In Memory of Dr. Iris Engstrand

By Robert Jackson

The noted historian Iris Engstrand passed away on September 12, 2026 at the age of 91. She was a Professor Emerita of History at the University of San Diego, where she joined the faculty in 1968.  She earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern  of Southern California. California. Dr. Engstrand published books and scholarly on the history of Spain, the Spanish Southwest, and California. Her work explored topics ranging from the expeditions of Spanish scientists along the Pacific Coast and the documentation of Western history to the founding and development of San Diego. Her notable works include Spanish Scientists in the New World: The Eighteenth-Century Expedition; Noticias de Nutka: An Account of Nootka Sound in 1792; Quest for Empire: Spanish Settlement in the Southwest, co-authored with Donald Cutter; and San Diego: California’s Cornerstone. 

She received Fulbright, Del Amo, and Huntington Library fellowships, among numerous other research awards. In 1999, she was elected president of the American Historical Association, Pacific Coast Branch, and she served as president of the Western History Association from 2004–2005. Her investigations into Spain’s impact in the United States earned her the Order of Isabel la Católica, conferred by King Juan Carlos I in 2007. Dr. Engstrand consulted with national museums and international institutions and was deeply involved in preserving and sharing San Diego’s history. Locally, she served as a trustee of the San Diego Natural History Museum and the Maritime Museum of San Diego. She was an active member of the San Diego History Center, where she served as co-editor of the Journal of San Diego History for 15 years.