Mesa Grande

 ...a place time has forgotten.

Geology and Archeology

The west coast of North America is relatively new in geologic terms compared to the rest of the continent. Whereas most of North America has been fairly stable for the past 600 million years the West coast was formed only about 66 million years ago by volcanic activity and accretion. (Australia, the oldest continent by comparison, is approximately 4.4 billion years old.) Mesa Grande is a mesa about 5 miles long about 3 miles wide (although at the north end is another piece of the mesa that extends eastward about 2 miles but is quite narrow) in Northeastern San Diego county about 65 miles from San Diego. Due to rugged terrain to its west Mesa Grande is a remote and peaceful place. It has been inhabited by the "First Peoples" for thousands of years. It is generally believed that these early populations had journeyed to North America across the land bridge over the Bering Strait  (from what is now northeastern Russia to Alaska) during the last ice age. The latest research indicates that the "land bridge" didn't open up until about 35,000 years ago, much later than previously thought. There is archeological evidence of people having lived in San Diego county for at least 10,000 years. The earliest evidence of habitation is called the San Dieguito pattern (9,700 - 5,000 ybp [years before present]) and the latter group of archeological discoveries is known as the La Jolla pattern (5,000 - 2,000 ybp). Two noted physical anthropologists (NK Janz and C Owsley) have suggested that the physical characteristics of the people of that time are markedly different from the natives the Spaniards encountered. They have postulated that these people were maritime pioneers distinct from those who had walked here from Asia. Other scholars (Rose Tyson and others) suggest that the La Jolla peoples were the ancestors of the Kumeyaay. In the last 2-3 thousand years the Kumeyaay (lpai/Tipai) became well established in the central and southern part of San Diego county. The Kumeyaay were Hokan/Yuman/Cochimi (different linguist have different hypothesis about the origin of this family of languages and hence different names) speaking whereas the peoples who populated northern San Diego county the Luiseno, Cupeno and Cahuilla were Shoshonean people who spoke Takic. They likely didn't arrive until about 1,000 years ago. As far as we can determine, the Shoshone originally settled in the Western Great Basin which includes almost all of Nevada and portions of California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Baja California. They generally spoke a Numic language of which Takic is one. The Numic language is the northernmost extension of the Utu-Aztecan language. It appears that the Kumeyaay people came from Michoacan, Jalisco, Nayarit and Colima States in Mexico and migrated north to southern Arizona and beyond subjugating the local populations they encountered. The best evidence available today indicates that the people who settled San Diego county before the Spaniards arrived came from various places including Asia, Mexico and elsewhere.

History

All of North America was sparsely populated until the coming of the Europeans late in the 15th century. The Spaniards began settling in what they called "Alta" California in 1692 with the establishment of a "Presidio" (fort) in what is now known as San Diego. They established large tracts of land known as "Ranchos" throughout the state. Rancho Santa Ysabel was such a Rancho established by a Mexican Land Grant in 1844 to Jose Joaquin Ortega and Edwardo Stokes. When Mexico obtained independence from Spain in 1810 control of Alta California passed to our neighbors to the south. Father Juniper Serra established the first mission in (Alta) California in 1769, San Diego Alcala. The Spanish missionaries took it upon themselves to convert the native population to Christianity. For many the Missions became the center of their life. Santa Ysabel had a Mission established on September 20, 1818, Santa Ysabel Asistencia (a submission to San Diego Alcala). This provided a center of learning and a rest stop for travelers on their way from San Diego to Sonora. However in 1832 Mexico passed the secularization Act which closed all the missions. By 1849 the Santa Ysabel Mission was in ruins. But it was rebuilt and still stands today serving the community of Santa Ysabel. Of the 150,000 natives living in or near those missions they either became servants on the Ranchos or migrated east to the sierras or north to join non-mission tribes who had been left alone by Mexico. The American settlers in Texas were becoming restive and by 1836 their war for independence from Mexico was fought and won. When the United States annexed Texas in 1846 the Mexican/American war began. California had its own uprising against Mexico known as the “Bear Flag Rebellion" which resulted in California becoming an independent nation for 25 days in May 1846 until the US Navy landed in Monterey and declared California part of the United States. Mesa Grande became a part of the United States of America and was soon (1850) the 31st State admitted to the Union. One of the best known battles of the Mexican/ American war took place just down the road from Mesa Grande in the San Pasqual Valley. The Mexican/American war concluded by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which was signed in February 2, 1848. The United States agreed to pay Mexico $15 million and accept responsibility for several million dollars worth of claims US citizens had against Mexico. A vast swath of the southwest, including California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming, became part of the United States of America. When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, near Coloma, California on January 24, 1848 the largest migration in this country's history caused the population of Northern California to increase dramatically. Although California was admitted to the union on September 9, 1950, southern California remained sparsely populated. San Diego had a population of only about 2,300 in the early 1870's. However, when the Civil war ended in 1865 ranchers from Texas and Arizona began moving to California. The 1870s saw the establishment of cattle ranches in Mesa Grande. Cattle ranching and mining were the businesses on the Mesa. There was a larger population in Mesa Grande in 1900 than we have today. In the 1880's and 90's there were a half dozen or more mines, some gold and some gemstones, in Mesa Grande. At that time we had two general stores, a post office, telephone exchange and stagecoach stop. The store was a gathering place for the ranchers, miners, and Indians who lived here. The old store that remains was built in about 1898 and rebuilt in 1929 (after fire destroyed the original) from adobe bricks and stills stands on the corner of Mesa Grande road and Black Canyon Road.

Mesa Grande Today

Today we have more cattle living in Mesa Grande than people. At an elevation of 3,200-4,000 feet Mesa Grande is located on a high plateau adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest and home to Mesa Grande Indian Reservation. Rancho de la Questa is in the northwest corner of the Mesa off of Black Canyon Road and contiguous with the Cleveland National Forest. We live in a park like setting of Pacific Live and Engelmann Oak Trees. The Oak tree is a keystone species of our dry warm summer Mediterranean climate. The Engelmann Oak is a rare species found only in southern California primarily in Riverside and San Diego Counties, although there are a few remaining in Orange and Los Angeles counties. They are well adapted to our climate and when we experience drought they grow smaller leaves to accommodate for the shortage of water. We have a diversity of wildlife from hawks and eagles to coyotes and cougars. When driving along Mesa Grande road it is not unusual to encounter a few steers who have broken out of their fencing and are grazing on the side of the road. A flock of wild turkeys on the road is "Mesa Grande Rush Hour". Mesa Grande is a place of abundant natural beauty. Yet we are within a short driving distance of Warner Springs and the Warner Springs Ranch one of the stops for the Butterfield Stagecoach and several excellent wineries. Also near interesting but little known Ranchita. We are also close to historic Julian, site of its own gold rush of 1869, now known for their apples and wineries. To the south are the three peaks of the Cuyamacas and its namesake lake. Further south are the Laguna Mountains and their wealth of campgrounds and hikes. To the west is the town of Ramona known for its many parks and wineries. To the west is San Pasqual Valley and more great wineries. And to the north are Palomar Mountain and many outdoor activities. Pauma Valley, Valley View, Pauma Valley and Pala are the local casinos and there are more wineries in Valley Center. The San Diego backcountry is full of fun and surprise.