San Diego Union-Tribune Building

Hidden in plain sight within Old Town San Diego State Historic Park sits the San Diego Union Building. This unassuming structure holds a legacy larger than its wooden frame. It’s the birthplace of a media giant, the San Diego Union-Tribune. Let’s journey back to 1868, a time when news traveled slower than a stagecoach. Imagine the clatter of the Washington Hand Press, its massive iron frame groaning as it brought words to life. This very type of press birthed the first edition of the San Diego Union on October 10th. The paper, a mere four pages, was the brainchild of Colonel William Jefferson “Jeff” Gatewood, Edward “Ned” Bushyhead, and José Narciso Briseño. Bushyhead, a Cherokee Indian with Scottish heritage, steered the paper as its first editor. Their small weekly newspaper, printed right here in the San Diego Union Building, was a testament to the power of the press in a burgeoning town. The San Diego Union Building itself has a journey as interesting as the newspaper it housed. Shipped piece by piece from the East Coast, likely Maine, around Cape Horn, the prefabricated wooden structure arrived in San Diego around 1851. It stood as a silent witness to the town’s growth, serving different purposes before becoming the newspaper’s home. The building remained the Union’s home until 1870, when the newspaper moved to “New Town,” present-day Downtown San Diego. The paper flourished, surviving mergers and name changes to become the San Diego Union-Tribune we know today. The San Diego Union Building might have faded into obscurity, but its story didn’t end there. In 1967, James S. Copley, then publisher of the San Diego Union-Tribune, orchestrated a remarkable restoration. He brought the building back to its 1868 glory, recreating the bustling newsroom and editor’s office as they would have appeared when the first edition rolled off the press. Inside, you can even see a desk once owned by Ulysses S. Grant’s son, a tangible link to a pivotal era in American history. The San Diego Union Building stands as more than just a museum; it’s a time capsule. It’s a reminder of the enduring power of journalism and a testament to the humble beginnings of one of the nation’s major newspapers.