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Named for the 19th-century Karlsbad Spa in Europe, this North County coastal village reflects the heritage of many cultures. Luiseņo Indians camped on the shores of the coastal lagoon for centuries. In 1769, Spanish explorers and missionaries made an expedition to claim the territory. They were followed by soldiers and priests, who established, north of the lagoon, the Mission San Luis Rey, where local Indians were converted to Christianity. It became the largest of 21 California missions, extending more than 20 miles, with herds of cattle and miles of crops. In 1887, four years after the railway's arrival, the Carlsbad depot was built; by 1905 it was a shipping point for locally grown fruit, vegetables, and flowers.
During the 1880s a retired sea captain turned homesteader struck mineral water while drilling; tests showed the water's properties were the same as those of a spa in Karlsbad, Bohemia (now Czech republic). The water became famous for its healing power. Soon, a hundred-room hotel was built, and the town was touted as a "seaside sanitorium." The spacious mansion later became known as one of Carlsbad's Twin Inns; now it's the renowned Neiman's restaurant.
The city of Carlsbad has grown from its 300-person population at the turn of the century to more than 73,000 today. Yet the small-town atmosphere of the early 19th Century is preserved in historic Carlsbad's downtown, and much of the valleys, hillsides, and rocky outcroppings have
changed little since the time of the Luiseņos.
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