Photo by Donald McTim
San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs Natural Park goes all the way back to the early 1900s.
The cliffs stretch for about 1.5 miles along the western face of the Pt. Loma peninsula.
The dramatic scenery attracts photographers from all over; fishermen brave the crashing surf; and nearly 100 weddings are performed here each year.
Daredevils like to jump off the cliffs into the surging waves below, though it is illegal to do so.
But it sure looks like fun.
Locals have tagged various sections with names like Claibornes Cove, Pappys Point, Luscombs Point, the Rock Pile, Ab’s Reef, Newbreak beach, and No Surf Beach.
There should be a section called Spaulding’s beach, or maybe Curveball Beach.
Albert Goodwill Spaulding, the man who started the famous sporting goods store, (and was also elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame with a pitching record of 253 wins and 55 losses, a 2.14 ERA, and a .313 batting average), built a grand park along the cliffs in 1915.
Photo by San Diegan photographer Nick Chill.
www.NickChillPhotography.com
www.NickChillPhotography.com
The park cost Spaulding $2 million to build, and contained landscaped walkways, palm-thatched shelters, arched bridges, and several caves to explore.
The featured attraction was a 15x50 saltwater swimming pool cleverly carved into the natural rock so that the high tides flushed it clean every day.
When Spaulding later bequeathed the park to the City of San Diego, he asked the city to maintain it. The city instead neglected the park, and over the years, despite attempts by other San Diegans to save it, Spaulding's park was lost.
A few footings and handrails can still be seen here and there from the old park structures.
Photograph by Emilio Azevedo
