State of California Tidelands Grant, 1931 (Adobe PDF) The Children's Pool was created in 1931 through a trust by Ellen Browning Scripps, a prominent La Jolla benefactress, to build a breakwater so children could safely swim at the beach. Miss Scripps was born October 18, 1836 in London, England. Her twice widowed father emigrated to the United States in 1844 and settled in Rushville, Illinois 1844 with his six children. He established a farm and married again. Miss Scripps was a diligent reader of literature throughout her life. She attended several private schools and eventually graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois in 1856. She then pursued a teaching career for 8 years in private and public schools.

She joined her brother, James E, the founder of the Detroit Evening News in 1873. She invested her hard earned savings in the project, and it has become one of the most successful newspapers in the country. Over time, she continued to invest her savings into more newspaper enterprises. She became a keen business woman and worked hard to achieve her wealth.

When she realized her wealth, she put funds aside as "a trust for the benefit of humanity." In addition to her earned wealth, she also became the recipient of a large legacy from her brother George H. Scripps, who died in 1900. She further felt the need to distribute her wealth, rather than to keep it solely
for herself.

In 1896, she retired and settled in La Jolla. Miss Scripps gave away several millions to La Jolla and the surrounding communities during the last 30 years of her life. Some of her major contributions include:

• 1903 George H. Scripps Memorial Marine Biological Laboratory (now Scripps Institution of Oceanography), La Jolla
• 1912 La Jolla Precinct, including The La Jolla Woman's Club
• 1913 La Jolla Playground (now La Jolla Recreation Center)
• 1915 Scripps Aquarium, La Jolla (now Birch Aquarium at Scripps)
• 1915 Scripps Park, La Jolla
• 1918 A. R. Valentien watercolor paintings of California wildflowers, now at San Diego Natural History Museum
• 1923 Scripps Aviary, San Diego Zoo
• 1924 Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla
• 1924 Scripps Metabolic Clinic (now Scripps Clinic), La Jolla
• 1926 Scripps College for Women (now Scripps College), Claremont, California
• 1931 Scripps Children's Pool (originally Seal Rock Point), La Jolla

Miss Scripps believed in dedicating her legacy for the benefit of others. She died in La Jolla, August 3, 1932.

**Information provided by the San Diego Historical Society