For generations nearly every student that’s gone to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has made the trek, at least once, up the hillside to the “Poly P.”
Even if they haven’t gotten up there yet, at some point, perhaps daydreaming while staring out a fifth floor Kennedy Library window, the light reflecting off the white beacon catches the eye with a waning sunbeam.
Few though may realize just how long its been there or how it came to be.
On the occasion of the landmark being refurbished by the California Conservation Corps this summer, Jay Thompson of the Cal Poly Communications Department did some archival digging. According to his research, the Cal Poly P is one of the oldest hillside initials in the West — although many were there first, this one survived and is well documented.
There are several versions of its origin, but the first mention of it occurred in the Oct. 22, 1919, issue of The Polygram, the first edition of the school year for the student newspaper.
At the time, rivalry between Cal Poly, back then a 4-year polytechnic co-educational high school — and San Luis Obispo High was intense. One day in 1919, things escalated rather quickly, as Cal Poly student awoke to see their rivals had been busy erecting large stone ‘H’s on the City’s hillsides.
They counter attacked by changing each ‘H’ to a ‘P’ and eventually focused their efforts on maintain the single “Poly P” in its current hillside.
Although it’s remained overlooking the eastern edge of campus, the location hopped around until 1939 when concrete was hauled up the slope with 500 gallons of paint to finish the job.
A previous outline of whitewashed rocks — filled with powdered lime — had been replaced by a wooden structure which then burned down.
In 1957, local businesses donated to enlargement effort, which scaled the monument up to the current 50 foot by 35 foot iteration.
Last year, university administrators put a stop to a decades-old practice of students marching up to repaint the landmark, over concerns that erosion had finally made the trail too dangerous to carry implements and materials.
However, the student-run University Union Advisory Board of Associated Students set money aside this year for a larger scale restoration project, the first since 1997.
The California Conservation Corps, has been hard at work rerouting 900 feet of trail and stabilizing the hillside with terraced retaining walls and paths with more stable footing.
In addition, a water retention pond is being dug out above the P to divert runoff during the rainy season. The work will go on through at least mid-August. Cal Poly’s own Student Union plans to resume student led painting and maintenance projects after the CCC finishes its work.