Derby Dike

The Clampers chapter whose name is on bronzes all over this county took it from the man this one is about. George Horatio Derby waited on Washington for money and filled the time writing, as John Phoenix and as Squibob, the first published humor in California. His dike went up in 1853 and a storm took it out about two years later, and the river came back to the harbor. The plaque admits the river was not settled until the 1950s.

What the plaque says

Derby Dike Until 1853 the erratic San Diego River dumped tons of debris into the harbor or poured into False Bay, now Mission Bay. At times it threatened to destroy Old Town San Diego. Lieutenant George Horatio Derby, U.S. Topographical Corps, built a dike that diverted the waters into False Bay. This was the first effort to tame the river, and one of the first U.S. Government projects in California. The river was not fully harnessed until the 1950s. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 244 First registered June 10, 1936. Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation and Squibob Chapter, E Clampus Vitus, August 4, 1990.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Serra Palm (Site) — steps away
• San Diego Presidio Site — steps away
• Fort Stockton — steps away
• Casa de Carrillo — 0.2 mi