Skip to content
GoCoronado GoCoronado

The Story of Coronado: From Sagebrush to the Crown City

From a wild rabbit-hunting peninsula purchased for $110,000 in 1885 to the world's most glamorous Victorian seaside resort, Coronado has welcomed kings, inventors, Hollywood legends, and naval pioneers for over 140 years.

View Chronological Timeline Historic Mansions Walking Guide Listen to Audio Tour
1885 Genesis

The $110,000 Jackrabbit Hunt

In 1885, retired Indiana railroad executive Elisha Babcock Jr. moved to San Diego for his health. Along with Hampton L. Story, a Chicago piano manufacturer, the two took small rowboats across San Diego Bay to hunt wild jackrabbits in the thick brush of the uninhabited peninsula.

Sitting amidst the sand dunes, they conceived a daring vision: to purchase the entire 4,000-acre peninsula, build a luxurious hotel that would attract international travelers, and establish a permanent seaside village. On December 10, 1885, Babcock and Story acquired the island at public auction for $110,000, immediately hiring hundreds of laborers to grade streets, lay water pipes, and plant thousands of eucalyptus and palm saplings.

1900 to 1939

The Magic of Coronado Tent City

Recognizing that the opulent Hotel del Coronado was too expensive for working families, sugar baron John D. Spreckels founded Tent City in June 1900 on the sand dunes along the Silver Strand. For nearly four decades, it operated as a self-contained summer paradise with over 1,000 red-and-white canvas tents.

Each tent featured wooden floors, clean running water, and electric lamps. Guests enjoyed floating bandstands with 40-piece orchestras, swimming pools, a roller-skating rink, daily soda fountains, and a boardwalk Ferris wheel. Tent City operated until 1939, when the U.S. Navy required the beach acreage to expand military defenses for World War II.

Naval Heritage

The Birthplace of Naval Aviation

In January 1911, aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss signed an agreement with John D. Spreckels to establish a free winter flying school on the barren flats of North Island. Curtiss modified his wood-and-fabric biplanes with pontoon floats, achieving the world's first practical seaplane flight on January 26, 1911.

Curtiss trained the U.S. Navy's very first naval aviator, Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson (Naval Aviator #1), in the calm waters of Spanish Bight. Today, Naval Air Station North Island remains the master air station of the Pacific Fleet, and Coronado is officially recognized by Congress as the Birthplace of Naval Aviation.

Maritime Legend

The SS Monte Carlo Casino Shipwreck

During the 1930s Prohibition era, the SS Monte Carlo, a 300-foot ferro-concrete oil tanker originally built in 1919, was anchored three miles off Coronado in international waters beyond the jurisdiction of California law. Operating as a floating casino, it offered roulette, craps, slot machines, dance halls, and illicit liquor.

On New Year's Eve 1936, a massive Pacific gale tore the vessel from its heavy anchor moorings. Drifting into Coronado surf on New Year's Day 1937, the massive ship beached opposite the Coronado Shores. Legend persists that thousands of silver dollars remain buried beneath the sand inside its concrete hull, which still emerges during negative winter low tides.

Visionaries Who Shaped Coronado

Meet the builders, philanthropists, authors, and aviators who transformed an empty sand peninsula into an international crown jewel.

Elisha Babcock Jr. & Hampton L. Story

Founders of Coronado (1885)

Two visionaries from the Midwest who turned an uninhabited sagebrush spit into a world-class seaside resort. Babcock managed operations and infrastructure, while Story helped finance the early hotel construction and water systems.

John D. Spreckels

Sugar Baron & Island Benefactor

Spreckels rescued Hotel del Coronado from financial distress in 1890, built Tent City, funded the public library, donated Spreckels Park to the community, and constructed the San Diego and Arizona Railway.

Glenn H. Curtiss

Father of Naval Aviation

Aviation innovator whose 1911 flying camp on North Island developed the seaplane and hydroaeroplane, transforming naval warfare and making Coronado the cradle of naval aviation.

L. Frank Baum

Author of The Wizard of Oz

Spent winters between 1904 and 1910 writing three Oz books in a sunny yellow cottage on Star Park Circle. Baum designed the Crown Room chandeliers inside Hotel del Coronado and credited the resort as inspiration for the Emerald City.

Chronological Timeline of Coronado

Major historical events that defined the Crown City from 1885 to the modern era

1885

Founding of the Crown City

Retiree Elisha Babcock Jr. and piano manufacturer Hampton L. Story purchased the uninhabited 4,000-acre peninsula at auction for $110,000 while hunting jackrabbits in the coastal brush. Envisioning 'a grand hotel that would be the talk of the Western world,' they founded the Coronado Beach Company, subdivided lots, planted eucalyptus groves, and brought water pipelines across San Diego Bay.

1888

Hotel del Coronado Opens

Designed by architects James and Merritt Reid, the magnificent Queen Anne Victorian resort opened on February 19, 1888. It was hailed as an architectural triumph, boasting one of the world's first large-scale electric light installations personally planned and inspected by inventor Thomas Edison.

1890

Incorporation as an Independent City

Coronado officially incorporated as an independent municipal city within California, electing its first city council and establishing permanent municipal services, paved roadways, and civic parks centered around Orange Avenue.

1900

The Legendary Tent City Era Begins

Civic leader and sugar baron John D. Spreckels created 'Tent City' on the Silver Strand dunes south of Hotel del Coronado. For 39 years, over 1,000 striped canvas tents with wooden platforms and electric lighting offered affordable seaside vacations to over 10,000 summer visitors each year, featuring open-air dance pavilions, floating bandstands, and a Ferris wheel.

1908

Spreckels Builds His Italian Renaissance Mansion

Following the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake, John D. Spreckels built an earthquake-proof mansion made of solid reinforced concrete on Glorietta Bay. The estate later became the beloved Glorietta Bay Inn, preserving its original marble grand staircase and brass fixtures.

1911

Official Birthplace of Naval Aviation

Aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss established a winter flying encampment on North Island. Curtiss trained the first naval aviators, designed the first successful seaplane, and completed the first ship-to-shore landing in San Diego Bay, forever cementing Coronado's identity as the Birthplace of Naval Aviation.

1920

Royal Encounter: Prince of Wales & Wallis Simpson

In April 1920, Edward, Prince of Wales (who would later abdicate the British throne as King Edward VIII) attended a grand banquet in the Crown Room at Hotel del Coronado. Coronado socialite Wallis Warfield Simpson attended the same festivities, an encounter that later altered the course of the British monarchy.

1927

Charles Lindbergh Departs from Rockwell Field

Charles Lindbergh tested the Spirit of St. Louis at Rockwell Field on North Island, fine-tuning fuel loads before taking off from Coronado on May 10, 1927, on the first cross-country leg toward New York and his historic non-stop solo transatlantic flight to Paris.

1937

SS Monte Carlo Gambling Ship Wreck

On New Year's Day 1937, a fierce winter gale snapped the mooring chains of the SS Monte Carlo, a 300-foot concrete oil tanker converted into an offshore speakeasy and casino anchored three miles off Coronado. The vessel drifted ashore onto Central Beach, where its concrete hull remains visible at extreme low tides today.

1939

Tent City Closes for National Defense

As war loomed in the Pacific, Tent City permanently shuttered so the U.S. Navy could expand Naval Air Station North Island and naval amphibious training along the Silver Strand, transforming Coronado into a vital Pacific theater hub.

1958

Marilyn Monroe Films 'Some Like It Hot'

Director Billy Wilder selected Hotel del Coronado to portray the lavish 1920s Florida resort 'The Seminole Ritz' in the comedy classic Some Like It Hot. Stars Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis spent weeks filming along Coronado Central Beach, creating cinema history.

1969

San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge Opens

Designed by architect Robert Mosher, the 2.12-mile landmark bridge opened on August 2, 1969, replacing the historic automobile ferries that had operated since 1886. The bridge was engineered with a graceful 90-degree curve to achieve a smooth 4.67% incline and 200 feet of maritime clearance for Navy supercarriers.

2002

Coronado Bridge Toll Permanently Retired

After 33 years and millions of crossings that fully amortized the original $47.6 million construction bond, Caltrans officially ceased all toll collections, making Coronado travel 100% free for all vehicles.

Coronado History Questions & Answers

Origins of the Crown City, Tent City lore, bridge toll history, and shipwrecks.

Why is Coronado called the Crown City?
Coronado takes its name from the Coronado Islands, named in 1602 by Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino in honor of the four crowned martyrs (Los Cuatro Coronados). 'Coronado' translates from Spanish as 'crowned', giving rise to the city's civic nickname: the Crown City.
Is Coronado technically an island or a peninsula?
Geographically, Coronado is a tied peninsula (tombolo) connected to the mainland at Imperial Beach by the seven-mile-long Silver Strand isthmus. However, because early residents and visitors arrived almost exclusively by ferry across San Diego Bay, it has been affectionately known as 'the Island' since 1885.
What was Coronado Tent City and why did it close?
Founded in 1900 by sugar baron John D. Spreckels, Tent City was an affordable summer resort featuring over 1,000 canvas tent-cabins with electric lights, floating bandstands, swimming pools, and a Ferris wheel. It operated for 39 consecutive summers until 1939, when the land was transferred to the U.S. Navy for WWII defense expansion.
When was the toll on the Coronado Bay Bridge eliminated?
The bridge toll was permanently retired on June 27, 2002. After 33 years of collecting a $1.00 toll, the original $47.6 million construction bond was completely paid off, making bridge crossings 100% free for all vehicles.
Where can visitors see the wreckage of the SS Monte Carlo casino ship?
The remains of the 300-foot concrete shipwreck rest in the surf directly in front of the Coronado Shores condominium towers (near Avenida del Sol). The hull is submerged at high tide but becomes clearly visible during negative winter low tides (minus tides).

Visit the Coronado Historical Association Museum

Located at 1100 Orange Avenue in the historic 1910 Bank of Commerce building. The museum offers permanent galleries featuring Victorian resort artifacts, historic photographs, Tent City memorabilia, and docent-led walking tours every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 10:00 AM.

Free Audio Walking Tour Historic Homes Tour Naval Aviation Heritage Arts & Culture Guide