The small rural community of Bonita is nestled in the fertile valley of the Sweetwater River. For over a century, families from nearby San Diego and Chula Vista have built secluded homes on large lots carved from the pioneer ranches that emerged in the 1870s on Rancho de la Nacion. Ulysses S. Grant Jr. and the Marstons and Allens built homes designed by architects such as Irving Gill and William S. Hebbard. They relished the rural equestrian lifestyle of their valley, and resisted the modernization that began after World War II with highways, shopping centers, and subdivisions.
Dr. Steven Schoenherr was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and earned his doctorate in American history from the University of Delaware. He has lived in the South Bay since 1977. Now retired, he was a history professor at the University of San Diego for 30 years. He is the author of several historical Web sites and has produced the DVD collection of Universal newsreels. Mary E. Oswell is a native of Bonita who attended Allen School and Bonita Vista Junior High, and has a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology. In 2003, she became a volunteer at the Bonita Museum and Cultural Center and was subsequently employed by the museum during the transition to their new facility.