Committee in charge:
Professor Raymond S. Brandes, Chairman
Professor Iris Wilson Engstrand
Professor Carl L. Gilbert
1974
ABSTRACT
CHAPTERS:
I. Dutch Flats and The Gilded Shovel (1911 through 1919)
II. Construction and Occupation (1919 through 1926)
III. Mail Guard, China, and Fleet Marine Force (1926 through 1940)
IV. Decades of Turmoil (1940 through 1970)
V. Peacetime Consolidation
(1970 through 1974)
FOOTNOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES
In the early years of the twentieth century, governmental unrest in Mexico and other Central American nations brought forth the need to protect American lives and property and led to the commitment of United States Marines. In 1911, and again in 1914, Marine Expeditionary forces established temporary head-quarters and encampment sites on the flat ground of North Island in San Diego Bay, California. After 1914, the forward looking, then Colonel, Joseph H, Pendleton, USMC came to San Diego and as a result brought about significant changes to both the city and the Marine Corps on the west coast. Enlisting the assistance of Congressman William Kettner of San Diego, Pendleton initiated steps to construct a Marine Advanced Base in San Diego using both purchased and donated lands. The success of this mutual effort culminated in the Naval Appropriations Act of 1917 and the subsequent development of the Marine Base. Construction began in 1919 and, in 1974, is still in progress. During those years, changes in missions, organizations,and the influences of three wars brought about new requirementsmodifying the overall size and stature of the base. To provide details for the history of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, an extensive search has been conducted of files and historical archives of Marine Corps and Naval commands on both the east and west coasts of the United States. The result of this research has presented an interesting picture of how the base began, the progression of its development, and where it stands today .