Many Trails To Travel, Many Tales To Tell
By Barbara B. Baker, Event & Volunteer Coordinator
Leaving Bernardo
One of the many trails in the San Dieguito River Park is the Mule Hill/San Pasqual Valley Trail. The first segment of this trail is named for the historic battle that took place here in December of 1846 and interpretive panels inform visitors how this site earned its name. (I won’t spoil it for you if you don’t already know!) The trailhead is located at Sunset Drive in Escondido and ultimately stretches over nine miles through scenic farmland, ending at Highway 78 at Bandy Canyon Road. The Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead, one of the oldest remaining structures in San Diego County, sits at the gateway to the San Pasqual Valley Agricultural Preserve and figures prominently in the history of the town of Bernardo. (If you’ve never been to the old farmstead, I won’t spoil that for you either!) You’ll pass both these landmarks early on while you’re still skipping and humming and full of life and breath since you’ll only be a little over a mile into this long and lovely trail.
The next cluster of signs you’ll see, just “down the road a piece” and before you round the bend and begin some serious hiking, will inform you that, essentially, you’re leaving Bernardo.
The Town of Bernardo is on the right in this picture, circa mid-1870s or 1880s. Sikes Adobe is on the left.
I didn’t even know I’d arrived!
Bernardo would be one of those ghost towns that you see on the Travel Channel – if there were a town to see. It’s completely gone! I’d heard of Bernardo and just assumed that Rancho Bernardo was one and the same. Rancho Bernardo is a planned community begun in 1963 by Harry Summers; Bernardo existed from 1872 –1918. Both towns took their name from the once vast Spanish land grant, Rancho San Bernardo. In 1823 when Mexico gained its independence from Spain, this entire area became the property of Mexico, but with the passing of the Rancho Era came the “American Era” – and the land was divided into parcels yet again. Zenas Sikes was among the first pioneer farmers who came to San Diego in 1872 to investigate the real estate deals. He purchased 2400 1/2 acres in the northern outskirts of the City and began farming in a frontier with little more than an overland route for people on their way to other places. One of his first acts was to authorize and establish a post office, which was operated out of his home. For the next two years Zenas Sikes was Bernardo’s official Postmaster. But does a post office make a town?
I’ve driven through small towns where the only building in sight is a post office or a general store. I’ve wondered where everybody is! These rural communities are still tied together today through a common post office, school district, or a general store where the “locals” congregate. In Zenas Sikes’ day, the concept of a planned community wasn’t discussed and debated. Any farmer settling the surrounding countryside was considered a neighbor and therefore part of the social network – it was to their benefit to cooperate with one another, for survival and society. They all needed the same basic services and social gatherings eased the loneliness of farm life. When Patrick Graham opened a general store in 1876 just one mile Southeast of the Sikes farmstead, it became the center of the community. More than a mercantile establishment, the general store also took over the business of the post office and served as a bank as well. For the next forty years Bernardo’s general store was a commercial hub in the region. A village grew up around it: Bernardo had its own school, blacksmith shop, druggist, barrel maker, physician, and meeting hall. By 1887 the population of Bernardo swelled to 400 people! (Not all in one place of course - this included all the rural people who were served by the community.)
From the trail I can’t even envision where Bernardo was --directly in front of me is a watershed for Lake Hodges. The San Dieguito River meanders through this area and vegetation is lush where the plants have soaked up the groundwater even in dry spells. In the distance I see the freeway and overhead I hear an occasional plane. Here, however, everything is still. What happened to this popular stop on the stagecoach line? Bernardo continued as a community until Escondido eclipsed it as the primary marketing town. In 1888 Escondido incorporated and people began settling the Hidden Valley and leaving Bernardo to farm further inland, taking advantage of the big city amenities that Escondido offered. In 1918 the buildings that were left were purchased as part of the Lake Hodges reservoir project. As the lake filled, water backed up for miles eventually inundating the outskirts of the former town of Bernardo. 1872 – 1918 is an epitaph for the town that was. Other than the Sikes Farmstead, which is being renovated, there is nothing left of the community where so many people invested their lives. I got the feeling that I too was leaving Bernardo as I headed down the trail into the afternoon sun.
“Celebrate America” at the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead
November 5th - 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Teddy Bears and Thanksgiving are as American as the pioneers who settled the west. Come see a Teddy Bear display of many collectible and adorable stuffed bears. Each room of the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead will feature an array of traditional and custom-made bears, including holiday and plush bears.
The 1902 Teddy Roosevelt Bear will be on display!
There will also be farm animals to enjoy, courtesy of the Escondido 4-H Club so bring the little ones to enjoy the farm animals! Pygmy and dairy goats, rabbits, ducks, and more will be on site. There will also be a goat milking demonstration!
The Sikes Adobe Historic Farmhouse is open to the public on weekends and by special request. There are no admission fees.
Click here for directions
If you have a favorite trail or story please contact me at Barbara@sdrp.org. History isn’t always in the books; sometimes it’s in the stories! Share your history with the San Dieguito River Park.
