Discover History of San Ysidro and Tijuana River Valley in New Book

The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley by Barbara Zaragoza. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of California’s San Ysidro’s district.

In 1851, surveyors placed a marble obelisk on a mesa overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which demarcated the United States–Mexico boundary line. Tourists flocked to the region alongside land speculators who envisioned upscale hotels, resorts, and spas. 

About three decades later, an East Coast journalist, William Smythe, established a utopian agricultural colony in what is today San Ysidro. His dream, however, washed away during the devastating flood of 1916. Still, the city revitalized when tourists began to pass through on their way to the illegal entertainments offered in Tijuana, or “Vice City.” Racetrack and gambling house employees sought quieter living in San Ysidro. Dairy and vegetable farmers moved into the river bottom, taking advantage of the year-round mild weather. The first Mexican-American family settled in San Ysidro at the turn of the century and by the 1970s the area became a vibrant, predominantly Spanish-speaking community. The Port of Entry at San Ysidro also became the busiest in the world, accommodating over 47 million vehicles annually. 

Highlights of San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley include:

• A history of the U.S.-Mexican border nearest to the Pacific Ocean, from three small wires that prevented animal crossings to rusted military landing mat that juts out into the ocean. 
• A history of one of the first utopian agricultural communities in the country.
• The importance of San Ysidro as a focal point for the Chicano Movement, including visits from Bobby Kennedy and Cesar Chavez.
• Original pictures from old timers who remember San Ysidro as a sleepy border town where everybody knew everybody.
• A history of the dairy and vegetable farmers of the Tijuana River Valley.
• Original pictures of the environmentally diverse Tijuana estuary, the Pacific Flyway and the largest coastal wetland in Southern California.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.  

About the Author of San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley

Barbara Zaragoza is a native of California who lives in the South Bay. Having studied International Relations as an undergraduate and living only a few miles from the border, she has always had an intense interest in the unique challenges that arise for border communities.

She also holds Master’s Degrees from Stanford University and Harvard University. She has lived abroad three times, speaks several languages and has published both fiction and non-fiction works for many on-line and print publications. 

For this work, she interviewed many South Bay residents and collected over 600 photographs.

Zaragoza Hopes Her Book Will Leave a Lasting Impact

San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley are of huge importance on a local and even international level due to its proximity to the U.S.-Mexican boundary line. San Ysidro currently is a vibrant, predominantly Hispanic community with an exciting history. In writing this book, I found the first Mexican-American family to settle in the city during the early 1900’s, exclusive pictures of Bobby Kennedy’s visit to San Ysidro just before his assassination and Cesar Chavez’s labor negotiations. Most people also don’t know that San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley were once tourist destinations where celebrities such as Rita Hayworth and John Wayne stayed. Still, the region managed to maintain a small town feel where everybody knew everybody. That changed when the State of California built two behemoth freeways that fragmented the community. Hundreds of homes and businesses were displaced and the San Ysidro Port of Entry became the busiest border crossing in the world with approximately 47 million vehicles passing through each year. The book not only captures the Mayberry feel that existed from the 1930’s through the 1960’s, but goes on to show how this community has faced its challenges through grass roots movements that address issues of multi-culturalism and the environment.

—Arcadia Publishing