One of the most popular dog parks in San Diego, Nate’s Point Off-Leash Dog Park in Balboa Park, is regularly filled with canines running free and their devoted owners casually supervising. Most visitors, however, are not aware the dog park is named for a man, Nathan Wells, who pioneered and carried out the land improvement project, transforming the area that was once an eyesore into usable space. “The area was being used as sort of an illegal dumping ground,” said Wells’ daughter, Susan Watson. “It was being neglected, and dad knew he could put the area to good use with a little TLC.” Wells, who died Feb. 1 at the age of 99, was a city Park and Recreation Department employee for 35 years. He took on the initial prep work and grading of the area in 1996, envisioning a place where families could go to enjoy the outdoors. Once a pile of dirt and unruly weeds, the area was transformed by Wells during his spare time and on weekends. Three months later, as the park was nearing completion, Wells suffered a heart attack. Wells’ work crew stepped in to finish the landscaping while he was hospitalized. After Wells’ recovery, he was transferred to a less rigorous assignment in Mission Bay Park, where he was responsible for the placement of the fire pits along Fiesta Island. “We had no idea the dog park had been named for dad,” said Watson. “One day I was walking by and saw the sign about 10 years ago. I called my mom and said, ‘Does this have anything to do with dad?’ So we got the whole family together to go for a visit.” The 2.3-acre park at the corner of Sixth Avenue and El Prado has been open for 24 hours a day since 1996. The transition from Wells’ original vision of a family picnic site to dog park happened organically. “Since it was such a large space, people started bringing their animals on family outings,” said Wells’ niece, Darlene Dise-Brucker. “It changed into an off-leash dog park, and wouldn’t exist at all if it weren’t for Nate.” Many visitors may be unaware of the Nate’s Point nomenclature. The park’s name is posted, along with many other rules and regulations, in very small print at the entrance. Wells was a lifelong resident of Pacific Beach, where he lived with his late wife, Mary Eleanore, and their three children. His family is working with the City Council to plan an official Nate Wells Proclamation Day on June 14, his birthday. Dise-Brucker has inquired about the possibility of installing a park bench at Nate’s Point, but the $6,000 price tag for the bench and added $1,000 plaque to carry Wells’ name are cause for discouragement. Nate’s Point is a nonprofit that relies on fundraising to complete upgrades and installments including its new drinking fountain, picnic table, perimeter fencing and double entry access gates. For more information on Nate’s Point Off-Leash Dog Park, visit www.npdog.org.
