San Diego, CA
The Spreckels name is big in San Diego history. A new book looks at the man behind the money
Longtime San Diegans likely have heard the name. It graces a historic theater downtown and is in the full title of the iconic Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.
The Spreckels surname has been a part of local lore since the late 1800s. The family once owned all of Coronado, including the Hotel del Coronado, Belmont Park in Mission Beach and every single downtown lot from the ferry landing to Horton Plaza. And the ferry. John D. Spreckels renamed D Street as Broadway and brought the first koalas — on his own steamships — to the then-new San Diego Zoo.
In her new book, “Sugar King of California: The Life of Claus Spreckels,” local author and historian Sandee Bonura explores the life of Spreckels’ father, the man behind the family wealth: patriarch Claus Spreckels. The man immigrated penniless to the U.S. from Germany in the mid-1800s, then made his fortune in the sugar trade in California and Hawaii.
Claus Spreckels at one point was the richest man in California and one of the richest in the country, Bonura said. When he died in 1908, he left a fortune worth more than $850 million in today’s dollars.
Bonura shared highlights of her newest book during a presentation Saturday at the Rancho Bernardo History Museum. The title comes about four years after she penned “Empire Builder: John D. Spreckels and the Making of San Diego.”
The historian said John Spreckels spent much of his life emulating his father. “Most people do not realize this, but a lot of the things his dad did, he did,” Bonura told the crowd.
A few examples: The Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego’s Balboa Park is rather reminiscent of the Music Concourse (also known as the Spreckels Temple of Music) in Golden Gate Park, which Claus Spreckles donated to San Francisco. In 1880, the patriarch bought the newspaper that would become the Honolulu Advertiser. Ten years later, son John bought the San Diego Union, then picked up the Evening Tribune in 1901. (Before the end of the century, they would become The San Diego Union-Tribune.) He also built a railway, as his father had.
“The Sugar King of California” traces the older man’s rise to wealth and the later fracturing of his family. There are several interesting tales along the way, including a lucrative late-night deal with the king of Hawaii, which was still a sovereign nation.
Claus Spreckels grew sugar cane and sugar beets, and his name is legacy throughout California. At one point, the man owned all of Aptos (near Santa Cruz) and created five railroads, including one with denim legend Levi Strauss. He built and named a small town after himself in Hawaii. One in California, too.
At the end of her talk Saturday, Bonura got a bit of a surprise. One of the attendees had stuck around, a smiling North County resident waiting to introduce herself. She said the presentation taught her a thing or two.
Her name? Torry Brey, granddaughter of John D. Spreckels and great-granddaughter of Claus.
Originally Published:
NASCAR will honor the 250th birthday of the United States and the US Navy’s 250th anniversary with a race brand new to the racing calendar.
The Anduril 250 will take place on a road course built on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California. The 3.4-mile track has 19 turns. The race is 255 miles total and drivers will do 75 laps.
Shane van Gisbergen, who is widely considered to be NASCAR’s best road course driver, will start in pole position. van Gisbergen has won seven road races in 14 total starts, and he is just two road wins away from tying Jeff Gordon’s record of nine.
nascar anduril 250: what to know
- When: June 21, 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Coronado Street Course (Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, California)
- Channel: Streaming exclusive
- Streaming: Prime Video (30 days free)
Here’s everything you need to know about today’s NASCAR Cup Series race on the Coronado Street Course.
NASCAR Cup race at San Diego start time:
Today’s (June 21) NASCAR race, the Anduril 250, begins at 4 p.m. ET.
What channel is today’s (June 21) NASCAR race on?
Today’s NASCAR race won’t be on traditional television; it will air exclusively on Prime Video.
How to watch the NASCAR Anduril 250 for free:
With Prime Video, you can also take advantage of the streamer’s Shop the Race storefront, exclusively on the Amazon mobile app, to shop gear, flags, and more for your favorite driver.
NASCAR San Diego starting lineup:
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Carson Hocevar
- Ryan Blaney
- Zane Smith
- Todd Gilliland
- Daniel Suárez
- Ryan Preece
- Connor Zilisch
- Michael McDowell
- Austin Hill
- Ty Gibbs
- Bubba Wallace
- Corey Heim
- Kyle Larson
- AJ Allmendinger
- Chris Buescher
- Tyler Reddick
- Austin Dillon
- Joey Logano
- Alex Bowman
- Kevin Magnussen
- Chase Briscoe
- Ross Chastain
- Riley Herbst
- Cole Custer
- Denny Hamlin
- William Byron
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Brad Keselowski
- Chase Elliott
- Austin Cindric
- Noah Gragson
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Ty Dillon
- Josh Berry
- Jimmie Johnson
- Christopher Bell
- Erik Jones
- Cody Ware
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
Copyright 2026 San Diego Union-Tribune. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.
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