Did you know…

1898 –  The first documented Crest resident is John Howard Dodson who homesteaded the Kalamity Ranch in 1898. The property was located about a mile up the La Cresta Grade near Old Bend Road.

1923 – Early residents had a less than positive description of the first road Suncrest  “At this time there was just a wagon trail going to an abandoned ranch the Cornelius family had taken over.” The first road described as the “Old Grade” or “Suncrest Truck Trail” is still a dirt fire road which starts at the end of Suncrest Blvd. and ends near the Shadow Mountain area.

1924 –  William Jenkins Sr., took advantage of the San Diego Sun offer and purchased several parcels on Eucalyptus Drive. He built the first cabin in the new resort development of Suncrest for his mother, Mrs. Outcalt.

1926 – The first store in Suncrest, located in a small log cabin on Suncrest Blvd. across from the Suncrest Clubhouse, was opened by Jim Coats This small store consisted of only bare essentials as everything had to be hauled up from El Cajon.

1926 – The first school bus was a 1926 Dodge commercial truck which had wire nets on the sides and hauled approximately 10 students, driven by Willis Grant Cornelius.

1926 – The  first clubhouse – The Suncrest Clubhouse,. located at the corner of Suncrest Blvd. and Juanita Lane, was built  for the entertainment of cabin site owners and their families and friends.

1926 – The Suncrest Ball Park, located where South Lane Park now stands, had its first recorded game on June 6, 1926 between Savage Tire Company and the Navy team of the USS Sinclair.

1928 – Dollie Cornelius fought to have the La Cresta grade paved and oiled. She was the first woman to drive down the newly paved grade.

1929 – Sunday only delivery of the San Diego Sun newspaper began in 1929. Mildred Black and her brother Buddy helped their dad deliver newspapers, making them Crest’s first paper boy and girl!

1930 – In October of 1930, it was reported the telephone company was making a survey in preparation to install service to the La Cresta and Suncrest districts. The El Cajon Valley News reported there were six phones to be installed. Telephones were secured by subscription costing some $180.

1930s – The first successful result of an official road came when San Diego County took in Suncrest Blvd., Albatross Place, South Lane, and Crest Drive. Residents were required to bring the road into compliance at their own expense before the county would accept the road.

1930 – In 1930, the first rural mail route on the Crest hill was started with Harry Wright as the carrier. Before that time, the mail had to be picked up at the El Cajon Post Office, where J.H. Dodson was Postmaster

1931 – By March 1931, the first San Diego Gas & Electric  line was brought to “the hill.” Mr. J.L. Brooks of SDG&E stated in the El Cajon Valley News that this was the first resort off the paved highway in San Diego County to obtain this service.  Prior to electricity, homes were primarily heated with distillate fuel oil.  Kitchen stoves used wood, kerosene, or gas for fuel.

1933 – The first church, the Crest Community Church began as a Sunday school in the home of Miss Lulu Satterlund on October 22, 1933. When attendance grew too large for her home, the Sunday school was then held in the Suncrest Clubhouse until 1935 when the building on the corner of Lento Lane and Madera Verde Pl was purchased and dedicated on November 3, 1935.

1933 – First Law Enforcement Officer – Jim Coats was appointed the first deputy sheriff in 1933. Jim Coats was appointed the first deputy sheriff in 1933. Mr. Dickinson  was appointed deputy resident sheriff for Crest and served 9 years.

1935 – The Echo Ranch Dairy  started by Ethel Jenkins which she ran for more than a dozen years.

1937 – The Suncrest Chamber was formed and was very active in community activities from 1937 to 1940. Glenn T. Miller was the first president.

1942 – The first Suncrest Volunteer Fire Department was formed.  The first firefighting equipment on the hill in 1942 consisted of barrels of water hauled on a trailer behind a private automobile. It was put together by members of Suncrest. The first official volunteer fire department was formed and in October 1947, it was chartered and the election and appointment of a Board of Directors and chief followed. Tom Jump was appointed the first fire chief.

1944 – The first water district, The Crest Public Utility District was formed in July of 1944, after which the water systems of Suncrest and La Cresta were turned over to the District for operation

1947 – the Ladies Auxiliary of the Crest Volunteer Fire Association was formed, adopting their first set of bylaws in September 1947

1947 – 1947 – House to House Mail Begins in Crest.

1946  First Recorded July 4th Event,

1948 -First Fire Station.   Construction of the station was done by volunteer residents of Crest. The building site which is still used for our station was leased to the volunteer fire department for 99 years from the water district, adjacent to where they later built their office. The fire station remains in the same location to this day

1951 – The county opened its first official library. Mrs. Fern Podvin was named as the first Crest librarian working six hours a week at a pay rate of $5.25 a month. In the beginning, the library consisted of two large bookcases along the back wall of the La Cresta Clubhouse.

1950 – First Catholic Church built in Crest – St. Louise de Marillac Church. .The first Holy Mass was sung by Father Goodrow before an overflowing congregation on Christmas midnight, 1950.

1956 – Crest Elementary School opens

1960s – La Cresta and Suncrest merge and decide the name will be CREST. The Crest Civic League inquired and found there were no other communities named Crest and set to work to establish a post office as another step toward establishing “Crest” as the official name. Since the Crest Public Utilities Commission, the Crest School, and the Crest Fire Department had already been established, Crest seemed the logical choice. The league wrote the San Diego County Board of Supervisors asking how they could officially establish the name. The Board had a simple answer, “Put up a sign.” 

1960 – First Post Office in Crest. Alma Rice was considered to be the first Postmistress for the community