Located at: 561 S. Vulcan Ave. just across the street from the Encinitas Coaster Station|Bus Terminal and parking free

The San Dieguito Heritage Museum was established in 1988 and has since collect and preserve local history of Encinitas, including: Cardiff, Olivenhain and Leucadia, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe and Solana Beach.

Collection of such begins 10,000 years ago, when the area was home to the local American Indian tribes of the Kumeyaay, Diegueño, Luiseño , and their prehistoric ancestors.

Then, proceeds to the Mexican Rancheros, that inhabited the region until California became part of the United States in 1850. Settlers and homesteaders alike, arrived after the Julian's gold rush of the 1870s. The railroad was then completed in 1882.

The collection also spans the 1920's, 1930's & 40's, is also on display with relics from the Great Depression and WWI. As well as, some of the "pop" surfing culture of the 1950's and 1960's.

Today, the region is famous for its surfing beaches, mild weather, flowers and relaxed living.

Museum's History and Exhibitions
Founded in 1988, the museum has steadily increased its membership and attendance. In its temporary site it features a Kumeyaay Indian wicki-up and grinding stones, Mexican Ranchero costumes, an Olivenhain furnished shanty, and changing exhibitions and displays of old fashioned toys and artifacts. The museum owns a fine photo collection of over 8,000 photographs documenting the development and change of the area. Many photos of historic buildings and landmarks of the San Dieguito area in the early 20s are on display.

Education
The San Dieguito Heritage Museum maintains the heritage of the area for future generations, and keeps local history alive and accessible. Hundreds of students studying local history visit the museum each year. As an outreach program to schools and teachers, the museum provides a traveling trunk show with artifacts and old fashioned toys to be used in the classroom. To maintain and run these programs the museum actively recruits and trains volunteers.

In the Spring of 2001, as a Service Learning Project, the Journalism students and the Technology Club of Diegueño Middle School in Encinitas, created a San Dieguito Heritage Museum web site. Take a virtual tour for now (click here) .... and then come visit the museum to experience the local area's antiquities in real life.

Future of the San Dieguito Heritage MuseumPlans are in progress to design a living history museum with a larger and permanent building on the Encinitas Sanitary District site on the corner of Vulcan and Encinitas Blvd. This new location will make history a tangible experience for children and adults, bringing history alive through interactive exhibits and through the inclusion of members of different cultures that shaped our History. Through authentic artifacts and settings, the living history museum uncovers traces of the past that helped to shape the present and reveals how history is an ongoing process.

If you would like to be a volunteer, make an appointment, make a donation, or become a member, please contact us:

By mail:
P.O. Box 230851
Encinitas, CA 92024.com

By Phone:
(760)632-9711

E-mail:
sdhmuseum@aol.com