Sunday, February 26, 2017

Leucadia Early Origins

In 1875, Nathan Eaton, a Civil War veteran and native of New York, was the first non­native American Indian to settle the area now known as Leucadia.

Eaton settled the first 80 acres south of Batiquitos Lagoon. He might have been a very early “hippie” because of his lifestyle. Eaton had a wagon with four wheels on a shaky frame held together with bale­rope. Two mules harnessed by rawhide strips and more bale­rope pulled the wagon.

His house was made of boards and metal powder cans that he collected from the railroad construction camp. Eaton was a beekeeper and introduced theAustralian salt bush to Southern California. He kept his pockets full and scattered the seed as he drove around with his mule team. But the bush proved to be a nuisance wherever cultivation was attempted. He also successfully grafted figs onto sycamore trees.

In addition to Eaton, early English spiritualists settled in the area and gave the community its name of Leucadia, which is a Greek Island whose names means Sheltered Paradise or Place of Refuge in Greek (both meanings have been referenced.)

They also named our streets after Greek and Roman Gods, such as Neptune and Vulcan. But the town was once known as the town of Merle, named after the second son of E.B. Scott, a newspaper man and railroad superintendent, who helped lay out the town in 1888. A geological map of 1898 gives proof that Merle was a registered town.

In his collection of anecdotes, E.B. Scott refers to his application for a post office in a section of Leucadia, which is now located at 1160 N. Coast Hwy 101. The post office has maintained its classic early identity and has become a community landmark adding to the charm of historic Leucadia. Some postmarks from a few old postcards in 1908 still bear the Merle cancellation stamp. So for many years this tiny community had two names, but Leucadia is the name it is recognized by today.

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