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Winslow. 7 Its heraldic description follow­ The used as suppor­ ing the presentation quoted in document ters recall the ancient jurisdiction of , The Heraldic seal of the city of San Diego, California N°. 74869, is as follows (fig. 1) : which marked the historical character of Shield , a fess wavy, , in chief a Southern California. They are taken from by Prof. Dr. J. J. SANTAP1m1m, Universidad de] Neuquen, R<'p. Argentina Spanish caravel in full sail , pennons the royal of Spain, together and flag of the same, in base an orange with the . The tree proper fruited and eradicated, be­ dolphins are adopted from the coat of tween two winged wheels of the third; arms of the Panama-California Exposition, : A Carmelite Belfry, azure, having symbolizing the now inseparably united The City of San Diego, "the Birthplace became a State of the Union . The City's hung therein a bell, or; two Oceans and the take-off of San Diego of California," is preparing for 1969 the first Charter was adopted in 18 52, and new based upon this event. The motto SEM­ 1 celebration of its 2.ooth anniversary . ones in 1876, 1886 and 1889.3 This latter PER VIGILANS was justified by the This justifies the evocation of the con• has been amended t 2.5 times between 1889 author of the adopted project as "pecu­ stituent elements of the City's official seal. and 1931, and the 1931 one since then liarly appropriate to the spirit of San The discovery of the Coast of California more than 1 50 times ... Diego." and of San Diego is due to the Portuguese As far as the heraldic seal of the City of This seal dated 1914 will celebrate its Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo at the service of San Diego is concerned, the first Municipal 55th anniversary in 1969, coinciding with Spain, on September 2.8, 1542.. He had Code provides that the seal "shall be the 200th anniversary of the City's foun­ 8 gone to Mexico with Narvaez in 152.0 and circular, in diameter of a size appropriate dation. Another commemorative seal was with Pedro de Alvarado in the Con­ for use on official City documents, and in was specially adopted for this · solemn quest of Guatemala. Then he sailed 1n the center any_ design adopted by the occasion, which reproduces the non­ 1540 with Alvarado's fleet to explore the Council, and the following inscription heraldic figures of a Franciscan friar hold­ northwest coast. In June 15 42, Cabrillo surrounding the same : THE CITY OF ing the Cross and a Spanish conq11istador with his hallebard (fig. took over the command of two vessels SAN DIEGO, STA TE OF CALIFOR­ Fig. 1. The: seal of the City of San Diego, 1941, 2.). • ".~ > and entered a bay named by him San NIA."" A second legal provision concerns Miguel, the San Diego Bay of today, the seal in the Charter of 193 1, stipulating S11pporler.r The pillars of Hercules -.,._ which received its present name sixty that the City " . . . may use a corporate azure, entwined wfrh ribands or, standing \ years later, in November 1602, by Captain­ seal." (Art. I. sec. 1) s. upon two dolphins vert, with eyes, fins ~ t ,, General Sebastian Vizcaino, who redis­ In 1913, the City Council authorized the and tail, gub, their tails linked together, ~ " ~1. covered the place. or, beneath the shield; ' . o. ~~). ~ .,..J Clerk "to invite the submission of compet­ . h~ ./ The City ows its foundation to Father itive designs for ... an official seal •.. 6 " Motto· SEMPER VIGILANS; around Junipero Serra who arrived on July 1, The design adopted by Resolution the whole : THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO, .... Fig. 2 , The sc:alof San Diego 200th Anniversary, Inc, 1 769 to the Bay where he established the N°. 1702.4 of April 15, 1914, was the STATE OF CALIFORNIA. first Mission of California, on July 16. work of Architect Carleton Monroe The blue wavy band with a Spanish It would be fortunate if the City's This Mission, on the actual site of Presidio caravel under full sail represent the City's Council would use the good heraldic Hill, gave birth to the City and to the so 3 position on the sea, and the early Spanish Sec : WILLIAME. SMYTH!! : History of San Di,go elements of the half-a-century old seal for called "Camino Real," a still existing IJ42•1907, The History Co~pany, San Diego, 1907. settlement. The orange tree indicates the pp. 464 ss. the adoption of a municipal coat-of-arms 6oo miles long route with a chain of citrus industry, and the winged wheels the which could be an additional sound tra­ 2 • San Diego Municipal Code:,adopted by Ordinance 2.1 missions . No. 5046 (New Series), original codification filed as manufacture and transportation, the three dition commemorating the two centuries Official Document No. 443622. Compiled nnd codified Under Mexican rule, San Diego received economic factors of the City's wealth. existence of the City of San Die~o. 9 its p11eblostatus in 183 5; and came under by Jc:an F. Du Paul nnd Morey S. Levenson; amended For a crest a typical "Carmelite belfry" 10-10-57 by Ordinance 7626 No. 5. • The California Legislature passed a Resolution American sovereignty in 1848. It was l San Diego Municipal Code, Chapter II. Govern­ is used, which suggests the early christia­ on January 3, 1967, called Senate Concurrent Resolu­ ment, Art . t. - General Provisions, Section 20.01. incorporated as an American city on 6 nization of San Diego by the "Mission tion No. 1 relative to the California Bicentennial The second Wbtrtai of Resolution No. 12752 Celebration . This Resolution is nn eloquent reflex of March 2.7. 18 50, the year that California stated the reason behind this convocation ; "ln the Fathers" of Fray Junipero Serra. It should the consciousness of the people of California of its opinion of this Common Council, the present seal of be stated however, that Fray Junipero was history and traditions • 1 Sec EDW A RD J. DAVIS: HittoritalSanDif go. The the City of San Diego is not in nny way symbolic or a Franciscan and not a Carmelite ... 9 The author gratefully acknowledges the valuable Birthplace of California, San Diego, 19n; jAMl!S representative of the municipality as it a: ists to-day" MILLS: San Ditgr>-117/JtrtCalifonzia began, San Diego - aid granted to him by the City Clerk of Snn Diego, and, Wbtrtas, "lt is the desire of said Common 1 Resolution No. 17024 is filed as Official Docu• Mr. John Lockwood, in ordc:r to research the full Historical Society, 1960. Council to have a more appropriate seal designed for mcnt No. 75410 in the: City Clerk's Office:,in Book 25, 1 At present the Highway 101. historical background of the sc:al of the City of San use as the official seal of said City," page: 394, file I H• Dic:go, in February, 1968.

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