The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Summer 1971, Volume 17, Number 3
James E Moss, Editor
Main Articles
Developing San Diego’s Desert Empire
By William O. Hendricks
Hugo de Vries Visits San Diego: A Famous Botanist Views the City at the Turn of the Century
By Peter W. van der Pas
Book Reviews
Letter of Luis Jayme, O.F.M., San Diego, October 17, 1772
Translated and edited by Maynard Geiger, O.F.M.
Leland Stanford: Man of Many Careers
By Norman E. Tutorow
David C. Broderick: A Political Portrait
By David A. Williams
Newpaper Clippings
On the Cover
CASA DE ESTUDILLO
Don Jose Antonio Estudillo began construction of his twelve-room house in 1827. Built solidly with walls of adobe two to five feet thick and adorned with a cupola, the house embraces a sizable patio on three sides and once included a chapel and a schoolroom.
Three generations of Estudillos lived in the house which served as an important focal point for the social, cultural and political life of San Diego during the Mexican and early American periods.
An excellent example of early Mexican-California architecture, with furnishings provided by the San Diego Committee of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, the house is located in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park opposite the plaza on the corner of San Diego Avenue and Mason Street. On May 12, 1971, it was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark in ceremonies featuring Robert H. Finch, Counsellor to President Richard M. Nixon.
The cover illustration, a watercolor by Richard Gabriel Chase, was commissioned in 1969 by Fred B. Mitchell. Prints from the original painting were donated to the San Diego Historical Society by Mr. Mitchell before his death in 1970.
Copies of the Casa de Estudillo painting, as well as those from paintings of other historic structures commissioned by Mr. Mitchell, are for sale in Serra Museum Bookstore.
This issue of the The Journal of San Diego History was scanned and proofread by volunteer George Bailey.
