Park Plan

Controversy

Mt. Hope

Pioneer Park Evolution

From an Idea to a Reality

The cemetery was closed. What would be next? The Mission Hills residents worked with the San Diego city planners to design Pioneer Park. It was to be a place to play and relax lined with the tombstones of people of the past. Construction began and was immediately stopped. There was a controversy over the use of the tombstones, but once again the Mission Hills people worked together to solve the problem to build a park for the future.

Another important question arose. The bodies of 1,600 to 2,000 people were to remain buried within the park grounds unless their families chose to have them reburied; few did. What was to be done with the tombstones and crypts of these people? The situation was discussed and a decision agreed to.