By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left by Billy Ortiz: historian Betty McMillan stands beneath the shade of a jacaranda tree, one of 22 she is fighting to save.

Updated with quotes from the County library director.

April 5, 2021 (Lakeside) – On April 9, San Diego County is slated to cut down nearly two dozen jacaranda trees to make way for a new county library—trees that the county claims are growing in a utility easement.  But Lakeside’s historian Betty McMillen disputes that claim – and is fighting to save the trees, which hold special significance as part of a “mile of trees” planted in Lakeside -- trees planted to replace an earlier canopy of trees felled by bulldozers.

East County News Service

April 7, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – We wanted to share with you that Edna Swink Kouns, Class of 1932, received the Congress of History Ben Dixon Award in February 2016 for her preservation efforts in her hometown of Lakeside.  Edna’s acceptance speech emphasized and encouraged the importance of volunteering in your community,” the Grossmont High School Museum reports. “Edna has a lifetime passion for history, shown by her founding role in 1972 in the Lakeside Historical Society and is a driving force in its efforts to preserve, display, and celebrate the community’s history.  Edna at the age of 101 continues to volunteer weekly!”

November 18, 2013 (Lakeside) – The Lakeside Historical Society will be hosting its 25th Annual Holiday Home tour on Saturday, December 7, 2013, beginning at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Enjoy a self-guided tour of five unique homes in the Lakeside area.

The homes include a view lot atop Rattlesnake Mountain, two homestead cottages in Morena Valley complete with Clydesdale horses and a collection of antiques, another Morena Valley home with a beautifully landscaped yard, and a Eucalyptus Hills home, all decorated for the holidays.

By Billy Ortiz, Lakeside Historical Society Member

Photos by Billy Ortiz and Lakeside Historical Society

September 26, 2012 (Lakeside) – Founded back in 1907, the Lakeside Auto Speedway is considered the first purpose-built auto racing facility in the United States. When completed, the Lakeside Auto Speedway transformed the nascent motor sports movement by moving races off dangerous public roads and horse race tracks.