Babcock & Story’s Historic Quail Hunt on the Dunes
Two Midwestern gentlemen hunt quail on wild dunes and conceive of building the talk of the Western world.
Listen to the historical narrative via browser voice narration
Archival Chronicle & Historical Significance
Historical Chronicle
Historic Library of Congress panoramic map showing Coronado Beach, the wild ocean dunes, and San Diego Bay where Babcock and Story hunted quail.
In the spring of 1885, Elisha S. Babcock Jr., a retired Indiana railroad executive recuperating from respiratory illness, met Hampton L. Story, a successful Chicago piano manufacturer, while lodging in downtown San Diego. Both men shared a love of outdoor sports and maritime coastal scenery.
Seeking recreation, Babcock and Story hired a local boatman to row them across the harbor to the uninhabited Coronado peninsula to hunt wild quail and jackrabbits among the brush-covered sand dunes. As they climbed to the crest of a high dune overlooking the crashing Pacific surf, Babcock paused and took in the panoramic views of Point Loma and the ocean.
Babcock turned to Story and expressed the vision that changed California history: that a world-class resort hotel built on these dunes would become the envy of the Western world. That fateful afternoon hunt led directly to the formation of the Coronado Beach Company and the creation of Hotel del Coronado.
Other Key Milestones in this Era
Peachy & Aspinwall Acquire Coronado Lands
Archibald Peachy and Pacific Mail Steamship founder William Aspinwall buy the island from Simmons heirs.
Formation of the Coronado Beach Company
Babcock, Story, Jacob Gruendike, and Josephus Collett incorporate the development enterprise.
Primary Archival Sources & Official Portals
Share Chronicle & Academic Citation
Distribute verified Coronado historical records or cite this resource in academic, educational, and journalistic works.