photo: Reuben "The Guide" Williams, a Black man who became San Diego's first tour guide in 1889. Fluent in English and Spanish, he guided tours into Tijuana, Mexico. Photo courtesy of San Diego History Center.
A Taste of Black San Diego... A History Series
Local Historian journalist … researcher connects and unifies the San Diego community... strengthening and empowering civic influence and fortifying our Democracy. A model to be replicated throughout urban America.
by Yvette Porter Moore
This column is dedicated to the Black San Diegans who have contributed and influenced San Diego County. Every month I will introduce a person, organization or historical fact that is significant to San Diego History. This is meant to be a taste and is my hope that it will inspire others to do their own research.
Reuben “The Guide” Williams
Reuben is one of my favorite historical personalities. I have been intrigued and fascinated by the life of Reuben Williams since I learned of him in the early1990s. He is known to others as “Reuben the Guide.”
Reuben was the first tour guide in San Diego, and notably he was San Diego’s first international tour guide, as his round trip tours would leave from the NC &O Railroad Depot, located at 536 L St. [Current location of the Hard Rock Café]into Tijuana, Mexico. Reuben was employed in 1889 by the National City and Otay Railway and remained there for 14 years until his death. He was known coast to coast.
Reuben was a social and intellectual genius. He was well read, and he spoke fluent English and Spanish. Reuben was well liked by the tourists he served. He wore a large sombrero and a five-pointed star on his vest. Reuben was witty, had a great personality and always greeted his guests with a smile. He offered headshot postcards that he personalized and signed for those who wanted a memento to take back home, which showed his enterprising spirit.
During Reuben’s life, the Black community was located where Petco Park sits. The formerly enslaved who migrated from the South and other parts of the U.S. settled this area. During the excavation for the stadium, archaeologists found various artifacts dating back to the 1870s.
There are various news articles and stories written about Reuben. Some information conflicts; however, with the use of historical documents, some of the information is more accurate.
Articles state that Reuben came to California as a youth in 1864; however, I found him in the 1870 US Census living in Palmyra, Marion, Missouri, with his parents, Matilda and Harry Williams, and his siblings Emelia, Andrew, and Richard. Reuben was the eldest of his siblings.
Reuben was born on December 10, 1856, and came to California sometime after 1870. He migrated to San Francisco, and eventually to Los Angeles, working for the Arcade Depot, located at 150 East First Street. He found employment as a hackman, which was an early type of taxi driver, driving a horse drawn carriage. Sometime in the late 1880s, Reuben left and came to San Diego.
Reuben had married an Indian woman in Tijuana, and the couple had a daughter. They preceded him in death.
There are many stories of recollection written about Reuben in newspapers by tourists. One article written in the Washington Standard on December 19, 1901,stated “On this occasion I made the acquaintance of Reuben, the Guide, a character of general reputation throughout Southern California. For nearly 20years he has had charge of parties of sightseers from the United States and taken them across the Mexican line. He is a negro of more than ordinary intelligence and is stocked with an inexhaustible fund of legend and reminiscence. For genuine pleasure, this trip cannot be excelled.”
In the end, Reuben’s words sum up who he was. Reuben authored the story of his life; however the manuscript has yet to be found. In Reuben’s final obituary, displayed in the San Diego Union on Monday, Jan 12, 1903, the writer of the obituary quoted some of what Rueben had written.
His Childhood
“Honesty is my principal principle, and to tell the truth unflinchingly is my ruling rule. Of my early life I can say but little beyond remarking that in infancy I was an infant, in childhood a child, in boyhood a boy, in youth a youth, and since I have reached manhood, I have tried my best to be a man.”
His Inheritance
“My parents were poor, and about the only things I inherited from them may be invoiced as follows: From my mother, chronic neuralgia: from my father, inflammatory rheumatism, and from my father and mother, jointly, my complexion and a sunny disposition.”
His Career & Life
“Seriously, I am glad I became a guide, for I am constantly brought in contact with the best people on earth, the tourists. In their service, life is a pleasure instead of a burden. I may never become a Vanderbilt, but my daily life is rich in pleasant experiences.”
Reuben died from paralysis in the county hospital on January 11, 1903. He had been along-time sufferer of inflammatory rheumatism. His funeral was largely attended, and his casket was covered with many beautiful floral offerings. Reuben “The Guide” Williams, was buried in an unmarked grave, located in Southeastern San Diego at Mt. Hope Cemetery on Market Street.
