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| EDITORIAL:
TRAVEL Haunting Stage Stop Ghostly Tales, Desert Beauty Capture Our Fancy ----------------------------  Three
souls rest within the small, desert cemetery at the Vallecito Stage
Station just beyond the nearby Laguna Mountains. Two of them
are identified by headstones, while the other is an unmarked plot,
neatly outlined by rocks. This one belongs to “The Lady In
White,” who arrived at the station sometime in the late 1850s
and has never left.For many people, The Lady in White is a haunting presence in the desert. It is said she was a mail order bride, who was traveling to Sacramento when she took ill along the way and perished at the station. She was buried in her white wedding dress in the nearby Campo Santo cemetery. Several tales told by generations of locals, either revise or flat-out contradict The Lady’s popular legend with wildly differing details. They range from the innocent (she was the doting aunt of Martha Ward, a 14-year old girl, who accompanied her on the fateful journey) to the salacious (she was a local prostitute who made Vallecito a base of operations). Legend has it that if you camp near the old stage station, you will see The Lady in White restlessly pacing the worn earth, waiting for her stage to come. This is but one encounter on the dusty trail of desert history that reveals Vallecito as home to American Indians, and a stopping point for Spanish conquistadors and American explorers and soldiers such as Kit Carson and General Stephen Kearny. The stage station, a small stone building with a maze of rooms with dirt floors, was constructed in the 1850s. It became an important part of the Butterfield-Overland Stage route stretching from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco. Caravans from Los Angeles stopped here, as well as groups from Yuma (a five- to seven-day trip) and travelers as far away as San Antonio (a 24-day journey). It was a welcome home station, a place where weary travelers could rest, water their livestock and chow down on hot meals of beef stew, venison and sauerkraut. The Civil War ended the southern mail route, and Vallecito went into slow decline until 1934, when the county rebuilt the station using original materials. The best way to explore the mystery and history of Vallecito is to hit the road. Located on S2 southeast of Julian, it’s the centerpiece of a 71-acre park in the Anza-Borrego Desert. The extensive campground is adorned with classic desert vegetation – Buckhorn cholla, Mojave prickly pear, assorted cactuses, and agape and ocotillo. Adults can establish a base in the caravan area and prepare food at the barbecue area (comestibles can be secured at the general store a few miles away, toward Agua Caliente). There is a youth areas for large groups (i.e., students, scout troops) and a playground for small children. By day, there’s ample opportunity to take hikes along the surrounding trails, taking care to remember that your are guests of the desert and its wildlife – foxes, coyotes, mountain lions and such. Be careful, and never hike alone (consult the on-site information display for safety tips). After dark, the sky is full of stars, and night sounds include the hooting of owls. The relative quiet and solitude of the desert is a perfect place to create personal memories with family and friends or to let your imagination take hold. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll see The Lady in White. Originally published in The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 12, 2002 Photo Credit: Joy Fisher Archives |
