The Powegian Who Left A Mark On Both Sides of the Border

12/11/2021

By Hiram Soto

It’s easy to spot the picture of Philip Crosthwaite — the first Anglo settler of Poway — at Poway’s Heritage Museum in Old Poway Park. It hangs close to the beginning of the city’s historical timeline. The black-and-white portrait from the mid-1800s shows a stoic-looking Irish immigrant with sunken eyes and a salt-and-pepper beard staring into the distance. Crosthwaite was a pioneer and a dedicated public servant across the region: he was the first county treasurer, Sheriff, County Clerk and Justice of the Peace.

He was also a binational figure. When I was a reporter at the San Diego Union-Tribune, I had the pleasure to work with his great grandson: journalist, editor and famed Mexican fiction writer Luis Humberto Crosthwaite, who lives in Tijuana. 

Philip Crosthwaite was also a settler of what is now Rosarito, Baja California. He purchased a ranch there but spent a lot of time north of the border. He married María Josefa López and had 10 children on the Mexican side. Luis Humberto Crosthwaite is one of Philip’s descendants. Today, there are a few Mexicans who still carry that name the south side of the border.

I reached out to my friend to tell him about the picture of his great grandfather hanging on the wall of the Poway Heritage Museum, and shared a copy of the picture on the wall. He replied by sending me his most updated picture. Here they are side-by-side, two family members, three generations apart:

This is one of several fascinating stories you’ll find at the Heritage Museum, which will be open during the Christmas in the Park celebration in Old Poway on Saturday, November 11. The museum will be open until 8:30 p.m., so make sure you stop by to learn more about this in so many other stories of Poway’s past. (Disclaimer: I am a board member of the Poway Historical Society, which runs the museum, and will be volunteering starting at 6 PM if you want to stop by and say hello!)

The museum recently reopened after closing for a year and a half because of COVID and upgrades.

The museum is headed by Poway icon Mary Shepardson, a member of the city’s first City Council. She was Poway’s first female mayor and a former reporter for the Poway News Chieftain. She is also a founding member of the Poway Historical and Memorial Society, which was created in 1964. Shepardson’s parents, David and Marion Shepardson, were founding members of the organization.

Here are some this you’ll find at the museum: