© LJFS and Liesl Schindler

History of Casa/Children's Beach

The Natural History of the Area, 1887 to the present
Before the sea wall was built, the site was a natural beach, with a shallow water area serving as a channel between a large offshore rock and mainland bluff. The bluff was known as "Seal Rock Point" and the large offshore rock was known as "Seal Rock."

The Building of the Sea Wall and Naming of the Area
In 1931 the sea wall was built from Seal Rock Point across the channel and onto Seal Rock, closing off the channel and the natural flow of water to the south in order to leave an enclosed pool area. The project was conceived and funded by local benefactress Ellen Browning Scripps and was dedicated as the Children's Pool. At that time there were no lifeguards in the area, and modern swimming pools were just beginning to develop. Today many children enjoy seeing the seals and benefit from learning about them. It is still "The Children's Pool."

1931 to the Present
Not long after the sea wall was built, the pool began to fill in with sand and the sluice holes that had been placed in the wall to allow for a gradual flow-through of water were blocked off when a child drowned trying to pass through one of the sluice holes. By the 1970s the pool was two-thirds a sandy beach with swift access to deep water and a dangerous rip current. At this time harbor seals, who had been occupying the rocks to the north, began using the beach as a winter haul-out site. In the early 1990s they began using the beach in increasing numbers.

In February 1999 the beach was recognized as a natural harbor seal haulout and rookery site by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Their habitat, however, is not.

There continues to be heated controversy about the appropriate use of the Casa Beach/Children's Pool. For a fuller discussion of this as well as an update on the present status, go to The Controversy.

La Jolla History
The indigenous people of La Jolla were the La Jolla Indians who had lived in the area for thousands of years. Small communities lived on the bounty of the sea, hunted and gathered acorns, which they ground into flour.

The name "La Jolla" can be interpreted in different ways. "La Jolla" is the ancient Indian name meaning "the holes" perhaps referring to sea caves and rocky coast or to the coastal valley at La Jolla Shores. It can also be interpreted as the Spanish word "la joya" meaning "the jewel" which adequately describes this beautiful, inspiring place.

Early settlers from the East and Midwest who arrived during the 1800s must have seemed out of place to some, in their heavy dresses, hats and suits, but this was the land of opportunity, of horizons and possibilities. The small seaside community of La Jolla was relished for its beaches, rejuvenating ocean waters and rugged coastline, and held great land development potential. The character of the town has changed since the first settlers came, but it still retains a special charm and beauty.

Copyright © 2001-2010 La Jolla Friends of the Seals
P.O. Box 2016, La Jolla, CA 92038
For more information please call (619) 687-3588 or email us.