LANCER PARK


A Brief History








It sounded like a good idea to begin with. Just write a few paragraphs to give newcomers to Lancer Park a sense of the history of this place.

For example, what was the name of the Indian tribe that once camped on this very site, taking short fishing trips to Lake Woford or Lake Hodges now and then?

And what about that minor battle in the Mexican-American War that was valiantly fought between Borden and Woodland?

But that would be ancient history. I suppose most of us would rather know which house was secretly used by the Rolling Stones for 3 days of practice before a concert at the Murph. Was it yours?

And did you know that Clint Eastwood's mom lived here for nine years back in the 80's? No? And that Clint filmed some interior scenes in his Mom's kitchen for one of his movies? No?

Of course this history should tell us the name of the developer for Lancer Park. It was the Siggsons! No, not Homer & Marge -- it was Jack and Aurora. They had a daughter, Noreen, and three sons, Gregory, Briant and Douglas. Dale Gill was a member of the family by marriage. A cousin, Charles McClelland, and his business partner, Dominick Orlando, helped finance Lancer Park. Dominick was General Pattons's personal cook and good friend during World War II.

So that explains Noreen, Briant and Dale streets, but what about Lacebark, Janet, Karen, and Davey? We need help to solve these mysteries!

Here's another couple of mysteries of history: Why is there an extension of Lacebark Street located across Borden, completely outside of Lancer Park? And why is Lancer Park Avenue located on the far side of Woodland Park School, in a totally different subdivision? It sounds like things in San Marcos were kinda wide open back there in the 1970s.

But there's no doubt that this is a great place to live. The sun shines in San Marcos much more often than in San Diego proper, or along the damp and chilly coast. And yet we don't have the high temps of the desert. We're only 15 minutes from the beach. And you won't find nicer neighbors anywhere. In short, there's simply not (pause) a more congenial spot (pause) for happily ever aftering, (pause again) than here (last pause) in Lancer Park!

Here's a date for the school kids to memorize: November 13, 1975. I'm going with this as the date Lancer Park was founded. That's the date our CC&Rs were legally recorded. If I'm wrong, email a better date to me!

For those of us who love trivia, which of our 136 houses was finished first? And which one last? I'll come up with a surprise prize for the person who can answer those questions.

I'm grateful to Dawn who tells me that the small unnamed cul-de-sac on Lacebark (house numbers 918, 920, etc.) was originally the location for the recreational park, but the developer changed his mind and created the current hilly park on the east side. This supposedly left the houses on the Lacebark cul-de-sac with larger lots than most of the others.
And speaking of the park, it's a great place to take a peaceful walk. Have you seen the white egrets that rest there now and then, usually very early in the morning? One neighbor told me they visit the park because they love to eat our gophers, God bless 'em!

When it comes time to sell your house and move, one of the nicest sales points is the existence of our park. What a bargain! In 1975 homeowners paid $85 a year (not a month, a year) toward the upkeep of the park. Today it costs only $90 (a year, not a month)! How can we bear it? Anyway, it's a pretty little park, and I love it.

I'll leave it to you to fill me in on current neighborhood history. I work in Pt. Loma every day, and don't get in on many local conversations. Add, correct or belittle my efforts at history, but just keep sending that email!

Sincerely,

Larry Christensen






Copyright © 2009 by Lancer Park Homeowners Association

Most recent update: January 1, 2009
Questions? Please send email.



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