Any other year, a trip to San Diego in mid-March would be welcome relief from the clouds of Portland. But this year, Portland weather has been exceptionally warm, dry and sunny. Like many Oregonians, we planned ahead for a trip to a sunny location during the rainy season. We may have saved this one for later if we had known the weather would be so good this year. But, it was still very nice (and hot!) to see the area and sample some of the craft beers. The map below shows our general route through and around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
We first took a tour of some historical sites within the city of San Diego, including the Old Town Historical District and Mission San Diego de Alaca. The Mission San Diego de Alaca was the first of 21 Spanish missions in California and was built in 1769 on what is known as Presidio Hill. The mission was later moved to its present location at 10818 San Diego Mission Rd, six miles east of Presidio Hill. An earthquake damaged the structure in 1803 and by 1931, the building had deteriorated so badly that only the facade remained. It was restored in 1931 and is supposedly exact in every detail to the original.
Mission San Diego de Alaca. This site was restored in 1931.
Mission San Diego de Alaca exterior
Mission San Diego de Alaca padres' quarters
Mission San Diego de Alaca now and in early 1900s (public domain)
Our second stop was in Old Town, San Diego. Old Town sits at the foot of Presidio Hill. A presidio is a fortified square, which is typical feature of Spanish colonies. All of the buildings in Old Town have been restored and the site became a state historic park in 1968. One of the prominent homes in the town is the adobe Casa de Jose Maria de Estudillo on the main plaza. It was built by Captain Jose Maria de Estudillo, a commander of the presidio. It was passed down to his son who lived there with his wife and 12 children until 1887. It was restored in 1910.
One of the rooms inside the adobe home of Captain Jose Maria Estudillo
The Cosmopolitan Hotel was originally a home built by Juan and Jose Bandini. In 1846, they permitted the residence to become the headquarters of Navy Commodore Robert F. Stockton and provided supplies to his troops. Stockton was the main driving force in the taking of Alta California during the Mexican-American War. Later, the structure was purchased by Albert Seeley who added second story in the 1860s and converted it to a hotel.
Juan Bandini house / Cosmopolitan Hotel
Old Town is interesting but a bit touristy. Admission is free and it is definitely worth a visit. Another site I really wanted to see was the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve where the rare Torrey Pines can be found. It was so absolutely crawling with people, we aborted the trip. The next day we headed east on I-8 towards Julian, CA. Originally a gold mining town, Julian is now a quiet little agricultural community known for its apple and pear orchards. It is the location of the Julian Hotel, built by former slaves Albert and Margaret Robinson. They ran the hotel until 1921 when it was sold to Martin Jacobs who continued to operate it as a hotel.
Hotel Robinson (Julian Hotel)
Finally, into the interior of Anza-Borrego! We started with the Box Canyon known for the event when in January 1847, the Mormon Battalion (the only religiously based unit in U.S. military history, which served during the Mexican-American war) had to use axes to chisel a wagon road into the solid rock. It is said that the cuts made by the soldiers are still visible but I could not find them.
Possible wagon route
Desert Beauty
There are other sites to see in this region of the park, notably the seasonal village of the Kumeyaay people with a panel of their rock art. There are over 50 Native American rock art sites in Anza-Borrego. This site was used seasonally by the Kumeyaay for around 1,000 years. Large morteros are still visible where women used rock pestles to grind nuts and seeds.
Morteros
Kumeyaay Rock Art
More desert blooms
We camped at the base of a calcite mine located on the far east site of the park towards Salton Sea. Unless you have off-road driving experience and a reliable four-wheel drive vehicle, it's better to hike into this mining site. It's about a two mile hike each way. Several of the old trenches from the mining operations are still visible. There are beautiful views of the park from this location.
Sunrise
We left the park and headed further east toward the Salton Sea. Camping and fishing are permitted here, but be advised, it stinks. The briny sea was created in 1905 when a high spring flood broke through canal gates built to feed water to the Imperial Valley. The breach was not stopped until 1907 and by that time, a massive lake had formed. An attempt was made to turn the area into a resort in the 1940s and 50s. Most of the water now comes from agricultural sources and is polluted. Agricultural inflow to the lake is also being reduced due to the severe water shortage in southwest. Now, many of the birds that use the area are in danger as it is now a main stop on their migration route along the Pacific Flyway. It is anticipated to reach a critical point by 2018 if conservation measures are not implemented.
Salton Sea
Salton Seashore
El Centro/Calexico began as a tent city of the Imperial Land Company, a subsidiary of the California Development Company. It lies in the Imperial Valley, one of the largest agricultural area in California with fertile alluvial deposits from the Colorado River floodplain. It is well known for salad vegetables, carrots, onions, peppers, cantaloupes and more.
Los Angeles Herald, Volume 33, Number 201, 29 July 1906:
The Imperial Land Company --A wonderful work of development has been in course of progress for the past five years or more in that great section of land lying in the southeast corner of our great California. Prior to 1900 this valley was a portion of the great Colorado desert, which covered the delta, of the Colorado river. This delta, was a desert only because of the lack of rain or water for irrigation purposes. Work on a canal system was commenced in 1900, and the first water was delivered to the ranchers of the southern portion of the valley near the town of Calexico in June 1901. Since then the work has gone forward rapidly, and what was once a desert waste is now a flowering rich, productive country. During four years 218,000 acres of land were filed on and supplied with water stock, and about 2000 families have been permanently located in this great Imperial Valley, now having a population of 10,000 people. Six towns, ranging in population from 100 to 1200 people, have been located at suitable points, more than fifty-seven miles of standard gauge railroad have been built and 800 miles of distributing canals and ditches have been constructed. A conservative estimate of the value of property in the Imperial valley at the present time would place the figure at $25,000,000. This wealth has accumulated at the rate of $6,000,000 a year. The policy of the Imperial Land company is to build up this valley along legitimate lines, and great success has thus far rewarded their enterprise. The offices of the company are located at 121 Merchants Trust building, Los Angeles.
There are a couple of historical sites in Calexico including the Old Customs Building constructed in 1933.
Old Customs Building (1933), Calexico, CA
There is a Desert View Tower located in Imperial County. To get to the tower take the In-Ko-Pah exit from I-8, and travel east along the northern side of the highway for about half a mile. The tower was built in 1922-23 by Bert Vaughn of Jacumba to commemorate the road and railroad builders and pioneers who opened the area up to travel. Adjacent to the tower is an area with animal figures carved into the rocks. These carvings were completed during the Great Depression by W.T. Ratcliffe, an unemployed engineer. More information about Vaughn and the tower can be found here.
Desert View Tower, Imperial County, CA
You can also do some alien watching nearby...
Aliens
On the way back, we had hoped to do some bird watching in the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge just outside of San Diego. We were disappointed that there is no off road access via hiking trails by which we could see the park and look for birds. This is understandable, though, given its proximity to the city. I'm sure the area would be trashed if any access was permitted. In fact, some monster truck skidded around a blind corner and almost hit us as we passed through on the only dirt road. Stupid people ruin everything.
Overall it was a nice trip, but definitely has a different mindset from Oregon. SD has some good craft beers (my favorites - Stone and Green Flash), but I couldn't find much vegan food at all, and they do very little vegetarian. What vegetarian they do, they don't do very well. Sorry guys, just being honest. It's too bad given that California is ground zero for some of the most awesome vegetables on the planet.
The first "Silverton" settlement was actually two miles upstream on Silver Creek ~ James Smith and John Barger were some of the first settlers in the Silverton area, establishing a lumber mill in 1846 on Silver Creek about 2 miles north of the present day location. They called the site "Milford" in anticipation of further settlement; however, the mill was abandoned by the mid-1850s because another settlement was springing up in Silverton's present location. Many of the buildings from Milford were then relocated.
Smith and Barger moved their Milford milling operation downstream to the present location in 1854-55. In this same year, the first commercial building was built by Waite and Holland on the east side of the 300 block of South Water Street. The town name of "Bargerville" was entertained, but was thought to sound too much like nearby "Parkerville," so they settled on Silverton. Many of the early buildings have since disappeared. This walking tour covers commercial structures and historic homes that remain, mostly from the early 20th century, soon after the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880. The railroad transformed the town into a leading regional shipping center for timber and flour. Historic buildings in the district range in date from 1870 to 1936, but the majority post-date a fire of 1900.
Here is a map of the historical downtown area:
1. Mac's Place (pre-1890): One of the first owners of the building was John Hicks, son of Simeon Frisby Hicks who brought the family to Silverton in 1866 from Indiana. Hicks used it as a hardware and general store until it was purchased in 1892 by carpenter, Lewis Cass Russell, formerly of Branch County, Michgan. The Russells moved to Silverton from nearby Hubbard, OR and converted the building into a furniture and upholstery shop. Mrs. Russell used part of the building for millinery (hat making) in the early 1900s. An interesting fact about the family is that their son, Rex, joined the Ringling Brothers Circus as a young man. There is a National Register Historic District plaque that says this building is Silverton's oldest commercial wood framed building. Many of the town's wooden buildings were destroyed by fires in 1885, 1900, and 1934. Since the 1920s it has been a pool and billiard hall, restaurant and tavern. The present business is a tavern well known for its Mac and Cheese and outdoor patio overlooking Silver Creek.
2. Hicks & Ames Building (1885/1905): The south section of this building was built first and the north section was added in 1905. The addition is apparent by the variation in the brick color. The building was first owned by John Hicks, and in 1885, half ownership of the business was purchased by Mr. Samuel Ames of Mansfield, Ohio. An orphan at the age of 13, Mr. Ames relocated to Silverton in 1877. Ames formed a partnership with his brother, Louis, and moved their hardware operation out of this building in 1913 after purchasing the Adolf Wolf business. The Hicks & Ames building remained in the hands of the Hicks family until 1940.
3. Julius Alm Building (1908): Mr. Alm was born in Norway in 1862. In 1885 he emigrated to the United States (North Dakota), learned English, and relocated to Silverton in 1893. Initially employed by a Silverton merchant, John Wolfard, he eventually established his own small grocery and men's furnishings store. To accommodate his expanding business he relocated to the opera house and finally constructed this building in 1908. In 1922 he entered a partnership with his sons Otto and Henry under the firm name of Julius Alm & Sons. He later became president of the First National Bank in Silverton. The upper transom lights of this building, while coated with paint, remain in nearly original condition. Remnants of some early grocery signs are visible.
4. Ames Building (1905): This five-sided building was constructed in 1905 for Peoples' Bank, the second of two banks in Silverton. Ed Porter, C.F. DeGuire and John Hicks were responsible for organizing the bank. Horses and pulleys were used to lift the loads of bricks for placement during its construction. In 1914 the interior was extensively remodeled. The bank went broke in 1930 and was taken over by the Coolidge and McClaine Bank of Silverton.
5. Wolf Building (1891): This is one of the most prominent and impressive buildings in Silverton. Adolph Wolf was an Austrian immigrant who arrived in Silverton in 1884 from the town of Independence, Oregon and commissioned the building in 1891 to house his hardware store. It later became known as Wolf & Son and was sold in 1899 to the Ames family where it remained for two generations. After selling the property, Wolfe entered the hop growing business. Many of its original cast iron details remain. The facade is a pressed metal and cast iron building front manufactured by the Mesker Brothers in St. Louis, MO. Wolf served the City of Silverton as mayor and city councilman and was instrumental in bringing the railroad to the city.
6. Brooks & Steelhammer Pharmacy (c. 1903): Removal and reconstruction of the original storefront is needed for this building to recapture its original beauty. Unfortunately, the front has been drastically altered with a brick veneer. Brooks & Steelhammer Rexall Drug was established as early as 1884. G.W. Steelhamer became an apprentice under John H. Brooks and eventually bought the business from him in 1913 and the business became Steelhammer's Rexall Drug. The building remained a pharmacy until around 1970.
7. Coolidge & McClaine Bank (1922): The building is constructed of white colored brick. The windows are framed by brick pilasters that sit on a concrete base. Jake McClaine and Ai Coolidge founded the bank in 1880, the same year the railroad came to Silverton. Ai Coolidge relocated to Silverton in 1851 from Ohio and Fielding "Jake" McClaine crossed the plains from Illinois to Oregon in 1852.In 1893 the Coolidge & McClaine Bank was located in a wood frame building slightly west of the present structure. Business quickly expanded, and to accommodate the increased demand, the present Coolidge & McClaine building was built in 1922. Alfred Coolidge and Adolf McClaine, sons of the former, operated the bank at this time. Alfred Coolidge was well known in the community, serving as Marion County Commissioner for two terms, promoting the Silverton Electric light Company, rebuilding the local gristmill and investing in local properties and businesses. Alfred is remembered for being very informal and keeping a bottle of brandy in his bank office. A. F. McClaine was born in 1860 at Silverton. He and Alfred established several banks in Washington State.
Ai Coolidge (1823-1908) and Fielding "Jake" McClaine (1832-1899)
Earhard Wolfard
8. Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge (1868/1901): The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) linked-chain motif can be seen from E. Main Street in the center panel of this building's cornice. This was the first brick building in town, constructed for John Davenport and James Madison Brown. These two men, along with Earhard Wolfard, ran a business here until 1873. J.M. Brown was an Oregon pioneer who moved to Oregon from Missouri in 1846 and established the first tannery one-half mile north of Silverton. E. Wolfard was a French/German immigrant who came to Silverton in 1853 from Ohio. The Davenport, Wolfard & Co. collaboration on a general mercantile was not a success, and bankers Coolidge & McClaine bought the property. A fire destroyed much of the structure in 1900. The building was re-built almost immediately, and B.R. Bentson soon ran his mercantile store on the first floor. The second floor was deeded to the IOOF in 1905.
9. Historic Silverton Auto Office (1922): Some have claimed that the building was originally constructed as a post office. However, fire insurance maps show that it was added as an office portion of the adjoining building to the south. It has operated as Hoff Bros, appliances, Western Auto, Montgomery Ward, and Goodwill Industries.
10. Silverton Masonic Building (1915): Notice the round arched opening off 1st Street with a key stone bearing the masonic insignia. There is geometric patterned exterior brick on the upper stories. The Charter of Silverton Lodge Number 45 was granted June 24, 1868 with 15 members and the following officers: Willis Dunagan, master; Joseph Chamness, senior warden; Thomas C. Shaw, junior warden, and John C. Davenport, secretary. The lodge grew rapidly, and there were three Silverton buildings used by the masons before this structure was built. The second, located at 206 E. Main Street, housed the fraternal order for over 30 years before this new lodge was built.
11. Wray Furniture Building (1902): This building was originally divided into two spaces with jewelry and furniture on the west side and hardware, stoves and buggies on the first and second floors of the east side. By 1906 the entire building was converted into one large space with a staircase on the north end. An article in The Capital Journal (April 15, 1910) reads "F.E. Wray has been in business at Silverton for twenty years as a jeweler and in connection with his trade he has been in the furniture business for seven years. He carries a large stock of carpets, rugs and house furniture, and has sales amounting to about $20,000 a year. He has lately become the ownerof a fine piece of farm property which he is improving and making himself a suburban home."
12. Inman Building (1925): This building was originally only two stories, with the uppermost story completed in 1925 for Mr. L.E. Inman. Mr. Inman operated a plumbing business on the first floor with apartments on the second floor. From 1866, pioneer A.G. Steelhammer ran a blacksmith shop in this location before the present building was constructed.
13. J.C. Penny Building (1942-52): While the building lacks detailing, J.C. Penny occupied the structure until 1985. This was the second location of J.C. Penny in Silverton. It was formerly located at 107 Water Street. The present building was constructed for J.C. Penny's.
14. Historic Silverton Bakery (1914): The former Silverton Bakery was constructed for Henry Schmidbauer (1872-1927) in 1914. Within a few years Schmidbauer sold the business to E.H. Knoll in 1919 and again to J.L and Josie Stalker in 1920. From The Daily Capital Journal, July 8, 1916: "Probably the quietest Fourth of July that Silverton has known occurred Tuesday... Just to be patriotic, Henry Schmidbauer stepped out of the rear door of his bakery on the morning of the 4th and began firing an automatic revolver in the direction of a barn across the street. His aim was good and about every piece of lead contained in the gun found lodging in Earl Wood's automobile which stood within the walls of the building. The windshield was shattered and the top was punctured. Henry did not stop to think that the bullets might go through the boards or what the result might be. He has offered to make good the damage."
15. Palace Theater (1936): The Palace Theater is an art deco style building built diagonally to the southwest corner of Oak and Water Streets. The location has historically been the site of theaters and opera houses since 1905 when Edward S. Porter and L.J. Adams constructed a wood frame building at this same location. Louis J. Adams came to Silverton in 1884 from Ohio and initially found work as a bookkeeper for the Oregon Milling Company, then for Coolidge & McClaine. He passed the bar examination in 1902 and eventually started a law practice while continuing to manage the theater. He was later a state senator. The theater began showing silent films as early as 1919. Adams' son, Alfred L., bought the Palace Theater in 1925, however a 1935 fire destroyed the building. Within a year, the present structure was built. In the 1950s many rural theaters were closed and demolished, and the Palace Theater had to close for most of 1958. Roger Paulson took over the theater in 1973 with co-owner Stu Rassmussen. The building remained virtually unchanged from its 1936 opening.However, in April 2012, another fire damaged the building interior causing $250,000 in damage.
16. Silverton City Hall (1925) and Fischer Flour Mill Office (1918): These structures are located at 306 S. Water Street. The original plans for the City Hall building were drawn by C. H. Rullman, City Engineer, in 1925. The site was formerly the location of the City Water Works, and in 1892, the City Electric Light Works. The adjacent Fischer Building to the south served as the Fisher Flour Mill Office until 1928. The Silverton Country Historical Society, the Southern Pacific Depot and the Silverton Public Library now occupy the spot where the mill stood. After the mill closed in 1931, the building was used to store corn before becoming a WWII Ration Board headquarters. It subsequently housed a cannery and liquor store. It has been the Police Station since 1952.
17. June D. Drake House (1904): The June D. Drake house is located at 409 S. Water Street. June Drake was a commercial photographer and historian from 1904 to 1960. Born in Marquam, OR on July 11, 1880. His family moved to Silverton when he was nine years old. June Drake and his brother Emery bought a photography business in 1904 from long-time Silverton photographer William L. Jones. In the early 1900's Drake would hire men to help him cut pathways to the ten waterfalls on Silver Creek so that he could photograph them. He used these photographs in a campaign to establish Silver Falls State Park in 1931.
Portrait and biographical record of the Willamette valley, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Oregon, Chapman Publishing Company (1903)
A History of the Silverton Country by Robert H. Down, Portland, Or. : Berncliff Press (1926)
Silverton Couny Historical Society Newsletters (various).
Walking tours, beer tasting, bird watching, museums, dining.... there is a lot to do in Victoria even during the winter. While we were unfortunate to pick a particularly cold (and snowy) weekend, there was enough to keep us busy. We arrived on the M/V Coho, a passenger/vehicle ferry operated by the Black Ball Ferry Line, which crosses the Strait of Juan de Fuca daily between Port Angeles, Washington and Victoria. The ferry line has a long history and Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters recorded a song about it in 1951.
M/V Coho at the Inner Harbour, Victoria
The first night we only had time to eat and sample a few of the local craft beers. We decided on Garrick's Head Pub where I ordered an amazing sweet potato, chickpea, and peanut burger with fries. There is an impressive selection of craft beers in Victoria and beer tourism was part of our agenda. we sampled
Tree Brewing's (Kelowna, BC) Hop Head IPA (ABV 5.6%, IBUs 64)
The style of beer in Canada is different than Oregon and less to my taste. But, there were some very good options, and it's always fun to try something new. Afterwards we went to Bard & Banker and sampled the
Innis & Gunn (Edinburgh, Scotland) Original Oak Aged Scottish Beer
First thing next morning we started off on three walking tours published by Heritage Walking Tours, which take readers through the oldest parts of Victoria. We like walking tours because they direct us to distinctive areas and sights within the city that we might otherwise miss. First on the list was the "Haunted Victoria" which begins at St. Ann's Academy. The school was built in 1871 and a convent was added in 1886 and 1909.
St. Anne's Academy
I won't go through each stop, but a couple of the highlights for me were the Empress Hotel and Rogers' Chocolates. The Empress Hotel, built in Chateau style by Canadian railway companies, was constructed between 1904 and 1908 and is well known for its afternoon tea service.
The Empress Hotel
Christmas display inside the Empress Hotel
Built in 1903, the Rogers Chocolates building has a Queen Anne Revival style shop front and is a national historical site in Canada. There are beautiful glass fronted cabinets and Victorian style lamps. Apparently, the founder, Charles Rogers, was an eccentric man who was known for his lack of patience with customers. He would often ignore lines outside his shop and open only when he was ready. Rogers was from Massachusetts and moved to Victoria during the gold rush. Once there, he felt a better business venture would be selling provisions to the miners. Experimented with candy in the back of his grocery store, he eventually abandoned the grocery and focused exclusively on candy.
Rogers Chocolates
The "Rollicking Boomtown" walking tour takes you down Government and Wharf Streets. In the 1800s five different gold rushes came and went. During the Klondike Gold Rush miners lined up at the Dominion Customs House to get permits to pass from Skagway, Alaska, into the Yukon Territory in Canada.
Dominion Customs House
The Ship Inn was founded in 1853 as the colony's first tavern.
The former Ship Inn
The last walking tour we did was "Mysterious Chinatown," which led us through Canada's oldest Chinatown. Between 1881 and 1884 16,000 Chinese established themselves in this area. Tiny maze-like alleyways were constructed in the style of older Chinese cities.
Gate of Harmonious Interest
The Gate of Harmonious Interest is a newer addition, constructed in 1981. It leads visitors to Fisgard Street which is the main business area of Chinatown. If you are touring Victoria's Chinatown, look for Fan Tan alley. This street was originally a gambling district with opium dens, restaurants, and shops clustered in the narrow passageway. It is the narrowest street in Canada.
Shop door in Fan Tan alley
We ended the day at craft breweries. First up was Canoe Brewpub on Swift Street. The sampler here included:
Canoe Lager (4.8% ABV, 15 IBUs)
Canoe IPA (6.5% ABV, 65 IBUs)
Canoe Pale Ale (5.0% ABV, 20 IBUs)
Canoe Dark Ale (5.5% ABV, 20 IBUs)
We also tried an ESB British Style Pale Ale (5.2% ABV, 25 IBUs) brewed with U.K. malt and hops.
We walked quite a distance from the hotel to try Moon Under Water Brewery. This had the best craft beers to up this point. The sampler tray included:
Potts Pils Unfiltered (5.2% ABV)
Creepy Uncle Dunkel (5.4% ABV)
Tranquility IPA (6.5% ABV)
The Victorious Weizenbock (8.2% ABV)
We also tried the Hop Therapy India Session Ale (Russel Brewing in Surrey, BC) and Isseki Nicho Black Saison (just a taste!) from Dieu du Ciel in Montreal.
Vancouver Island Brewery was next in line. They had really decent craft beers here although the tasting room was a bit bland. There is no restaurant, so it is tasting only.
Last stop was Phillips Brewery, which we had sampled on the first day. The tasting includes:
Blue Buck English Pale Ale (5.0% ABV)
Longboat Chocolate Porter (5.2% ABV)
Hop Circle IPA (6.5% ABV)
Elsinore Pale Lager
Robert Service 1904 Scotch Ale (5.0% ABV)
Coulrophobia India Red Ale (6.5% ABV)
Leviathan Milk Stout (ABV 5.5%)
Ginger Beer (5.0% ABV)
As you can tell, there is no shortage of craft beer in Victoria. I think the winners for us were Vancouver Island Brewery and Moon Under Water Brewery.
The final day of our trip was freezing cold with snow. We intended to go bird watching and only lasted a couple of hours. We changed plans and took a tour of the Royal British Columbia Museum. Victoria is a beautiful city and we felt we saw a good deal in a couple of days, although summer would definitely make the experience more enjoyable. Next time, warm weather!
