Before 1915: The Early History of Balboa Park
Balboa Park weathered 47 turbulent years before the world swept into San Diego to visit the Panama-California Exposition of 1915.
Discover how the park was created, how it got its name, and the threats and indignities of its early years. Meet the citizens who helped to save Balboa Park for public use including Kate Sessions, George Marston, Julius Wangenheim, and the little-known Mary B. Coulston. Explore early planning visions for Balboa Park by the famous landscape architects Samuel Parsons Jr. and the Olmsted Brothers. Learn how the repudiation of these plans by exposition builders forever changed Balboa Park and the entire region.
Historian Nancy Carol Carter is currently focusing her research on Balboa Park and Katie O. Sessions. Her writing has been published in Pacific Horticulture, California Garden, Eden, and the Journal of San Diego History. She regularly teaches at SDSU’s Osher Institute and speaks to many community groups. She is a member of the Friends of Balboa Park Horticulture Committee and the Projects Committee of the Balboa Park Conservancy. Carter holds M.S, M.L.S. and J.D. degrees and is retired from the University of San Diego School of Law.