The North Bay and La Playa Trails associations, along with District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer, unveiled the restored historic monument along the La Play Trail Aug. 23.
The marker, located on the street median at the intersection of Rosecrans Street and Midway Drive, is one of six along the La Play Trail.
The trail is noted as the original and oldest path for people and goods entering San Diego, with 67 registered historical sites from Ballast Point on Point Loma to the Presidio.
This particular marker was in need of the most help, said Charles Best, Point Loma historian and member of the La Playa Trails Association.
Over the years, the original three-dimensional bronze relief was stolen, the underlying plaque defaced and the monument itself had deteriorated.
“We knew that this really needed to be recognized and we needed to reproduce it,” said Joe Mannino, North Bay Association executive director. “We got together with a lot of people concerned with the history of Point Loma, which created the La Playa Trails Association.”
According to Mannino, the association acts as a catalyst to assist those with an interest in restoring the community and to promote the importance of preserving history.
The restoration cost around $1,000, thanks to the many people who donated their time and labor, Mannino said. Faulconer provided some funding, which was sourced from the District 2 Transit Occupancy Tax that traditionally benefits arts and culture initiatives. Donations from those involved also contributed to the restoration.
The project recreated the original bronze relief, which depicted an early settler on a cart being pulled by oxen. Southern Californian artist Ann Paul Barca, who also cast the bronze, 5-foot rhinoceros beetle at the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park, volunteered her labor and cast the bronze relief from an identical monument located on the Naval Base Point Loma.
John Rickards, owner of Sinner Brothers, Inc., personally paid for the restoration of the bronze relief. His business was originally established in 1928 and provides mausoleum marble fastening hardware.
Dan Peterson, a local private contractor, painted the monument and embedded the bronze relief.
“We can’t think of any way to prevent [theft],” Best said, “but that’s embedded way down in there. It’s not worth their while to steal it.”
Faulconer said he is looking into moving the marker to a more park-like setting, as well as adding a base light to illuminate the monument at night.
This restoration project is the first of many to come along the La Playa Trail, and the trails association is presently evaluating possibilities that highlight the history of the Navy, as well as the Chinese and Portuguese contributions to the area.
The hope is that more people will approach the La Playa Trails Association with plans or ideas of restoring or creating more markers and monuments along the trail, Mannino said.
“This is the start, from my standpoint.” Faulconer said. “For the generations that have been here before us and the many generations that will come after us, this is part of who we are in La Playa and in Point Loma and we care a lot about our heritage.”
For more information on the La Playa Trails Association, contact Charles Best at (619) 223-3418. For more on the upcoming restorations, call Joe Mannino at (619) 778-5888.