Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Old man Ward might be proud

Canyon's name can’t be traced to a specific person

Some history before the interim off-leash dog park opens next month at Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park

Ward Canyon in Normal Heights appeared on maps in 1921 as a "Deep and Steep Grade to Mission Valley," and it separated Normal Heights from Kensington until 1913, when a wood trestle bridge was built to span the canyon. Ward Road was just as steep and came up the grade from Roscoe Hazard's asphalt plant in Mission Valley to gravel pits north of Adams Avenue.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Over a period of 30 years (1972 to 2002), Caltrans completed I-15 along 40th Street and in the process deepened and buried Ward Canyon but gave the city approximately four acres of land for a park along 40th Street at Adams Avenue.

The grand opening for the 39th Street Park — the name chosen by Caltrans — took place on March 29, 2003. This was the first new park of any significant size since Adams Park opened at 35th Street and Adams Avenue in December of 1987, and residents were excited about the proposed future amenities that would enhance the new park.

Some residents thought the park's name should reflect the history of Normal Heights, and in 2005 a movement developed to re-name the park. Researching the name "Ward" revealed three gentlemen whose last name may have been chosen to name the road and the canyon: "Old Man Ward," a truck farmer who lived and farmed along the road. Residents wanting to buy his produce were told to go down "Old Man Ward's Road"; Simon Lett Ward, a county surveyor and an original member of the Board of Public Works; and Martin Luther Ward, chairman of the Board of Public Works, district attorney for the County of San Diego, and state senator from San Diego County.

All the community groups impacted by a possible name change were contacted and their approval was obtained before requesting the change from the city's Parks and Recreation board. Finally, the new name — Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park— was recognized with a ceremony on March 28, 2008.

Today a small part of Ward Road remains in Mission Valley near Friars Road, and another segment leads to Normal Heights Elementary School at East Mountain View Drive and Ward Road.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Next Article

Wild Wild Wets, Todo Mundo, Creepy Creeps, Laura Cantrell, Graham Nancarrow

Rock, Latin reggae, and country music in Little Italy, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Harbor Island

Some history before the interim off-leash dog park opens next month at Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park

Ward Canyon in Normal Heights appeared on maps in 1921 as a "Deep and Steep Grade to Mission Valley," and it separated Normal Heights from Kensington until 1913, when a wood trestle bridge was built to span the canyon. Ward Road was just as steep and came up the grade from Roscoe Hazard's asphalt plant in Mission Valley to gravel pits north of Adams Avenue.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Over a period of 30 years (1972 to 2002), Caltrans completed I-15 along 40th Street and in the process deepened and buried Ward Canyon but gave the city approximately four acres of land for a park along 40th Street at Adams Avenue.

The grand opening for the 39th Street Park — the name chosen by Caltrans — took place on March 29, 2003. This was the first new park of any significant size since Adams Park opened at 35th Street and Adams Avenue in December of 1987, and residents were excited about the proposed future amenities that would enhance the new park.

Some residents thought the park's name should reflect the history of Normal Heights, and in 2005 a movement developed to re-name the park. Researching the name "Ward" revealed three gentlemen whose last name may have been chosen to name the road and the canyon: "Old Man Ward," a truck farmer who lived and farmed along the road. Residents wanting to buy his produce were told to go down "Old Man Ward's Road"; Simon Lett Ward, a county surveyor and an original member of the Board of Public Works; and Martin Luther Ward, chairman of the Board of Public Works, district attorney for the County of San Diego, and state senator from San Diego County.

All the community groups impacted by a possible name change were contacted and their approval was obtained before requesting the change from the city's Parks and Recreation board. Finally, the new name — Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park— was recognized with a ceremony on March 28, 2008.

Today a small part of Ward Road remains in Mission Valley near Friars Road, and another segment leads to Normal Heights Elementary School at East Mountain View Drive and Ward Road.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
Next Article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader