Our City is made up of many different neighborhoods, often with their own unique characteristics, history and even architecture. As Oceanside’s population grew, its borders expanded with various subdivisions and new housing developments. From the exclusive enclave of St. Malo to Potter homes in South Oceanside and Francine Villa in North Oceanside, Oceanside neighborhoods are as diverse as the people who live here. Here are a few neighborhoods, some forgotten and others well remembered.
Guidottiville
Guidottiville was named by and after Amerigo Edwardo Guidotti. The area was near what is referred to as Lawrence Canyon just south of present Highway 76. Guidotti built his residence there along with several rentals and lived there for many years. The homes were removed by the 1980s to make way for the Highway construction.
Guidottiville in Lawrence Canyon, south of present day Highway 76
Pine Heights
Pine Heights was a rather remote area of Oceanside, accessible only via Eighth Street, now called Neptune Way. Pine Heights provided expansive view of Oceanside and panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Niels Hansen, a local grocer, built a large Craftsman style home designed by noted architects the Quale Brothers in 1908. Also that year, Attorney John Johnston hired prominent Chicago and San Diego architect Henry Lord Gay, to design his $10,000 home in Pine Heights. The Hansen house was later moved to North Clementine Street but the Johnston home was demolished. Pine Heights is now the location of a 15-acre condo development by Evening Star Development.
The Hansen Home in Pine Heights.
North Oceanside Terrace
A new subdivision established in the late 1940s was situated along the northern most border of Oceanside along Camp Pendleton. North Oceanside Terrace includes Capistrano Drive, San Luis Rey Drive, Monterey and Sunset and other streets. Many of the homes built there were built in the early to mid 1950s and purchased by the military families that were stationed at Camp Pendleton. In 1953 the City approved Francine Villas to the east, adding over 300 homes. These homes were introduced as rentals to military and civilians with a two bedroom home renting for $72.75 and a three bedroom for $82.75. Because of the growing density and traffic, an additional entry into the neighborhood was provided, initially called “River Road”. Later Loretta Street from the Eastside neighborhood would be built across the San Luis Rey River to provide residents access. In 1955, construction of North Terrace Elementary School began, opening the following year. Today the area is more commonly referred to as Capistrano because of the area park.
1974 aerial of a portion of North Terrace neighborhood, school and Loretta Street crossing.
South Oceanside
John Chauncey Hayes established South Oceanside, a small township just south of the City of Oceanside in the 1880s. In the earliest days it had its own bank, a school building, cemetery, several brick residences and a newspaper, the South Oceanside Diamond. This largely rural area included the Spaulding Dairy (established about 1913) and was home to acres of flower fields owned by the Frazee family and others. It turned residential when Walter H. Potter, “the man who built South Oceanside” began building dozens of small homes in 1947 that stretched from Morse Street to Vista Way.
Aerial view of South Oceanside looking west, circa 1970
Eastside
The Eastside neighborhood is just east of Interstate 5 and north of Mission Avenue, with entrance by Bush or San Diego Streets. The subdivisions of Mingus & Overman, Reece, Spencer, Higgins & Puls, which encompass the area, were mostly farmland when families from Mexico began settling there in the 1910s and 1920s. Most of the early residents were laborers who worked in the fields of the San Luis Rey Valley and the Rancho Santa Margarita (now Camp Pendleton). Many of the homes were built between 1920 and 1940 by the hardworking fathers and grandfathers of the families that still call Eastside their home. This neighborhood was referred to as “Mexican Village” by local officials but residents called it Posole. It was last neighborhood to have paved streets and a sewer system, which were not added until the late 1940s! Eastside was also the home of Oceanside’s first growing Black population in the 1940s and 1950s, along with Samoan and Filipino families.
Higgins and Santa Barbara Streets in Eastside shows dirt streets and houses on blocks because of the lack of sewer system.
Mesa Margarita
As Oceanside’s population grew at steady pace in the 1950s and 1960s, its borders continued to extend eastward. New housing was always in demand. Sproul Homes developed many new neighborhoods including Mesa Margarita, which is often referred as the “Back Gate” area because of its proximity to northeast entrance to Camp Pendleton. In 1965, 62 acres along North River Road were purchased by Fred C. Sproul Homes, Inc., a residential development firm, from Harold Stokes and Joe Higley. The Stokes and Higley families were long time dairy farmers in the San Luis Rey Valley. With the plan to build 275 new homes on the property it was one of several developments that changed the landscape of rural to suburban.
Sproul Homes ad in 1963
Oceana
One of the first adult only communities built in Southern California was that of Oceana. Situated east of El Camino Real and south of Mission Avenue, this planned community was built in 1964 at a cost of $25 million. It was touted as being “a city within a city” built on 180 acres with 1,500 lanai cottages and 300 apartments. At the time it was built it required that at least one adult be age 40 or over. A two bedroom, two bath model was listed at $16,995 and the community offered a variety of amenities which included a pool, golfing, library and restaurant.
Oceana development in 1960s
Henie Hills
Henie Hills was owned by figure-skater Sonja Henie. Sonja and her brother Lief purchased 1,600 acres of ranch land in about 1941 which included the present day El Camino Country Club. In the early 1950’s the Henies began subdividing part of the land near El Camino Real at which time some of the first custom homes were built. A portion of this land was sold to Tri-City Hospital and eventually acquired by MiraCosta College. Miss Henie built a large house on Oceanview Drive, which she used during her visits here from her native Norway. She continued ownership of 350 acres until 1968. In the 1974 Henie Hills opened as one of the nation’s first planned residential estates community, offering homes on estate-size lots averaging one-half acre with views of the sea, mountains and golf fairways in the valley below. Home prices ranged from $54,000 to $81,000.
Driving Range at golf course, Henie Hills sign in background
Fire Mountain
Fire Mountain was at one time called “North Carlsbad”. It was a largely rural area planted with avocado and citrus groves, consisting of approximately 338 acres. While the town of Carlsbad eventually grew and incorporated, North Carlsbad remained an unincorporated area of San Diego County, an island surrounded by the city limits of Oceanside. The City of Oceanside annexed the area in the 1960s. It has developed into a desirable neighborhood simply named after the road traveling through it, consisting of middle-class homes, tract and custom homes, many of which sit on large lots, some offering views of the Pacific Ocean.
1956 Thomas Guide of Fire Mountain area before annexed to Oceanside.
St. Malo
A group of twelve homes was built by 1934 in an exclusive enclave in South Oceanside at the end of Pacific Street. Pasadena resident Kenyon A. Keith purchased 28 acres of oceanfront property and contained homes resembling a French fishing village that was known as St. Malo. Well-to-do property owners used St. Malo for vacation and summer homes. Early film director Jason S. Joy’s home was identified as “La Garde Joyeuse” and included an outdoor bowling alley and volley ball court. Author Ben Hecht was another resident, as well as Frank Butler, who co-wrote “Going My Way”. The beautiful community of St. Malo remains one of Oceanside’s best kept secret and continues to serve as summer homes and getaways for the rich and famous.
St. Malo homes fronting the Pacific Oceanside. Jason Joy house far right.
Plumosa Heights
Banker B.C. Beers established a new subdivision in the 1920s called Plumosa Heights, named for the plumosa palms lining the streets. This once exclusive neighborhood includes West and Shafer Streets, two of the street names are named for his children, Alberta and Leonard. The Plumosa Subdivision required at least a $4000 structure on the property to be set back at least twenty feet from the street. Plumosa Heights continues to be a desirable neighborhood with concrete streets and original cement light posts. Although it was the home of many affluent Oceanside residents, it was also inhabited by Oceanside’s middle class.
Leonard Street looking west at South Clementine and South Ditmar Streets, circa 1925
Along Oceanside’s Coast Highway you can drive, walk and bike past buildings that are 75 to 100 years old from the north end of town through South Oceanside. Because the façades have changed over the years, it is sometimes hard to distinguish a historic building from a newer one.
A building located at 1821 South Coast Highway is a good example. It is over 75 years old and built in 1948. It was the home of Hampshire House Candies and owned by Glen and Wilma Hampshire. The Hampshires came to Oceanside in 1946 and first opened a candy store at 1811 South Hill Street (now Coast Highway).
Hampshire House Candies at 1821 South Hill Street/Coast Highway in 1948
George “Glenn’ Hampshire was a native of Utah born in 1907. He married Wilma A. Dooley in about 1943 and the couple had two daughters: Glendelin and Charlotte Jane, both born in California.
The Hampshires were so successful with their home-made candies, their chocolates, nuts and peanut brittle were sold in other stores throughout San Diego County including Encinitas, Chula Vista and Fallbrook. The demand necessitated a larger storefront and a move from 1811 to 1821 South Hill Street (Coast Highway) which was built at a cost of $12,000 by local contractor Malcolm Smith.
Its newly built “factory and salesroom” was over four times larger than original store. As reported in the Oceanside Blade Tribune: “The new building which is of a very attractive English style, features in addition to its modern sales room and business office a specially designed kitchen containing over 900 square feet of space. Adjacent to the kitchen is a refrigerated chocolate room in which a constant temperature of 65 degrees is maintained. The firm which makes under the Hampshire House label hand-dipped chocolates, fudges, hard candles, caramels and specialties, does a brisk wholesale and retail business throughout this area.”
Sadly, it seems that the Hampshire marriage was not as successful as their candies. The couple split in the late 1950s. Glen relocated to Los Angeles where he died at the age of 59 in 1966.
Wilma continued operation of the candy store and living in South Oceanside, but then sold the business in October 1960. For a number of years, the former candy store was used as a real estate office, occupied by Century 21 in the 1970s. By 1994 it housed a temp agency.
1821 South Coast Highway, 2020 Google view
The building has been remodeled over the years but still resembles its original design. Although it is one of the oldest buildings of its era still standing along Coast Highway in South O, the Hampshire House Candies shop is only a sweet memory for some.
I was recently asked about Ida Richardson of Rancho Guajome. Who was she? Who fathered her children? Where did she come from? These are some questions that have been asked for decades. Little to nothing could be found about her but after I found a few small clues, the hunt was on. What I discovered through vital records and recorded documents answers those questions and more.
Rancho Guajome, owned by the Couts family for nearly 100 years, Oceanside Historical Society
Ida K. Richardson, who would inherit the Rancho Guajome in Vista, California, from Cave Couts Jr. after his death in 1943, was often referred to as his housekeeper or secretary. Others have suggested that she was his common law wife. Some historians believe that Couts fathered her two children, Belda and Earl. Because of this assumption, it is often cited that the historic Rancho was passed down to his “descendants.”
But were Belda and Earl really the offspring of Cave Couts, Jr., the “Last of the Dons”? What was the relationship between Ida and Cave? Who was the father of her children? Perhaps history will need to be rewritten as those questions now have answers.
Ida Kunzell Richardson was born June 3, 1898 in Ventura, California to William K. Richardson and Ida Kunzell Richardson. Her father was born in Leavenworth, Kansas and her mother in Germany. The couple were married October 14, 1897 and the Ventura Free Press published their marriage announcement under the headline “Married Before Breakfast.”
“Thursday morning, Reverend E. S. Chase, pastor of the Methodist Church was called upon to tie the nuptial knot making Mr. William K. Richardson of Randsburg, Kern County and Miss Ida Kunzell of this city, man and wife. The ceremony was performed before breakfast in order that Mr. and Mrs. Richardson might take the early train for their home at Randsburg.”
William King Richardson was 35 years old who worked as a miner. Ida was 25. (Their daughter Ida was born just 8 months later.)
While the newlyweds may have made their home in Randsburg, a mining town in Kern County, it appears they eventually returned to Ventura. Just 11 days after baby Ida Richardson was born there, her mother died, on June 14, 1898.
Ventura Free Press June 17 1898
Little Ida went to live with her maternal aunt and uncle, Minnie and Smith Towne, while her father returned to Kansas. When he died in 1948 his obituary mentioned his only survivor was a daughter living in California. It is unknown if Ida ever saw her father again.
Ida was raised by her Aunt Minnie and her uncle Smith D. Towne, who was a blacksmith. In 1910, he and Minnie, along with their son Frank and niece Ida were living in Pasadena.
In early 1912 the Towne family, along with Ida, moved to Strathmore, Tulare County, California. Sadly, soon afterward, Ida’s aunt and surrogate mother, Minnie Kunzell Towne, died February 21, 1912. The Tulare Advance Register published her obituary:
“Mrs. Minnie Towne, wife of S. D. Towne, who resides 8 miles west of Tulare, passed from this life this morning at 2:30 and the funeral will take place tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 from the Goble undertaking parlors. The body will be shipped to Oakland for cremation. The deceased was 47 years, 11 months and six days of age and was born in Germany. Mr. Towne and his wife are newcomers to this section, having recently come from Los Angeles.”
Ida Richardson was not yet 14 years old when her Aunt Minnie died. She continued to live with her Uncle Smith Towne and local newspapers referred to her as Ida “Towne.” She and her cousin Frank attended high school in nearby Porterville.
Porterville High School in Porterville, California where Ida Richardson attended school in 1916
While in school Ida was noted for her writing skills. In 1916 she came in 2nd place for an essay entitled “Alcohol and Tobacco”, a piece on the dangers of such, for the Porterville Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The organization campaigned against alcohol, advocated for abstinence, and also supported women’s suffrage. Ida won $2 for her writings. Another essay she wrote that year, called “Peace and War” about the futility and despair of war, was published in the Porterville Recorder May 15, 1916. She graduated from high school in June of that year.
Ida was included in several of the personal notes and columns in the newspaper, which included her trips to the mountains or visiting friends.
On Monday, May 7, 1917 readers of the Porterville Recorder would read that a Fred C. Wehmeyer of Success (another small town in Tulare County) had left for Los Angeles to get married. It was reported that his bride was “a Strathmore woman.” Who was Wehmeyer’s bride?
The newspaper revealed two weeks later that “Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Wehmeyer of Success, who returned recently from a wedding trip to Southern California, were given a merry charivari by their friends a few nights ago. Mrs. Wehmeyer was Mrs. Miss Ida Towne of Strathmore.”
The following morning, a correction was published in the newspaper stating “It was Miss Ida Richardson of Strathmore, and not Miss Ida of Towne, who became the bride of F. C. Wehmeyer of Success recently.” Ida, who was raised with the Townes, did not mind to be included under the Towne family name for years, but her legal name of Richardson was used for her marriage and the clarification was made and noted.
The Los Angeles Times published a list of marriage licenses issued on May 7, 1917 which included Fred and Ida’s. Fred was listed as 44 years of age, while Ida’s age was 23. However, Ida was just a month shy of her 19th birthday and Fred was actually 56, near her father’s age.
The couple may have intentionally tried to disguise their age gap on the marriage application. Subsequent census records, however, were consistent with Fred’s birth year of 1861.
Frederick Christian Wehmeyer was born February 21, 1861 in Elkhart, Indiana. He first married Annie Bowlan in 1887 in Fresno, California. They had one son, Frederick Francis Wehmeyer, born in 1888. The two divorced and his son presumably stayed with his mother. (He was later living with an aunt in 1910.) Fred C. Wehmeyer remarried in 1896 to Lena Rogers, who died in May of 1916.
Frederick Christian Wehmeyer
By the summer of 1919, Fred and Ida had moved to Vista, California and were living on or near the historic Rancho Guajome where Fred was working as a farmer.
Rancho Guajome is an important historic landmark in San Diego County, once the home of Col. Cave Johnson Couts and his wife, Ysidora Bandini. The rancho was given to the couple as a wedding gift. Couts designed a large Spanish-style ranch house built by local Native Americans, made of thick adobe walls. The ranch house, with 7,680 square feet of living space and 20 rooms included a dining room, study, pantry, a kitchen, and eight bedrooms. Cave and Ysidora had ten children, eight who lived to adulthood, and were raised at Guajome.
View of Rancho Guajome, Oceanside Historical Society
Col. Couts’ namesake, Cave J. Couts, Jr. was born 1856 and lived most of life on the Rancho. At the age of 20 he was deputy city engineer in Los Angeles, and was one of the first engineers of the California Southern Railway in San Diego. He went on surveying trips for the Southern Pacific Railroad and was one of the engineers that made the first surveys for the Panama and Nicaragua canals. Couts also surveyed the new town of Oceanside and laid out streets.
Cave J. Couts, Jr.
Cave Couts, Jr. hired Fred Wehmeyer to work on the Rancho, where he and Ida may have lived as well.
On August 8, 1919 Ida and Fred welcomed their first child together, whose name appears on the birth certificate as Elnor Kunzell Wehmeyer. (Fred’s age is off by 10 years but was likely provided to the recorder as such.) The baby was delivered by Dr. Robert S. Reid, a well-known and beloved Oceanside physician.
Birth certificate of Elnor Kunzell Wehmeyer, later renamed Belda Richardson, Kristi Hawthorne research
In the 1920 census Fred and Ida’s daughter has been renamed Belda.
1920 US Census. Note the ages of Fred and Ida are accurate and Elnor is now renamed Belda.
The following year on October 13, 1920, Ida gave birth to a son whom she named Richardson Wehmeyer. Dr. Reid once again made the house call to deliver this baby.
Birth certificate of Richardson Wehmeyer, later renamed Earl Richardson, Kristi Hawthorne research
On October 14, 1922 the Oceanside Blade noted that “Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wehmeyer of Guajome Ranch were in Oceanside Tuesday.” Fred was employed by Cave Couts as ranch foreman.
Ida filed for divorce on December 1, 1923 in the Superior Court in San Diego. In the complaint for divorce she stated that she and Fred were separated on about October 8, 1923. The number of years from marriage to separation was given as 6 years, 1 month and 5 days.
The divorce complaint also states that the marriage produced two children: a daughter, “Bela” Wehmeyer, aged 4 years and 3 months, and a son “Sonny Boy” Wehmeyer, age 3 years and 1 month.
Complaint for Divorce filed by Ida Wehmeyer in 1923, Kristi Hawthorne Research
Ida stated that Fred had “disregarded the solemnity of his marriage vows for more than one year” and had failed and neglected to “provide for the common necessaries of life.” She further stated she had to “live upon the charity of friends” although Fred was capable of making “not less than $100 per month” and more than able to support her.
Local rancher Sylvester Marron served the complaint upon Fred Wehmeyer on December 4, 1923. It appears that Fred did not respond to the complaint and a default was entered. Fred was ordered to pay child support of $20 per month and the children would remain with Ida. The final judgment of divorce was not entered until February 26, 1925.
Was this charity that Ida noted in her divorce papers coming from Cave Couts? It is likely. However, that did not mean Couts terminated his friendship or working relationship with Fred Wehmeyer as he continued to work at Guajome. Couts even sold Fred property in 1925.
The North County Times reported on April 13, 1925 that an excursion of eight automobiles took a number of passengers to tour various parts of North San Diego County on Easter Sunday. They traveled to the San Luis Rey Mission, the Rosicrucian Fellowship and Rancho Guajome. J. B. Heath, author of the column, wrote that “At the Guajome ranch, buildings of which, covering two acres of ground, have just been restored at an expense of $20,000. The people were shown every attention by F. C. Wehmeyer foreman, in the absence of the owner.”
After the divorce it is likely that Ida returned her surname to her maiden name of Richardson. But she also changed the children’s names. Elnor was changed to Belda, and Richardson was changed to Earl. (To reiterate, the divorce record filed by Ida gave their names as Bela and Sonny Boy.)
There are no public images of Ida but two photographs of Ida and her children were included in a 2008 book entitled “Ranchos of San Diego County” by Lynne Newell Christenson Ph.D. and Ellen L. Sweet. Ida is clearly a beautiful woman, and the images show the rancho in the background. The children appear to be 2 and 3 years old.
In the 1930 census, Ida and her children were living with Cave Couts at Rancho Guajome and listed as his adopted daughters and son. It is very doubtful that there was such an adoption, but that this relationship was listed as such for the census records or taker.
Fred Wehmeyer, listed in the same census district, was living on the property he purchased from Couts, just two miles south of Rancho Guajome, and operating a fruit farm. It is telling that Fred continued working for Cave Couts while Ida and her children lived on the rancho. Couts obviously maintained a relationship with both.
On September 22, 1930 the North County Times reported that Wehmeyer was working for Couts to restore the Bandini home in Old Town.
“Cave Couts, who owns the old Bandini home at Old Town San Diego, has been having it thoroughly repainted and renovated. It is one of the historical places in the bay section and Colonel Couts is making of it a lasting monument. Nearby and in the next block to the famous Ramona’s Marriage place, Colonel Couts has built a court of adobe enclosing an entire block. It has 40 double apartments surrounding a center court. The work has been in progress for several months. F. C. Wehmeyer of Vista has been employed on the big construction job.”
Belda Richardson attended local schools and graduated from San Diego State College in 1940. On August 30, 1941 she married Millard “James” Marsh in Yuma, Arizona. James Marsh was a native of Indiana, born in 1914 and was employed as a photographer. After three years in San Diego, the couple relocated to San Francisco, living at 1 Jordan Avenue in the downtown area.
Belda Richardson, San Diego State College 1940
Belda divorced James in 1946 and continued to reside in San Francisco. James Marsh moved to his parents’ home in Fallbrook and two years later took his own life.
Marriage certificate of Belda Richardson and Millard James Marsh, Kristi Hawthorne research
Earl Richardson married Geraldine Morris, the daughter of local businessman Oliver Morris. The couple had three children.
Upon the death of Cave Couts in 1943, his obituary stated that “his secretary, Mrs. Ida Richardson, managed all his affairs, according to the son and only child, Cave J. Couts III, 4188 Arden Way.” (Couts only marriage was to Lilly Bell Clemens, niece of Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, and was a tumultuous one, ending in a bitter divorce and custody battle.)
In a variety of accounts Ida has been listed as a housekeeper, secretary and even common-law wife of Cave Couts. Respected historians have agreed with suggestions that Belda and Earl were fathered by Couts.
While Cave Couts died July 15, 1943, Fred C. Wehmeyer died one month earlier on June 12, 1943. His obituary, which ran in the Vista Press stated that he was 81 years old (he was 82) and had passed away at the general hospital in San Diego. It went on to state that:
“He had been a resident of Vista for many years. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. James March (sic) of San Diego; two sons, Earl Richardson, of Vista, Fred F. Wehmeyer of Hepner, Oregon, and four grandsons, all of whom are in the military service, and two granddaughters.”
Obituary of Fred C. Wehmeyer, July 15 1943, Vista Press
Belda and Earl had grown up on Rancho Guajome with their father living just two miles away. Surely, they saw him working as foreman on the very ranch on which they lived. Fred knew of his children, and the marriage of his daughter. They were included in his obituary. Did they remember and acknowledge him? Did they read this obituary?
It is apparent that Fred Wehmeyer was not lost altogether to history but somehow Ida had managed to erase him from her life and that of her children. Did Ida ever offer information as to how she came to Vista? How she ended up at the Rancho Guajome? Did she every mention Fred Wehmeyer to anyone in her many interviews? Did she clarify the rumors or innuendos that her children were fathered by Cave Couts?
In an article written by Iris Wilson Engstrand and Thomas L. Scharf for the San Diego Historical Society Quarterly, Winter 1974, Volume 20, Number 1, entitled “Rancho Guajome, a California Legacy Preserved” the historians write that: “The will of Cave Couts Jr. provided that Rancho Guajome would pass to Mrs. Ida Richardson as a life estate —because of her loyalty and faithful service. Mrs. Richardson, who moved to the rancho in the 1920s as a housekeeper, became the constant companion and helpmate of Couts. She was the mother of his two youngest children, Belda Richardson, who died in 1971, and Earl Richardson, final heir to Rancho Guajome, the place of his birth.”
County historian Mary Ward also believed the children were Couts’ and that “successive generations of Couts heirs resided in the ranch house until 1973.” It seems no one knew that Fred Wehmeyer existed and he may have never been mentioned again by Ida.
When Belda Richardson Marsh died May 16, 1970 in San Francisco, at the age of 50, it was her brother Earl who was the informant on her death certificate. On the certificate Earl does not provide the name of Belda’s father, instead he simply put “No Record.”
Death Certificate of Belda Richardson Marsh
While Earl was just five years old when his parents’ divorce was final, did he not remember his father? Did he not see his father when he was working on Rancho Guajome for several years? Did Earl ever see or have his original birth certificate which clearly states his father as Fred Wehmeyer? Or did Ida hide this information from him? What is telling, is that he did not list Cave Couts, Jr. as her father. So Belda and Earl presumably did not know who their father was and did not believe him to be Couts.
Researchers and genealogists have not been able to obtain information on the children’s births for decades, and the identity of their father, because their last name was changed by Ida many years ago.
Ida and her two children died within four years of each other. Ida Kunzell Richardson died November 15, 1972. Her obituary states that she had lived in Vista for 74 years, but it was actually 55. Earl Richardson died December 4, 1974.
Early photo of Fred Francis Wehmeyer, oldest son of Fred C. Wehmeyer
Interestingly, Fred C. Wehmeyer’s son, Fred F. Wehmeyer, eventually came to live in Vista and died there in 1973. After his father’s death in 1943, Fred Francis, apparently unable to remain silent about his father, who had been forgotten by his two younger children or their memories of him erased by their mother Ida, wrote a loving eulogy that was printed alongside his father’s obituary.
A Son’s Tribute to His Father
“Dad was a great man, that simple greatness that encompassed all the old-fashioned, homely virtues, now considered obsolete by so many. As James Whitcombe Riley once described a friend, “his heart was as big as all outdoors.”
Born on an Indiana farm of a father who had fled Europe to escape Prussian tyranny as far back as 1837 and to a mother of Pennsylvania Dutch origin, he became a true pioneer, for he marched in the Vanguard of civilization as it pushed its way westward through Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, California, and Washington.
In later life, he returned to California, which, in his mind at least had developed to become the greatest state in the union. He loved California, especially that part of San Diego County around Vista and never tired of extolling its virtues.
In wealth, his friends were legion, in poverty they were few but more sincere. He never whined about the fickleness of fate or harbored a grudge against the vicissitudes of life. He never used harsh words or even thoughts for those who had betrayed him or expressed more than mild rebuke about those who had openly robbed him.
As a youth, his strength and agility gave rise to many Paul Bunyanesque tales along the frontier borders. A mighty man, his true feats of strength became greater with the retelling by admirers. Personally, he was modest, and I never heard him brag of himself; he was a clean spoken man, never given to profane or obscene language.
He died in his 83rd year, facing death as fearlessly as he always faced life.
He has now stepped through those somber shadows that curtain the future of all life. I am very proud to be his son.”
Fred F. Wehmeyer
In spite of this loving tribute which defended his father’s integrity and his memory, Fred C. Wehmeyer was forgotten in the history of Vista and Rancho Guajome. His family name was removed from his children Belda and Earl, and nearly lost altogether. It is my privilege to tell his story, along with Ida’s, so that history can be amended and even restored.
The pier fire on April 25, 2024 shocked residents of Oceanside, stunned to see clouds of black smoke covering the pier, and blanketing downtown. People lined Pacific Street, streaming live on social media as they watched the pier burn and firefighters battle the blaze. Scores of fire trucks, boats and air support were assembled as the black smoke billowed over downtown. As the fire raged on it seemed the pier would be lost. Smoke and flames continued through the night and daybreak. Emerging from the flames the Oceanside pier stands heavily damaged on the west end. But it still stands.
Oceanside Pier Fire April 24, 2024 (Fox 5 San Diego)
The Oceanside Pier has been built and rebuilt six times. It has become a part of our identity as a city. It is part of who we are and we feel emotionally connected to it.
Pier smoldering into the night and next morning
One hundred thirty-six years ago, our first pier was built in 1888 at the end of Wisconsin Street (formerly Couts Street). That same year Oceanside incorporated as a city. The first pier was called a wharf and it was hoped that Oceanside would become a shipping port. Built by the American Bridge Company of San Francisco, by August the wharf was built to an impressive length of 1200 feet. But the first pier was damaged by storms in December of 1890 and reduced to 940 feet. By January 1891 a larger stormed finished what was left and swept away all but 300 feet of Oceanside’s first pier and the beach was covered with its debris.
Only known photo of Oceanside’s first pier (in the far distance) taken 1890 (Oceanside Historical Society, Carpenter collection)
While short-lived, Oceanside was invested in having another wharf or pier. Melchior Pieper, manager of the South Pacific Hotel, initiated the idea of rebuilding as he gathered lumber from the first pier that had washed to shore and stored it behind his hotel on Pacific Street.
Pieper suggested that the pier be built at the foot of its present location, Third Street (now Pier View Way). There was some resistance against the Third Street location, a site between Second and Third was favored, but A. P. Hotaling, the hotel owner, agreed to donate $350 so city officials relented. Pieper donated an additional $100 and offered to house the workmen for free.
The building of Oceanside’s second pier in 1894 (Oceanside Historical Society)
Oceanside’s second pier was completed in 1894. It was small, just initially 400 feet into the ocean, and braced with iron pilings, giving it the name of “the little iron wharf.” It was later extended a few hundred feet, but by 1902 it was damaged severely by heavy storms.
Residents were resolved to have a pier, however, and in 1903 Oceanside’s third pier was built. Supported by steel railway rails purchased from the Southern California Railway Co., it was nearly 1300 feet, later extended to 1400 feet. It was hailed as Oceanside’s “steel pier.”
Oceanside’s third pier built in 1903 (Oceanside Historical Society)
Again, storms took a toll on our pier when in 1912 supports were swept away from the end of the structure, leaving the stumps of railway steel exposed. Since diving from the pier was allowed, this posed a danger. A warning sign was put in place to prevent divers from diving from the extreme end. By 1915 the steel pier which once seemed almost invincible, was down to a little more than 800 feet.
Voters approved a $100,000 bond issue in 1926 to build a fourth pier. In December of that year a single bid of $93,900 from Sidney Smith of Los Angeles was accepted and work began the same month. Compromises were made as to the construction of the pier as many had called for a concrete pier but the cost was prohibitive. Instead, a concrete approach was built, 300 feet long, with the remaining 1,300 feet built of wood. ( That same concrete portion is still used today, but it now needs to be rebuilt.)
Oceanside’s 4th pier built in 1927 (Oceanside Historical Society)
When the 1600-foot pier was dedicated on July 4, 1927 Oceanside threw a three-day celebration that drew an estimated crowd of 15,000-20,000 to participate in the weekend of festivities.
By the 1940s it was evident that the fourth pier would have to be replaced. The pier that celebrated the roaring ’20s, and survived the Depression, had also aided in World War II. A lookout tower was erected on the end to aid in the search for enemy aircraft and submarines. The added weight of this tower left the pier weakened to a point where its safety was questioned.
Resident E.C. Wickerd, described as a “pier enthusiast”, circulated petitions in favor of saving the pier. He stated, “The pier has been one of Oceanside’s biggest advertising and tourist assets, and should be protected.” But with continuing heavy storms in 1945 and 1946, the pier was closed after being deemed unsafe by deep sea divers and engineers.
In late February 1946 the proposal was made for a bond election to reconstruct the Oceanside pier. Three hundred signatures were needed to get on the April 9th ballot. The needed signatures were collected and the bond election passed. The $200,000 bond would build Oceanside next pier in 1947 to a length of 1,900 feet –the longest on the West Coast.
Fifth Pier built 1947 (Oceanside Historical Society)
The white-railed pier could take fisherman and pedestrians out farther than any of its predecessors. A 28-passenger tram operated by the city could take guests out to the end of the pier and have room enough to turn around. McCullah sportfishing took enthusiasts out to fishing barges anchored over the kelp beds a mile out. For years this pier stood longer than any other pier the city had built previous.
California Dreamin’ … Oceanside’s beautiful 5th Pier (Oceanside Historical Society)
But piers do not last forever and after nearly 30 years, it was showing its age. In 1975 the pier was faced with closures after severe storm damage and in October, Public Works Director, Alton L. Ruden said that the “pier could collapse at any time, and it would cost more than $1.4 million to replace it. Some morning we’re going to wake up and there won’t be a pier. It can go in an hour. It’s like a string of dominoes. But it’s only during storms that it is dangerous and that’s why it’s closed, when necessary.”
After nearly 30 years, it fell victim to the relentless storms. It was damaged in 1976 by heavy surf and then a fire at the Pier Cafe caused further damage. The end of the pier was open, vulnerable, angled to the north and had to be amputated.
The Oceanside Pier damaged by storms in 1978 (Oceanside Historical Society)
The pier was placed as “No. 1 priority in the redevelopment plans for downtown” but it would be over a decade before a sixth pier was built.
Funding of the pier came from the Wildlife Conservation Board, State Emergency Assistance, Community development, the State Coastal Conservancy and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The new pier proposed would be nearly 1,500 feet long and would include a restaurant, tackle shop, lifeguard tower and restrooms. The total cost, including the demolition of the 1947 pier, was then estimated at $3 million dollars.
Oceanside’s Sixth Pier in 1988, photo by Lu DeLucy
In August of 1985 Good & Roberts, Inc. of Carlsbad was awarded the contract to restore the concrete portion from the 1927 pier. In early 1986 the construction contract was awarded to Crowely International of San Francisco, the same city that built our first wharf in 1888. The new pier was built 3 feet higher at the end than the previous piers. This was because the waves do their greatest damage there. By raising the end, the life of the pier could be extended.
Oceanside’s sixth and present pier was dedicated and formally opened September 29, 1987. At a cost of $5 million dollars the pier was 1942 feet long and deemed the longest wooden pier on the west coast. Engineers said it could last 50 years.
Our pier is a beloved landmark. A wooden promenade out to the ocean that hundreds walk every day, thousands each year. While there are other piers in a handful of coastal cities, our pier has been a testament to our resilience and determination.
The pier is synonymous with Oceanside. If history tells us anything, we can and will rebuild again. Will we see our seventh pier sooner than expected? If repairable, we will enjoy and appreciate this one for years to come. This isn’t the end, it’s only a new chapter in Oceanside Pier history.
Histories and Mysteries 