 The area was originally part of the Mission Rancho Lands of San Diego granted to the Catholic Church by the King of Spain.When the Missions were secularized by Mexico in 1834, the land was deeded over to various men, including Don Santiago Argüello, who eventually divided and sold some of land.More modern development of the community began after the Korean War, when the Navy built its Cabrillo Heights housing project in the early 1950s.