Description
This collection consists of the personal papers of Louis and Dolores Strahlmann, as well as research materials they collected
in the 1920s-1930s regarding nineteenth century stagecoach lines and the Vallecito stagecoach station.
Background
Louis Strahlman was born in 1892 to Edward Strahlmann and Louise (Mayer) Strahlmann, both natives of Germany. Edward Strahlmann
(1840-1933) was a prominent pharmacist in San Diego and co-founder of the Strahlmann-Mayer Drug Company. Louis obtained a
medical degree from Harvard in 1917 and then served in the United States Army Reserve as First Lieutenant of the Medical Section
through World War I. In 1924 he became a surgeon for the San Diego Police Department, eventually obtaining the rank of Chief
Police Surgeon. He served the department until 1946, at which point he retired to devote his full time to private practice.
He was a member of numerous medical associations, including the San Diego County Medical Society, the California Medical Association,
and the American Medical Association. Louis was also active in the Exchange Club, the San Diego Historical Society, the Imperial
Highway Association, the Public Lands Protective League, and the San Diego Police Post of the American Legion, and was a medical
contact for San Diego’s Civilian Defense network during World War II. Additionally, he was a member of the German culture
societies Orden der Hermann’s Söhne (Order of the Sons of Hermann) and Nordamerikanischer Turnerbund (North American Gymnastic
Union). He died on May 12, 1952.