The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Winter 1985, Volume 31, Number 1
Thomas L. Scharf, Editor
Book Notes
Raymond Starr, Book Review Editor
The Little Clubhouse on Steamship Wharf: San Diego Rowing Club, 1888-1983. By Patricia A. Schaelchlin. Leucadia, California: Rand Editions, 1984. Illustrations. Bibliography. Index. 64 pages. $6.95 Paper.
The San Diego Rowing Club is one of the oldest organizations in San Diego. Since 1888 it has played a part in the social, athletic and political life of the community, and has numbered among its members some of the city’s most prominent citizens. The Club’s annual January 1 swim (with the participants warmed afterwards with the Club’s chili) has helped publicize San Diego’s mild climate. In recent years the Club has often been in the news as the fate of its 1899 Clubhouse at the foot of Fifth has been debated. Patricia A. Schaelchlin has written the first history of the Rowing Club and its clubhouse. Drawing from the Club’s records and other primary sources, she has traced its activities since 1888, with an emphasis on the building and on the Club’s athletic activities. The brief text is illuminated with a large and well chosen selection of photographs (64 photos in 64 pages of text). The Little Clubhouse on Steamship Wharf is an appealing book – for its entertaining look at a part of San Diego, and as a contribution to the history of the city.
