The South Bay Historical Society

We first came together in August 2013 in the home of Susan Walter to form the Society.

We offer photo galleries of historic significance. You can send in your historic pictures to expand our understanding of our community. We do accept articles from the public, from history to interesting things about our region.

We highlight and showcase the exhibits sponsored by the Chula Vista Heritage Museum.  We sponsor community events such as historic lectures from prominent historians, geologists, archeologists, and authors.  We are always looking for guest speakers and welcome suggestions from you.

Our mission is:

• To form a nonprofit educational organization with bylaws and a board of directors that serve the needs of its membership.
• To preserve and promote the history of the region of San Diego from National City to the border.
• To hold regular meetings that will allow all members to participate in historical discussions and join in activities that promote the mission of the Society.
• To publish a regular Bulletin and maintain a database of resources useful to the understanding the history of the region.
• To act as a clearinghouse for the many organizations in the region that are involved in education and historic preservation, and to promote the sharing of information about historic sites, family artifacts and photographs, exhibits and oral histories.

This region, southwest San Diego County is rich in historic land formations, history of wildlife, and history of the people who came here to call this region home.  The region encompasses what is now:  Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, South San Diego, Nestor, Otay Mesa, and other surrounding areas.

The communities of the South Bay today have been shaped by 3 great watersheds: the Sweetwater River and Dam, the Otay River and reservoirs, and the Tijuana River and Rodriguez reservoir.

We would like to engage the public to broaden our understanding of the history from the earliest formation of land to today’s history in the making. Our earliest history includes the volcanic action, to the earliest forms of life through episodes of species thriving, then migrating or becoming extinct. We then explore migration from the first visitors of early humans, the ancestors of the Kumeyaay, through what our region offers to its residents today.

Dr. Steven Schoenherr, a founder of the South Bay Historical Society in 2013 is the Society’s Historian. He maintains a website with extensive historical articles and documents. You can read many interesting and informative articles Dr. Schoenherr has researched about our South Bay Region and we will share these articles and more with you on this site.

 Communities of South Bay