The regular mail delivery San Diegans take for granted today didn’t exist here until a century and a half ago. At that time, mail arrived intermittently ” dependent on delivery by the military or a shipment by sea.
Aug. 31, 1857, marked a historic precedent for San Diego, connecting it to the rest of the nation for the first time on a regular basis. Prior to that date, the delivery of mail by land or sea took a minimum of several months. Now mail was to be delivered twice monthly on a 30-day schedule.
The hullabaloo began in San Diego when the first westbound mule trains carrying mail overland came rolling into Old Town, having traveled from San Antonio for more than a month.
Some of that excitement will be re-created on Friday in Old Town State Historic Park with a celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the first overland mail delivery to San Diego.
Residents are invited to journey back in time to enjoy the special events planned to mark the occasion.
An al fresco, lantern-lit dinner will take place in the historic plaza of Old Town on Aug. 31 with outstanding regional chefs preparing dishes based on, or inspired by, recipes of early San Diego. The dinner will feature local foods, wine and beer. There will also be live entertainment and historic craft demonstrations, including blacksmithing and a silent auction.
Since the California State Parks advocate healthy foods and environmental sustainability in their parks, the dinner menu will feature food from local members of Slow Food International, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes, with an emphasis on biodiversity and sustainability.
The menu includes dry-rubbed beef brisket, German lager-baked beans and skillet bread by Brandt Beef; Mediterranean fruits with cured meats and homemade cheeses by the Linkery; grilled homemade sausages and grilled organic vegetables by Wallach & Goldman; Mexican sweetbreads by El Fandango; and grilled whole rockfish, mashed white posole, Indian fry bread and local honey by Barona Casino.
“We hope this will signal the start of many new activities in Old Town,” said Karen Beery, interpretation and education manager, San Diego Coastal District, California State Parks.
Following the Gold Rush, James E. Birch, who ran a successful stagecoach company, received a contract from the postmaster general to establish and operate the mail route between San Antonio and San Diego. The route followed the old Southern Emigrant Trail across nearly 1,475 miles of largely desolate wilderness.
Celebration of the historic milestone for mail service will continue throughout Labor Day Weekend, including an old-fashioned parade at 11 a.m. Saturday down San Diego Avenue into the park. There will be equestrian acts, wagon rides, historic games and activities throughout the day on Saturday with a contra dance in the evening.
The San Diego Herald, on Sept. 5, 1857, called the first overland mail delivery “the most important event which has ever occurred in the annals of San Diego, and undoubtedly constitutes an epoch in the history of the Pacific Coast of the Union, which will be recorded and remembered with just pride, long after the mails will have been transported on the great continental railroad.”
Tickets for the Aug. 31 dinner on the plaza will be $45 per guest. Tables for 10 and six are available on request. The price of the dinner includes food and one glass of wine or beer. Additional tickets for wine or beer will be available at the event. Parking at Old Town State Park is free.
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.slowfoodsandiego.org. or call (619) 767-2277.