biographies of notable San Diegans, and many other attractions. The thing I find most interesting is the collection of postcards from the Expositions which have been held in Balboa Park. Just as an example of the treasures of this site, take a look at these hand-colored postcards from the California Pacific Exposition of 1935-36.

There is also an on line sample of an exhibit of local landscape artists currently running (through March 2nd, 2002,) at the San Diego Historical Society Museum.

I have spent many hours perusing this site, and still haven't seen it all. It is well worth a visit.