Existing comment:
The Militarization of Balboa Park:
In 1909, the Chamber of Commerce began to plan a grand celebration in the form of a World's Fair to honor the opening of the Panama Canal, scheduled to occur in 1915. The Congress awarded San Francisco the privilege and the funs to hold a World's Fair for the exact same purpose, so San Diegans scaled their event a little smaller, calling it the Panama-California Exposition, to be held in City -- now Balboa -- Park. The city leaders invited Colonel Joseph Pendleton, in command of the 4th Marines then encamped on North Island, to move his regiment to the park where they could set up a "model camp" as part of the Expedition.
Pendleton had endeared himself to the local business community by identifying himself in a speech as a "SAN DIEGO BOOSTER" (emphasis original); and he applied to his superiors for permission to participate, which was granted. Half of the 4th Regiment went north to San Francisco for the same purpose; the rest stayed in San Diego, establishing Marine Barracks Balboa Park before the end of 1914. By all accounts, the Marines proved to be one of the most popular attractions, delighting the Exposition's 3.7 million visitors with daily parades and demonstrations of military prowess over a period that spanned most of two years. |