In 1881, Captain John A. Frazier, a homesteader, purchased 127 acres of oceanfront land for $1200. While drilling for drinking water in 1884, Frazier tapped into an underground mineral spring. He built a 510 foot well tower and began promoting the water's healing properties to passing travelers on the Southern California Railroad. The site became known as "Frazier's Station". In 1886 Gerhard Schutter and Samuel Church Smith purchased the land and renamed it "Carlsbad" with the intention of building a health resort. In 1929, after the paving of nearby Highway 101, construction began on the Spanish-Revival style "California-Carlsbad Mineral Springs Hotel" on this site. By 1939, the spa functions has ceased and the hotel changed owners several times. In 1957, Lutheran Services of San Diego purchased and re-opened the hotel as a retirement community. California Lutheran Homes acquired the community in 1964. The original building was demolished in 1996 to complete an expansion and modernization of the retirement community. The front facade has been reconstructed by the California Lutheran Homes and Community Services as a replica of the original "California-Carlsbad Mineral Springs Hotel". A time capsule buried behind this monument will be opened 50 years from ground breaking in October of 2046.
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