Felicita Park is the site of one of the largest and oldest Indian villages in the county. To this day, grinding holes and other artifacts reveal evidence of the centuries-old community of the Northern Diegueno Indians.
The Poway Indians meted out harsh penalties to those members of the tribe who were guilty of crimes such as adultery, cowardice and theft by "treeing" the guilty ones in the 1,000 year-old trees. Called the Judgment Grove, victims were left suspended in the "torture trees" until death overtook them.
In 1867, an Irishman by the name of James McCoy acquired the Bernardo Rancho which included a portion of what is now Felicita Park. His large flocks of sheep ranged over this land called McCoy's Grove. In 1871, Mr. McCoy was elected to the State Senate and played a prominent role until his death in 1895. The property, later owned by Ransford Lewis, was purchased as a county park for the sum of $12,000 in December 1929.
The park was given the name of Felicita Park because the Felicita pageant, based on the book, Indian Stories of the Southwest, was performed in the park from 1928-1931.
Park Features
- 53 acres of dense oak groves
- 2 ballfields
- 4 horseshoe pits
- Picnic tables / barbecues
- 4 playgrounds
- Restrooms
- 2 volleyball courts
- Nature trail
- Hiking trails
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FELICITA COUNTY PARK Open Monday–Friday, 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
