By TR Robertson
My wife Carolyn and I love to travel and explore. Toward the end of 2022 we had embarked on two trips taking us to New York and up the east coast ending in Iceland followed a few weeks later by a fabulous trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. We even slipped in a short trip for four days to Arrowhead in late December, before the snows buried the city. The beginning of 2023 found us flying to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with my brother-in-law, exploring this quaint ski town. For Christmas, one of the gifts I gave Carolyn was a weekend in Julian, a place a little closer to home that we had not ventured to in over fifteen years. After a change in the date we were going, I found a weekend that would work for us, minus any snow. Many people travel to Julian to either play in the snow in the winter, eat apple pie or take a quick exploration of the shops in this picturesque town. By staying for a weekend, we had a chance to search and find places we never knew existed, eat at some great restaurants and experience Julian when the crowds had gone back down the mountain.
There is no doubt people are going out again after the COVID shut-down, and Julian is a beneficiary of this. This popular historic gold mining town is now a weekend destination for lots of people driving up, motorcycle clubs, and tour buses from everywhere as people wander the several blocks that comprise the city. If you choose to go to Julian just be aware that there will be lines in the majority of the stores on most weekends, so be patient and enjoy the mountain air. What most people don’t know is the history of this mountain town.
The first Europeans to explore the mountains around Julian were “Cockney Bill” Williams from England and John Wesley Horrell wandering the area in 1850’s. The area was first settled in 1870 by cousins Drue Bailey and Mike Julian, ex-confederate soldiers from Georgia, finding a meadow area to their liking. Their original plan was to continue on to Arizona. The hills and streams, around what is now Julian, had become a gold mining camp in 1869 after the discovery of gold by former slave and cattleman Fred Coleman. A mining camp called Emery City had popped up around a creek, now called Coleman Creek, where gold had been discovered. Eventually, mines were established in the hills around the area. Drue and Mike named the town Julian City. Drue said it was because Mike was better looking. Mike became a San Diego County Assessor later on. In 1870 the first sawmill was built. By 1872, the gold mining boom had brought 50 houses, 3 hotels, 4 stores, 2 restaurants, 1 schoolhouse, and numerous saloons to the town. Hard rock mining began in 1879. Several of the old mines have tours today. It is estimated that $4-$5 million dollars in gold was found which would be worth $92 million in today’s dollars. By 1887 Julian’s first newspaper began publishing. Sometime in the 1870’s James Madison introduced apple trees to the area, at one time with over 21 varieties of apples growing in the fertile farmland. Today over 10,000 apple pies are made each week by the bakeries. The Julian Haven of Rest Cemetery, located on the hill just out of town, is the final resting place of many of the first residents of Julian. The Julian Pioneer Museum shows collections of vintage clothing, photos and mining equipment from the early days of the town. The Museum is a former blacksmith shop built in 1890 that became a brewery before being established as a museum. It is located behind the Julian Town Hall. The Santa Ysabel School at Witch Creek stayed open from 1880 until 1954, educating children grades 1-8. The building is now the home of the Julian Historical Society. Many of the older homes in the downtown Julian area have been repurposed into gift shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
The town has gone through many changes over the years. Many of the structures in town have a Victorian architectural appearance, dating back to the early days of the town. One thing you will notice is there are no fast-food restaurants in the town of Julian. In 1991 a Dairy Queen and Subway was approved for the town, with much controversy surrounding the decision. Both of these have since closed and no other fast-food restaurants have appeared. In 1909, Julian had its first celebration centered around apples. It wouldn’t be until 1949 before the Julian Apple Days Festival would begin, still celebrated today.
To really experience what Julian and the other areas around the town have to offer, you truly need a weekend to explore, and even then, there are more things to take in for other visits. Starting off from our home in Vista, it was a trip east on Highway 78, south on Highway 15, taking the Pomorado Rd. turnoff. A short drive to Rancho Bernardo Rd., turning left, this road turns into Espola Rd. Passing Poway High School, we continue up the hill to Poway Road. A left turn and on farther up the hill to the Highway 67 turnoff. A left turn takes you toward Ramona. Through Ramona, Highway 67 become Main St. in Ramona and then turns into Highway 78 and outside of the city it is called Julian Rd. Stay on this, driving through beautiful valleys and hillsides as you begin climbing.
You will pass through Santa Ysabel where most people stop at Dudley’s Bakery for a bite to eat or a coffee or the Julian Pie Company for either a slice of pie or a pie to go. We had lunch at Dudley’s, ordering the Dudley’s Smokehouse roast beef sandwich and also getting a huge chocolate chip cookie and a coconut macaroon. Our stop at the Julian Pie Company was on the way home to get a pie to go, Cherry Pie for me. We also saw them making large chicken pot pies. Back on the road, Highway 78 is called Old Julian Road and you begin the climb up the mountain on winding roads. They are doing some road maintenance and some sections are down to one lane. Eventually you will come to Wynola, elevation 3,600 feet. There are some interesting antique shops, restaurants, and other places to visit in this area.
Our first stop was The Barn Vintage Marketplace, featuring an amazing display of what is referred to as industrial, rustic, architectural home décor. Wandering through the plethora of items on display, it was apparent you could spend quite a long time in The Barn. It is also situated on 5 acres available for picnicking and relaxing. One of the things I wanted to find out about this part of the trip was whether the Manzanita Ranch was still open, a place we used to stop at years ago to purchase apple or cherry cider. It had been 15+ years since we had been in the Julian area, plus there had been a COVID shut down, so we weren’t sure what to find. The Manzanita Ranch is now called Julian Station, a former 1943 apple packing facility and cider house. The inside had been divided into a number of small businesses. It is just across from The Barn Vintage Marketplace. The unique businesses displayed their wares with a clever country and western flare. We visited with Molly and Brian Hodo, owners of Merdo Acres Custom Wood Designs. They had a large number of wooden pieces many with beautiful, poured resin designs. The Hodo’s are also real estate agents for this area. Next in the facility was Cowboy Rendezvous owned by Thom & Robin Boulding. Thom knew a lot about the history of the building and Wynola. A little further down was the Julian Wine and Chocolate Tasting Room, Cocina De Luz Mexican Food and Julian Hard Cider. Just outside, across the patio, was the Cooler Craft Beer Tap and Tasting Room. A gentleman on guitar was providing music for the afternoon. The times and days Julian Station is open vary but can be obtained online.
Just up the road from The Barn and Julian Station is the Julian Farm & Orchard. This is a U-Pick farm for berries, apples, pumpkins and flowers. There is a small gift shop, hayrides, ax throwing, rock climbing, a petting zoo and a large activity area. When we were there a reenactment group was using the facility for the recreation of a revolutionary war battle. We could see tents set up in the distance and hear loud booming from cannons.
Back on the road, it was a short drive into Julian, elevation 4,226 feet, where we turned left where Old Julian Road (Hwy 78) and Main Street cross in Julian. Our first destination was to head to Volcan Mountain Winery for wine tasting before checking into the Julian Gold Rush Hotel Bed & Breakfast. Part 2 will detail the Volcan Mountain Winery, information about the hotel and our stay in Julian, and the businesses and eateries we visited in town. Part 3 will discuss our trip to Borrego Springs, the Anza Borrego Desert State Park and the incredible metal sculptures called the Galleta Meadows Sky Art Metal Sculptures and their connection to Vista.
Contact information:
Merdo Acres – www.merdoacres.com – 760-803-2005
Brian and Molly Hodo – Backcountry and off the grid specialists – 760-803-2005
Cowboy Rendezvous – Thom & Robin Boulding – 760-310-2515
Julian Wine & Chocolate – www.julianwineandchocolate.com – 760-885-8364
The Barn Vintage Marketplace – 760-310-8587
Julian Pie Company – www.julianpie.com – 760-765-2400 (Santa Ysabel), 760-765-2449 (Julian)
Julian Farm & Orchard – www.julianfarmandorchard.com – 760-765-5494
Julian Gold Rush Hotel Bed & Breakfast – www.julianhotel.com – 760-765-0201
Volcan Mountain Winery – www.volcanmountainwinery.com – 619-977-5644
