![\"The](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/david-marshall-postcard-collection-children-and-pigeons-1.jpg\")
<\/a>But what does all this have to do with La Mesa? La Mesa\u2019s history is tied up with San Diego\u2019s. After all, when La Mesa was incorporated in 1912, as the planning for the 1915 Exposition was in full swing, the region\u2019s population was quite small. \u00a0 <\/span>So it\u2019s not a big surprise that familiar names pop up when we look back at that era.<\/p>\n Take Collier Park in La Mesa for example, named for David \u201cCharles\u201d Collier, a risk-taking entrepreneur who spurred the development of La Mesa by owning property and establishing a business in 1907, bottling and selling the \u201chealthful\u201d spring water he discovered bubbling up there. The tiny community was known as \u201cLa Mesa Springs\u201d in those days.<\/p>\n You may have heard something about the battle to save the \u201cSpring House\u201d in Collier Park. But did you know that D.C. Collier was the first \u201cDirector-General\u201d of the 1915 Panama California Exposition in Balboa Park? He championed the cause, chose the Balboa Park site and architect Bertram Goodhue to design the buildings.\u00a0 <\/span>Collier even donated $500,000 of his own money to help fund the enterprise, nearly bankrupting him.<\/p>\n Next time you\u2019re in Balboa Park, stand in the front of the Museum of Man (the building with the California Tower), turn toward the Cabrillo Bridge and look up at the enclosed pedestrian bridge leading from one side of the museum to the other.\u00a0 <\/span>There you will see a large plaque dedicated to D.C. Collier.<\/p>\n Another familiar La Mesa name, Col. Ed Fletcher (Fletcher Parkway, Fletcher Hills), was also very active during this time period. Just like Collier, Fletcher was an enterprising businessman who saw a great opportunity in La Mesa. In partnership with William Gross, he began the development of the Grossmont-Mt. Helix section in 1908.<\/p>\n A few years later, Fletcher would serve as a director for the 1915 Exposition, and he raised funds to save many of the Expo buildings from demolition after the fair closed.\u00a0 <\/span>He also owned the Cuyamaca Water Company and with James A. Murray built a dam creating Lake Murray. He would later do \u201cbattle\u201d with John D. Spreckels over water rights (along with the city of San Diego) to the San Diego River.<\/p>\n In early November, I purchased tickets and went on the La Mesa Historical Society\u2019s (LMHS) 2014 Historic Home Tour, viewing five homes in the original Grossmont Colony area, including one I especially wanted to see\u2014the Fletcher\/Pykles House built in 1961 for the Fletcher family. The site includes a large rock outcropping with steps leading to a small platform that Ed Fletcher himself had installed to take in the stunning 360-degree vista from the Grossmont summit\u2014an area one early resident, noted author Carrie Jacobs Bond, called \u201cGod\u2019s Garden.\u201d<\/p>\n Our town\u2019s unique history will again be celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Historical Society\u2019s annual Christmas Open House at the McKinney House Museum, decorated in early-1900s-era holiday style. Admission is free. Bring the whole family for a glimpse of life here a century ago, when people like Collier, Fletcher and Spreckels were shaping what our region would be like for generations to come.<\/p>\n While you\u2019re there, why not join the society for a modest fee and support their efforts to preserve and share our town\u2019s history? You\u2019ll receive advance notice of their programs throughout the year. LMHS President Jim Newland is currently writing a book about the rich history of the Grossmont-Mt. Helix neighborhood. No doubt there will be special programs offered when his book is released in 2015.<\/p>\n Find more information on the Christmas Open House and other upcoming programs at LaMesaHistory.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n