El Cajon Timeline

florist shop

It Happened In The......

1542- Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay and found Indians living there.

1769- San Diego Mission started.

1820- Mission Padres explored El Cajon Valley to start farming.

1820- Jesse Wilbur Ames arrived in San Diego from Plainsfield, Connecticut.

1838- Miguel Pedrorena arrived in San Diego from Peru.

1838- Jesse Ames married in San Diego Mission to Perfecta

1844- Padres had many cattle pasturing in the El Cajon Valley.

1845- El Cajon Rancho given to Maria Antonio Pedrorena.

1848- War ended with U.S and Mexico. The El Cajon Rancho was now part of the U.S.

1850- Miguel Pedrorena dies and was buried in Old Town.

1850- Heavy rains and flooding waters.

1857- First mail through El Cajon on horse back.

1859- Jesse Julian Ames bought the Los Coches Rancho from the Catholic Church.

1862- Heavy rains flooded the area.

1865- William and Emily Flinn and family came to El Cajon Valley.

1866- Jesse Ames dies while getting his wagon out of the mud.

1868- Isaac Lankershim bought El Cajon Rancho.

1868- Chase received 7, 624 acres of land from Lankershim know as the Chase Rancho.

1869- El Cajon Valley opened for settlement.

1869- Amaziah Knox came to the valley.

1869- The Uri Hill family came to El Cajon and built the Claydelle Ranch.

1869- Harbison & R.G. Clark came to the valley with bees.

1869- Many squatters tried settling in El Cajon.

1869- The J.M. Asher family moved from San Francisco to San Diego and established San Diego's first florist shop.

1870- A.T. Christian planted the first citrus grove.

1870- Miss Bishop taught the first school in a small house on Park and Magnolia built by a squatter north of Knox Corners.

1875- J.O. Miner has a very fashionable boarding house in the Santee area--near North Magnolia and Mission Gorge Road. He had come to the valley about the same time as Levi Chase.

1876- Knox built his hotel and livery stable.

1876- Mr. R. G. Clark purchased 230 acres in El Cajon Valley and began ranching--fruit trees, vines and grain.

1876 - Attendance at school was now twenty pupils--taught by Ada Lucas.

1877- Teacher was Lydia Jane Dickinson.

1877- On the School Board were Knox, Hill, and Chase.

1877- Only twenty-five white families in the valley--90 people.

1877- John Rea and his wife opened the first General Store in the valley. It was kitty-corner from the Knox Hotel on Main and Magnolia.

1878- George A. Cowles purchased large acreage on north side of valley. The J.O. Miner ranch was a part of the purchase.

1878- Amaziah Knox married Mrs. Birdsey.

1879- J.M. Asher bought 40 acres from R.G. Clark.

1882- Duncan McFadden and his wife built a house and blacksmith shop on the main road across from the Knox hotel.

1883- J.M. Asher family moved to El Cajon from Paradise Valley- name their El Cajon ranch "Castle Rock Ranch".

1883- First church in El Cajon was the Presbyterian Church.

1884- The Alan Hawley family came to El Cajon Valley- held much property along Pepper Drive.

1886- The Corona Hotel was built by Mrs. Anna S. Knowles.

1886- Jesse Hall moved into El Cajon Valley.

1886- The Boston Ranch- 500 acres of land sold to a group of people from Boston- (Mr. Souther and Mr. Crosby)

1886- S.D. Flume Co. organized. A group of wealthy English investors bought stocks and bonds to start bringing water from Cuyamaca through El Cajon to San Diego- completed in 1889.

1887- In 1887 there were 3 telephone lines to El Cajon from San Diego.

1887- The Meridian School District was formed.

1889- McFadden built shops across Magnolia from the General Store.

1889- Old meridian School Built at Third and Naranca St.

1889- Cuyamaca Railroad completed through El Cajon.

1889- El Cajon's first newspaper office established- "The El Cajon Star" published by Francis Whaley.

1892- The Wright family built a Harness Ship next to the General Store

1892- At this time a wine factory was built at the corner of Lexington and Jamacha Road by H.S. Richards. This was later owned by Mr. Burgess and then by Stell and Burgess.

1892- Many farmers now growing grapes.

1892- March 12, First edition of a weekly newspaper called "Valley News" published by W.H. Somers.

1892- El Cajon Valley had about 600 inhabitants with land selling at $25.00 to $150.00 per acre.

The ivy which was used so extensively in the landscaping was obtained from Castle Rocks Ranch in El Cajon. Mr. J. M. Asher, San Diego's first florist and pioneer nurseryman (1869) and developer of Castle Rocks Ranch in 1879 had brought the ivy to Castle Rocks. It was taken to the Grossmont High School campus by the Busch boys who were among the first students to attend there and whose parents owned Castle Rocks Ranch at that time.

In the year 1922-1923, the first classes of the Grossmont Union High School were held on the new Grossmont campus. Mr. Carl Vance was the principal and Mr. Carl Quicksall, a teacher. In 1924, Mr. Quicksall became superintendent when Mr. Carl Vance resigned. In 1944, Mr. Quicksall retired and Mr. Lewis Smith became superintendent. Mr. Lewis Smith retired in 1964 and Mr. John T. Warburton took over as superintendent.

1952- Helix High School was built in La Mesa at 7323 University Avenue with Mr. Benton Hart as the principal.

1955- El Cajon Valley High School was built in El Cajon at 1035 East Madison Avenue with Mr. John Cornelius as its principal. Mr. Cornelius retired in the spring of 1969 and Mr. James R. Peace, a former teacher at that school, became the new principal.

1957- Mount Miguel High School was built in Spring Valley at 1800 Sweetwater Road with Mr. Melvin Grant as its principal.

1959- El Capitan High School was constructed in Lakeside at 10410 Ashwood (formerly part of San Diego River) with Mr. Russel Savage as principal.

1960- Granite Hills High School was built in El Cajon at 1719 East Madison Avenue and Mr. Phillip Morell is the principal.

1961- Monte Vista High School was also built in Spring Valley at 3230 Sweetwater Road with Mr. Stanley McClintic as principal.

1965- Santana High School was constructed in Santee at 9915 Magnolia Avenue with Mr. Robert Spencer as principal.

Typed By Chelsie, Cammi, and Danielle

Questions on Time Line

1. What was new on Main Street?________________________________________________

2.What was built near the railroad tracks?__________________________________________

3. What did W.D. Hall and Charles Kessler do? _____________________________________

4. Where did they start their business?_____________________________________________

5. Why did some people leave the valley? ___________________________________________

6. What were the tragedies of the McFadden family?___________________________________

7. What was the biggest change at the end of the century?________________________________

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