Map of 1925 Plan, San Diego Union: Thursday, May 28, 1925
Most of the development planning was around the Mission Beach Amusement
Center above. The park was given to the Sate of California in 1934. Later,
the park was leased to John Ray in 1954 who changed its name to Belmont
Park. 1401
The idea of building an amusement center in Mission Beach came from
Spreckels in 1922. Construction didn't begin until 1923. The idea probably
came from Ocean Beach. They already had an amusement center called
"Wonderland" that was built in 1913. However, because of poor location, it
closed its doors three years latter. 1402
The first thing that opened in the area was the roller
rink on March 7, 1925. It was built by Ed Kickham and was
11,000 square feet. This was very large for it's time. Roller scaking was
very popular at Mission Beach. It is even very popular today, as seen here
by the pictures. People show off their tricks and also skate down the
boardwalk. The rink, however, was later closed and converted into shops.
1403
In the center of most of these structures was the huge bath
house, the Plunge. One of the largest built of its time, it housed
a salt water pool until 1940 when fresh water was started to be used. The
structure was constructed by Lincoln Rogers and Frank Steveson. It opened on
May 29, 1925 along with the Casino. The cost of building at that time was
about half a million dollars. By its developers, it was called the
"Natatorium". The use of the use of the pool was also free back then. The
Navy took over the Plunge for a brief time in November of 1942 during World
War II for training.The pool could hold up to 2,500 bathers at one time. The
water was pumped in from the Bay plus was filtered, heated to 84°F, and
chlorinated. In all, there was over 400,000 gallons of water in the pool
making it quite an attraction. An interesting fact about the Plunge is that
on October 7, 1989, 250 people gatered on inner tubes for the first local
Drive-in inner tube movie. The movie shown was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The picture to the left is that of Plunge in its early years. Today. it
looks more like the pictures below. Today, it is also leased to be operated
by Fitness Advantage, a heath club inside Belmont Park. 1404
Opening at the same time and right next door to the Plunge, was
the Dance Casino. Not only did it have one of the largest dance
floors, it was also a Casino. As seen on the map, this building was right
next to the boardwalk and overlooked the ocean. Because this was at the
center of Mission Beach and a huge building, it often held community events.
One of these popular events to young adults was "College Night" which
started in June 18, 1925. The Mission Bay Fox Trot was a just one of the
popular tunes that could be heard at this place. The song even became the
theme song of the area. The picture to the left is that of the beauty
pageant inside the Dance Casino. 1405
Also in this plan was Luna Park. Its name came from New York's
Coney Island. It was constructed by engineer T. H. Eslich. Not only
was it a nice place to relax and spend a sunny Sunday afternoon, it had a
lot of attractions for children. Ones of these was a Spillman merry-go-round
which was one of the finest in the country. The cost was $25,000 alone for
just the attraction. Sadly though, it was moved to Griffith Park in 1936.
Another marry-go-round was brought in but it never matched the elegance of
the Spillman. Luna Park also had a fun house, Ferris wheel, and shooting
gallery to add to the fun. The picture to the right the fun house in the
Mission Beach Amusement Center. It just all part of the fun. 1406
Bonita Bay is one of Mission Beach's less known facts. Sitting
directly across from the amusement center, on the bay side, it was
also a popular place for events. This area is a smaller portion of Mission
Bay. It was shaped in the form of an amphitheater so that people could watch
shows on the water. It was the first piece of the bay that was dredged.
Several activities were held here including water skiing, surfing, and
beauty pageants. Overlooking the bridge is Bonita Bay, as seen here on the
picture to the left. Below are picture of just some of the activities that
happened around the Bay. There were diving platforms, sailboat competitions,
water skiing contests. 1407
In addition to all that, there were also other attractions.
Children could plan all types of carnival games. To the right is a
picture of a carousel which is part of all the attractions. There are many
attractions similar to it there today. Among all these attractions, was the
Giant Dipper Roller Coaster. It was a huge structure and could be seen from
almost anywhere. It was a favorite among people of Mission Beach. 1408
Another part of the development of the area was the dredging of
Mission Bay. This had to be done due to the build up of silt from
the San Diego River. The river originally emptied into San Diego Bay.
However, this was causing silt build up problems in the bay which was not
acceptable. So, in 1853, the Army Corps of Engineers under the direction of
Lieutenant George Derby diverted the river to empty into Mission Bay. This
failed. But in 1875 Congress tried again and this time it worked. To the
left is a picture of the bay and some of the sandy islands leftover. 1409
