Carlsbad Time Lines
Q2 2026 Carlsbad, California, Historical Society
Presidents Letter
Spring is here, and when visiting Magee Park we are welcomed with the beautiful blooming roses. While the garden has changed a bit during the decades after the gardens were planted by Ivy Bodin, the roses are still greeting visitors to our museum and history center with a variety of blossoms. A visit is a truly unique experience considering the vast variety of roses.
We’ve organized a small display dedicated to the rose garden, Carlsbad floriculture, and additional information about both, and hope you take the time to visit.
Speaking of visiting–we’ve had an abundance of visitors both in person and on our website. More and more people are finding us and enjoying our museum.
The Army Navy Academy video production classes have created a short and informative video shown on the ANA Family information channel, featuring the Carlsbad Historical Society and history center as part of a class project. These class projects focus on areas in Carlsbad of interest to the parents. As soon as the editing is completed we’ll forward the link.
Once again, 3rd graders will be visiting Magee House and Barn in May and early June. It’s a highlight of the year having the kids and their questions. Please contact us if you are interested in helping share our history to these school children.
A special thank you to Mayor Pro Tem and Councilmember Priya Bhat-Patel for putting together aCity of Carlsbad Certificate of Recognition presented to the Family of Marge Howard Jones. The city recognized the many contributions Marge made to the Carlsbad Community.
Ann Kulchin
Former Councilmember Ann Kulchin and member of the Carlsbad Historical Society passed away March 9, 2026. Her graciousness and smile will be missed. First elected to the Carlsbad City Council in 1980, Ann served until 2012. Her involvement and dedication will be remembered, appreciated, and admired for all she did for Carlsbad and San Diego County. Ann was often seen out and about at city events with her beloved grandchildren in tow. If you enjoy Carlsbad’s open space, thank Ann’s participation in creating our Growth Management Plan, and if you enjoy our Dove Library, once again thank Ann.
Ann Kulchin Ann with David, daughter Leslie, and the triplet grandkids
Veterans Memorial Park
This 1970s aerial photo shows the approximate location of Carlsbad’s newest and biggest park on schedule for construction beginning in 2027. Located in the center of the image is the Allan O. Kelly adobe, and the park will be slightly to the right of the adobe. The Veterans Memorial community park will have 93.7 acres, with 54.9 of those remaining as natural and undeveloped land. This park will be located at the corner of Faraday and Cannon Roads, and located near several areas of historic interest.
One of these areas, Macario Canyon, located just a few meters to the west of the park, is named after a native horseman and cowboy who worked the Kelly ranch lands. At another historic site, just below the Cannon Road area next to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, college archaeology students found the “Stone Bear”, now considered a California State Official Prehistoric Artifact.
Veterans Memorial Park is aptly named considering the proximity to Evans Point being the highest elevation in old Carlsbad at 353 feet, located nearby and named after USN Admiral Robley Evans commandant of President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1907-08 Great White naval fleet, that circumvented the world, and passed in front of Carlsbad and was seen by residents who watched from the highest peak now known as Evans Point.
The park will honor veterans and service members of all six military branches with a memorial plaza, and will feature a public art installation, “The Ring,” that will point towards the Pacific Ocean.
Evans Point
"Veterans Memorial Park will feature a permanent public art installation at the park’s highest point, offering sweeping views of the lagoon, ocean and golf course. The site-specific piece will recognize and honor those who have served in the U.S. military while reflecting Carlsbad’s community values and the park’s natural setting.
The final design concept, known as "The Ring," was created by Gordon Huether Studio and approved by the City Council in October 2025. The circular sculpture will serve as a space for reflection and remembrance, complementing the park’s memorial plaza and natural landscape."
Proposed Monument for Veterans Memorial Park
Carlsbad Anti-Bullying Resolution
Carlsbad City Council responded to a disturbing event posted on social media in March 2026. The post regarded an after school bullying assault of a middle school student by numerous other students. The post was viewed and investigated as racially inspired by Carlsbad PD and SD County Attorney Prosecutors. City Councilmember Priya Bhat Patel proposed an anti-bullying resolution which passed 4 to 1. “The resolution expresses ‘the city’s commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of every child in our community and … that bullying behavior has no place in Carlsbad’s public places,’ said Councilmember, Priya Bhat-Patel, who proposed it.”
Retrieved https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/04/15/middle-school-bullying-incident-leads-to-carlsbad-resolution-da-reviewing-case/ 4/24/26
The Carlsbad community has a history of creating a safe and welcoming environment for all people. ”Carlsbad Unified is proud to be the founding school district of The Great Kindness Challenge. We strive to educate caring, thoughtful, and compassionate young people all year long, and we believe that practicing kindness in our schools translates into a kinder world. The Great Kindness Challenge, presented by the global nonprofit Kids for Peace, was launched in 2012 with three Carlsbad Unified schools – Jefferson, Hope and Kelly Elementary Schools – to address bullying and to foster connection, inclusion and compassion. The annual program has multiplied in enrollment each year. This year over 20 million students in 40,000 schools will participate, reaching across all 50 states and 115 countries.” Retrieved Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce 4/24/26 https://carlsbad.org/kindness-matters/
For more information regarding Carlsbad and its racial and ethnic welcoming environment, check out some of our videos at https://www.carlsbadhistoricalsociety.com/ Of particular interest is Barrio Voices, which describes the impact the Wesleyan Methodist missionaries had within the Mexican Barrio.
Failing Bluffs and Opposition to Sidewalks
The City of Carlsbad has recently declared an emergency in the ocean bluffs area near Teramar Beach. This is located on Carlsbad Boulevard (PCH) and Solamar Drive. The erosion surrounds an old large storm drain pipe. There is a large hole at the top of the bluffs. The City has limited the access to walkers in this area and has ordered emergency repairs. The situation is complicated by the limits imposed by the Coastal Commission, which only allows the use of “hard” materials like boulders and concrete to be used in extreme conditions, and after all other options have been evaluated or tried.
Failing bluffs near Terramar Beach entrance
On a related story, the City of Carlsbad has plans to add sidewalks to Carlsbad Boulevard in front of Terramar and the bluffs, but these plans have been put on temporary hold due to opposition from the residents of this area, and also from the people that park off the road to go to the beach (walkers and surfers).
Kumeyaay Astronomy (Cosmology)
Most advanced early civilizations had people dedicated to observing the sky. This served many purposes, one of which was predicting when it was time to plant and harvest; another would be to measure the shortest day of the year, or to predict solar eclipses. A deeper human need is to try to figure out our place in the universe. It is not surprising that the Kumeyaay had a tradition of observing the sky, naming constellations, and speculating about the “layers” around the planet Earth. Most popular constellations were given names, and were depicted in drawings or rock carvings.
Sketches of sand paintings from “Religions Practices of the Diegueno Indians” (1910) by anthropologist T.T. Waterman
The San Diego Archaeological Center in Escondido (San Pascual) will have a lecture on Kumeyaay Cosmology by author Michael Connolly Miskwish on May 9. His lecture is also available on Youtube at this site.
Donation
Richard Buman, descendant of Olivenhain Colony and author, recently donated copies of his research to our archives. Images used in his book, as well as translated minutes from the original colony meetings are included in his donation. Plans to add the material to our collection and online web page are in process. Richard also gave us a copy of his book Olivenhain Colony written in 1981. This book has been uploaded to our website and is searchable.
Dance at the Olivenhain Meeting Hall
Welcome, New Members!
Jeff and Christine Woodard
Carlsbad Historical Society
258 Beech Ave. Carlsbad CA 92008
(442) 500-4471
www.carlsbadhistoricalsociety.com
*Open Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 3 pm
*Private Tours by appointment
*School, Scouts and Families welcome
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