L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York in 1856 and worked as an actor, newspaper editor, and traveling salesman before publishing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, creating America’s first indigenous and most beloved fairy tale. Seeking relief from bitter Chicago winters and demanding theatrical schedules, Baum and his wife Maud arrived at Hotel del Coronado in early 1904.

Enchanted by the mild Mediterranean climate, blossoming gardens, and the fairytale architecture of Hotel del Coronado, Baum declared the Crown City to be the earthly realization of Fairyland. For seven winter seasons between 1904 and 1910, Baum resided at the hotel and later leased a yellow cottage at 1101 Star Park Circle. In this sunlit seaside retreat, Baum authored six classic sequels, including The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, and The Emerald City of Oz.

Baum became deeply woven into the local social fabric, cultivating sweet peas, bowling on the hotel greens, and authoring poems celebrating Coronado as "The Queen of Fairy Land." Baum also played an instrumental role in designing the crown-shaped chandeliers that still illuminate the hotel’s world-famous Crown Room.

Baum’s timeless creative legacy lives on throughout the island. The Coronado Public Library preserves original first editions and rare letters, while magnificent Oz stained-glass windows honor the beloved Royal Historian whose imagination forever linked Coronado with the magic of the Emerald City.