The Kumeyaay protested, but, at the wishes of land speculators and unknown to the Indians, Congress granted the city permission to purchase the heart of the Capitan Grande Reservation, where many Kumeyaay had built homes.

The city later decided to dam the river and take all of the water by creating El Capitan Reservoir.

This left them only a small share from the city’s flume, resulting in crop losses on Indian farms. The city of San Diego built Lake Cuyamaca, laying its flume through the Capitan Grande Reservation and taking most of the San Diego River water originally used by the Kumeyaay. Over the years, other Indians were placed there, as well.Īs the non-Indian population grew, demand for water increased. In 1853, other Indians from Mission San Diego were given permission to locate on Capitan Grande by the federal Indian agent at the time. Capitan Grande, patented in 1891, included portions of ancestral land of the Los Coñejos Band. In 1875, a presidential executive order withdrew lands from the federal domain, setting aside a number of small reservations, including the Capitan Grande Reservation from which the Viejas Band descended. With abundant water, Kumeyaay Indians living there sustained themselves through farming. They were the first people who greeted the Spanish when they first sailed into San Diego Harbor with the Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo expedition of 1542.Ĭapitan Grande, about 35 miles east of San Diego, is the name of the canyon through which the San Diego River once ran. Historically, the Kumeyaay were horticulturists and hunters and gatherers. The Kumeyaay were the original native inhabitants of San Diego County, and have lived in this region for more than 10,000 years.

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