Cottonwood Creek
(Cottonwood Creek, S. Coast
Hwy 101 and B Streets)
“Water
was pumped out of ‘the Cottonwood’ by a windmill. If the tank was
full when the train came through, the conductor would climb up and
shut the water off.†- Annie Cozens, pioneer 1880s
As a primary source of water and wood fuel in Encinitas in 1881,
Cottonwood Creek was the single most important factor in the
California Southern Railroad choosing Encinitas as a water stop.
This railroad access and the availability of water and wood from the
creek in turn made possible the format establishment of the town of
Encinitas in 1883... the first town in San Diego County between
National City and Oceanside to grow up along the railroad line.
Two Civil War veterans from the Midwest, Tom Rattan
and John Pitcher, were the town's founders. Rattan and surveyor D.
N. Sanford laid out the streets in 1881. Every street had an alley.