- T H E N & N O W -
In the late 1950s, Tamarack Beach looked like a scene out of a Frankie Avalon-Annette Funicello movie. Carlsbad’s first wave of surfers made it their spot and the wide, sandy stretch of beach was ideal for hanging out and soaking up the sun. There was even a burger joint, Novak’s, and, in the 1970’s, the Offshore Surf Shop.
Today, Tamarack is a little more crowded, as it’s one of the most popular beaches in Carlsbad. It’s a destination not just for surfing, but also paddle boarding, kayaking, wind surfing and fishing.
THEN Photo: There was hardly anything but sand and surf at Tamarack in the 1950s. Photo courtesy of Carlsbad City Library Carlsbad History Collection (1959).
NOW Photo: The beach is a favorite of locals and tourists alike, and Carlsbad boulevards homes and business take advantage of the amazing view. Photo by Taylor Mohr (2022).
Featured in our latest edition.
OUT NOW!
And there goes the last of the Stack!
Video by @carlsbadcrawl
Crusin’ into the weekend
Crusin’ into the weekend.
Video by Carlsbad Aquafarm
Guy Rowlett sent us a 1955 brochure from @sdge touting its new Encina Power Plant on the Carlsbad coastline. As seen here in the brochure’s cover photo, one unit was already completed and another underway at the time, supplying electricity by burning fuel oil sent to the plant from ships via an underwater pipe.
Today, the plant looks, well, somewhat like it did back then. That’s because the 1970s-era smokestack that towered over the city has been dismantled as the old facilities are demolished. The former power plant was closed in 2018, replaced by the Carlsbad Energy Center that operates on natural gas and is owned by NRG Energy.
1955 photo courtesy of Guy Rowlett
2022 photo by @carlsbad_aerial_studio
Vitamin Sea
Video by Lynn Koniakowsky
Check out the beautiful artwork of Artists Alley next time you’re in the Village! 🎨
Video by @coconutmommy & @handysuperdave
T H E N & N O W
In 1980, Leo Carrillo Ranch was well past its heyday. The actor had purchased the land in 1937, creating a gracious California rancho retreat. The native landscaping provided a beautiful backdrop to the adobe buildings, most notably the Hacienda (upper right center of the 1980 photo), that dotted the 2,000-plus acres. But Carrillo died in 1961, and in 1977 the city of Carlsbad received a portion of the dormant ranch for park land.
Later in the ‘80s, work began on future Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park. The effort was spearheaded by Friends of Carrillo Ranch, A nonprofit citizens group founded by Alan Kindle. Together, the nonprofit and the city created the 27-acre historic park, which is one of Carlsbad’s greatest landmarks.
1980 Photo: Work had not yet begun on the Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park. The gatehouse is at the lower left corner, barns and stables in the upper left center, and the ranch house at the upper right center. Photo courtesy of Carlsbad City Library Carlsbad History Collection
2022 Photo: The park is a precious legacy of Carlsbad’s earliest years, and a tribute to Carrillo‘s vision of a California rancho paradise. Photo by Justin Hoeppner @justhoep
Views from above
Video by @chriscolefilms
In the 1950s, Carlsbad’s egg Industry was booming thanks to the Hoffman family. Their thriving ranch, Marja Acres, was located off of El Camino Real near Kelly Drive. In the 1970s, Marja Acres became a famous Carlsbad landmark when the ranch was turned into The Country Store, complete with its famous oversized fiberglass chicken on the roof. To learn more about Marja Acres from its namesake, Maria Hoffman Selna, turn to page 78.
Today, the Pastoral egg ranch and The Country Store are relics of the past. The land is slated for new home development.
1956 image: The Hoffmans’ hen houses marked their ranch property off El Camino Real. Marja Acres eventually encompassed 24 acres. Photo courtesy of The Hoffman Family.
THEN & NOW
La Costa Avenue and Carlsbad Boulevard.
There wasn’t a flood in 1946, but Noah’s Ark landed here anyway that year on the coastal Leucadia cliffs at what’s now La Costa Avenue. Pairs of wooden animals— tigers, giraffes, elephants and more— dotted the hillside that overlooks Batiquitos Lagoon and South Carlsbad State Beach, leading down to an ark-shaped restaurant. This site also featured funky rental cottages that the San Diego Union-Tribune says led to the nickname “hippie hill”.
In the early 1960s, the ark, it’s animals and the rental cottages were torn down. The site was vacant until earlier this year, when the upscale Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas opened its doors. While there aren’t any wooden animals, the property does have 130 rooms and suites, an ocean front pool, The VAGA restaurant & bar, a spa and other amenities.
1946 Photo courtesy of Frashers Fotos Collection/HJG and Pomona Public Library, Pomona, CA.
2021 Photo Courtesy of @alilamareabeachresort
Footage of this epic storm
Videos by @_malenim
We will #neverforget
Images via @vizartink, @carlsbadpolicedept &
@bressi_buzz
Home sweet home
📍Carlsbad, CA
📷 @ donovisionphotography
In the 1950s, San Diego Gas & Electric supplied power from the Encina Power Plant by the coast. It wasn’t until the 1970s, however, that the plant got its famous 400-foot-tall smokestack that became a beacon in North County, pointing locals and visitors alike to Carlsbad.
We’ve gone back to the future. The old plant building closed in 2018 after a newer one was built on the site by current owner NRG. (The location is also home to the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalinization Plant, which opened in 2015.) The giant smokestack is no more; it’s being torn down as the old plant is demolished.
Then Photo courtesy of San Diego history Center @sandiegohistorycenter
Now Photo by Anthony Mata Jr. @anthony.m.mata
Awesome footage by @carlsbad_aerial_studio
📍 @parkhyattaviara
Sunset surf
Sunset surf
📷 by Andrew Ahi @wavesofahi
Father’s Day is tomorrow! Shop local for the perfect gifts.
Time lapse by Artist Wade Koniakowsky @oceanartbykoniakowsky
