Description
The San Diego Chamber of Commerce Records document the Chamber's activities and major Chamber-sponsored events in San Diego, such as the 1915 World Exposition at Balboa
Park, San Diego's 200th Anniversary celebration, and the establishment of the University of California, San Diego. The majority
of the material is from the 1950s-1970s and deals primarily with industrial growth and education, both of which directly relate
to the Chamber's commitment to "broad-based economic value." The collection consists of newspaper clippings, promotional materials
for San Diego events and attractions, correspondence, county data, meeting minutes, and committee reports. It is organized
into two series: Committee Files and Subject Files.
Background
Alonzo Horton established the San Diego Chamber of Commerce on 20 January, 1870, making it the second chamber of commerce
on the west coast. Initially, the Chamber sought to promote San Diego as a place to live; it even created the first City Directory
in 1874. In order to endorse San Diego, it advocated events such as the 1915 World Exhibition in Balboa Park. It also encouraged
the establishment of military bases in San Diego. In 1917, during World War I, the city approved the creation of a Marine
base and Naval Hospital. Later, in 1919, the United States Navy made San Diego the home base of its Pacific Fleet. Eventually
Point Loma became the site of the Naval Training Center, and Miramar gained prestige as a naval air station. In 1942, the
Navy acquired land that would later become Camp Pendleton. Hence, San Diego had firmly established itself as a major military
center, which increased the overall prosperity of the county.
Restrictions
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature
of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish
must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. Permissions
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Availability
This collection is open for research.