Existing comment:
Alonzo E. Horton
1818-1909
Alonzo E. Horton first came to San Diego in 1867, at 54 years of age. He landed at the old wharf and had to wait an hour for a wagon to come and take him to Old Town. While waiting, he immediately fell in love with the vacant land down by the wharf. "I thought San Diego must be a Heaven on Earth. It seemed to me to be the best spot for building a city I ever saw." Within a month, he purchased 960 acres for $265 and began building a city on the waterfront.
Horton lived to be 95 and to the end he was San Diego's most important salesman. He touted its beautiful harbor and its unsurpassed climate. He encouraged growth and commerce. He built a modern wharf. He offered free lots to erect the first homes. he built the Horton House where the US Grant Hotel now stands, where visitors could enjoy the climate. He helped arrange for church sites for any denomination, public parks, a courthouse, schools, a library and a town cemetery. |