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The World's Fairs That Built Modern Balboa Park
Balboa Park's famous architecture wasn't created all at once. Two major expositions—in 1915-16 and 1935-36—helped transform San Diego's City Park into the cultural landmark we know today.
By Greg Ross
How Balboa Park Got Its Name — And the Story San Diego Got Wrong
Discover the heated naming debate, the Cabrillo proposal, the choice of Balboa—and why the familiar story of a naming-contest winner may not be true.
By Greg Ross
Why Balboa Park Exists at All
In 1868, when San Diego had only about 2,300 residents, city leaders set aside 1,400 acres for a public park. The remarkable decision—and the fights that followed—created today's Balboa Park.
By Greg Ross
From 6 A.M. Happy Hours to Lines Around the Block
The Wild History of Coaster Saloon
By Greg Ross
The Night the Old Globe Burned Down
On March 8, 1978, an arson fire destroyed San Diego's beloved Old Globe Theatre—just two weeks after another devastating Balboa Park arson fire. The theater refused to stay dark.
By Greg Ross
The Day San Diego Tried to Ban Street Speech
n 1912, San Diego banned public speaking in a downtown zone around Fifth and E Streets. The ordinance triggered mass arrests, overflowing jails, vigilante violence and one of America's most notorious free-speech fights.
By Greg Ross
The Woman Who Planted San Diego: Kate Sessions | San Diego Uncovered
Meet Kate Sessions, the pioneering horticulturist known as the Mother of Balboa Park. Her remarkable 1892 deal with San Diego required her to plant 100 park trees a year and provide 300 more for the city."> <meta name="keywords" content="Kate Sessions, Mother of Balboa Park, Balboa Park history, San Diego trees, San Diego history, Kate Sessions nursery, San Diego Uncovered
By Greg Ross
The Bizarre Attractions of San Diego's 1935 Exposition
San Diego's 1935 California Pacific International Exposition had far more than beautiful architecture. Its Midway featured Ripley's oddities, a miniature city, Dillinger's car, a mechanical man, motorcycle stunts, lion and snake farms, Gold Gulch and more.
By Greg Ross
The Balboa Park Building That Burned Before the Fireman's Ball | San Diego Uncovered
On November 25, 1925, a Balboa Park building being prepared for San Diego's annual Fireman's Ball caught fire and burned to the ground. The timing was almost unbelievable—and potentially lifesaving."> <meta name="keywords" content="Balboa Park fire 1925, Fireman's Ball San Diego, Southern California Counties Building, Balboa Park history, San Diego history, strange San Diego history, San Diego Uncovered
By Greg Ross
Balboa Park Once Had a Nudist Colony
Discover the strange story of Zoro Garden, one of the most talked-about attractions at San Diego's 1935 California Pacific International Exposition.
By Greg Ross
Before the Gaslamp: Inside San Diego's Wild Stingaree District
Before San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter became a dining and nightlife destination, the same downtown streets were known as the Stingaree—a notorious district of saloons, gambling, brothels and vice. Discover the strange history behind the neighborhood.
By Greg Ross
The Rainmaker Who May Have Flooded San Diego
In 1915, San Diego agreed to pay Charles Hatfield $10,000 to fill a reservoir. Weeks later, catastrophic floods devastated the county. Did San Diego's famous rainmaker actually cause it?
By Greg Ross