Chapter 7 — HISTORICAL GUIDELINES

The Camp Lockett Cultural Landscape Technical Report contains detailed information for future development and reuse within the Camp Lockett Rural Landscape Historic District. The boundaries of the Historic District are shown in Figure 6. The purpose of the Cultural Landscape Technical Report is to support previous studies by providing an understanding of the Camp Lockett cultural landscape. Previous studies provide important information about the background, history, buildings, and archaeology and should be referenced in tandem with this report. The Cultural Landscape Technical Report provides information about historic conditions, existing conditions, significance and integrity evaluation, identification of contributing landscape elements within the district, circulation patterns, spatial organization, vegetation, and related landscape-designed elements of the Military Landscape. This document maintains the Period of Significance (POS) used in other technical reports and designations for the historic property and considers 1941–1946 to be the Historic Period or Historic Condition. The document does not include a reevaluation of archaeological sites or a conditions assessment of architectural contributors at Camp Lockett.

Except for the PSRM site, the rest of the development boundary is part of an existing historic district, the Camp Lockett Historic District, which was listed on the San Diego County Local Register of Historic Places (Local Register) on October 25, 2003. The Local Register nomination identifies 53 contributing buildings or structures from 1940 to 1949 that retain their historic integrity. The property was further documented for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2006, but the nomination was not approved by the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). A 122-acre portion of the project area was also designated as California Historical Landmark (CHL) Number 1045 on October 30, 2009. This historic landmark district encompasses 62 buildings, structures, and building remnants from 1941 through 1946. The Cultural Landscape Technical Report summarizes the results of an updated field survey and research effort completed in 2019 in order to fill in gaps in previous investigations relating to cultural landscapes features within the Camp Lockett Historic District vicinity.

In 2019, the County of San Diego Department of Planning & Development Services (PDS) retained ICF to perform an updated field survey and research effort in order to fill in gaps in previous investigations relating to cultural landscape features within the Camp Lockett Historic District vicinity. As part of this effort, cultural resources personnel performed archival research, field surveys, and integrity assessments of historic-period, built environment resources that qualify as historical resources under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Camp Lockett was evaluated against California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) criteria for purposes of CEQA. The properties also were evaluated for eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The following boundaries were defined:

Master Plan Area – This area is an approximately 400-acre area that is jointly managed by the County of San Diego and an organization of public/private partners. This area includes multiple parcels with different landowners.

· Development Area – This area is approximately 195 acres and was surveyed by ICF archaeologists from 2018-2019. It is located within the Master Plan and is being considered for potential improvements. This area was identified in NRHP documentation completed for the property in 2006. Although the property was never formally listed in the national inventory, the County of San Diego considers it to be the definitive documentation on the resource. The boundary partially overlaps with the Master Plan. References to a Historic District are usually referring to the area defined in this documentation.

· Camp Lockett Rural Landscape Historic District – This area was identified in NRHP documentation completed for the property in 2006. Although the property was never formally listed in the national inventory, the County of San Diego considers it to be the definitive documentation on the resource. The boundary partially overlaps with the Master Plan.

· Cultural Landscape Area/Boundary – The Cultural Landscape Area (boundary) is defined through the onsite survey and archival research. It represents the historic developed core and adjoining parade grounds of Camp Lockett during its operation. This boundary overlaps with the Master Plan and encompasses both the Development Area and the Camp Lockett Rural Historic District area.

· Developed Core – The Developed Core represents the cluster of development in Campo during the Camp Lockett era (1941–1946) built by the U.S. Army. The developed core includes the entire Cultural Landscape Area, excluding the parade grounds to the northwest of the railroad and south of the hospital. The parade grounds were located on already flat and cleared ranchlands, and no built features were required for their functionality.

Camp Lockett has been documented and evaluated on numerous occasions. A portion of the cultural landscape area was listed as a local historic district, and then as a state landmark. Previous documentation focused on the archaeology and buildings/structures on the site, which led to a high level of understanding regarding the physical development of the property and which buildings contribute to the historic district, but it left a gap in documentation relating to cultural landscape elements at Camp Lockett.

The original boundary of Camp Lockett used by mounted U.S. Cavalry and border patrol during World War II covered more than 7,000 acres. In order to capture the full breadth of landscape characteristics that convey this property’s history, the report is focused on the 950 acres of the functional center of the former military camp constructed between 1941 and 1946.

The Cultural Landscape Area was heavily shaped by the military during World War II and includes the railroad depot, the main post, housing and support areas built out for both troops and horses, and hospital facilities that formed the core of the campus during the war, as well as adjacent parade and training grounds. The Cultural Landscape Area is larger than and encompasses the Historic District.

The Cultural Landscape Area boundary was drawn to capture historic military buildings, structures, and landscape features throughout the functional center of the historic camp. The northern boundary follows the historic Camp Lockett boundary during the war years, to the extent of Cameron Corners, and then eastward across the ranchlands. The eastern boundary circles around the 28th Cavalry area, which retains historic circulation and archeological features, and then follows a historic circulation alignment southward. The southern boundary includes what is today known as CLEEF, but was historically the mounted parade ground and mounted obstacle course area. The western boundary follows the edge of development, which also aligns where the topography increases. The boundary extends one mile west to include historic features such as the Old Highway 94, incinerator, sewage treatment plant, Old Wagon Road, and others, before turning northward along California State Route 94 (SR 94).

The technical report further addresses the history of Camp Lockett and it provides a review of the previous cultural resource studies undertaken within the vicinity of Camp Lockett. Twenty-one studies have been completed within one mile of the Master Plan area.

Although the current effort only involved conducting a constraints analysis of existing conditions to identify historic landscape features within the Study Area, future projects may require compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. These regulations recognize the public’s interest in cultural resources and the public benefit from preserving them. These laws and regulations require analysts to consider how a project might affect cultural resources and take steps to avoid or reduce potential damage or destruction. A cultural resource can be considered any resource valued (culturally, scientifically, aesthetically, or religiously) by a group of people.

The project is subject to the rules and regulations that govern the treatment of cultural resources in California. If future projects within the historic resource require federal permits, funding, or permissions, they may be considered federal undertakings and would be required to be conducted in compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The NHPA is the primary mandate for governing projects under federal jurisdiction that might affect cultural resources. Similarly, a project undertaken by a public agency (state or local) or a private project classified as a discretionary action would be subject to environmental impact analysis pursuant to CEQA. This chapter summarizes the relevant cultural resources regulations that may apply to the property. See the Camp Lockett Cultural Landscape Technical Report for detailed information on the levels of regulation that may apply to future uses within the study area.

The Cultural Landscape Technical Report contains a good deal of information that is relevant to future developments and adaptive reuse of existing structures. As the various stakeholders seek to implement the goals and objectives of the Master Plan it is important to know and understand the various resources that exist on their land holdings.

Future improvements, repairs, or maintenance work conducted within the Camp Lockett Historic District must comply with historical requirements and guidelines. Any permit for the construction or alteration of any building or structure or movement of earth is subject to review and approval by the County’s Historic Site Board. Period examination of the property by the County will also be necessary to determine the ongoing historical status of the resources. Additional information regarding the Camp Lockett Historic District is provided in the Camp Lockett Cultural Landscape Technical Report.