Imperial Valley press., 1934-12-06

Editors Note: In view of the
meeting of the Imperial Highway
association here Saturday night,
the following account of the Val
lccito stage station Just across
the western Imperial county
boundary line, is of particular in
! terest. The old stage station Is
on the route OF the Imperial
Highway. After being allowed to
! succnmb almost entirely TO the
Iavages of the elements and time,
it is now being restored. The fol-
lowing account. for which we are
indebted 20 The Ell Centre Cham
Der of Commerce, was written
for the San Diego Union by
James A. Jasper, former super
visor of San Diego county and
corGidered an authority on its
early history.
Deserted ana alone, a victim of
time, the elements and vandalS, the
ruins of the Vallecito stage station
on the rim of the desert, 80 miles
southeast of Warner ranch, still
keep watch DER the fading history
of an interesting past.
That Indians travelled the Vale
cito trail from time immemorial is
undiSputed. Captain ANA missed
it in ITS and the honor of its dis
covery by white man was reserved
for 1t. Pedro Fagas, who came to
San Diego April 10, 1863, in the
Spanish gallecn San Carlos in
charge Of 25 Catalonian volunteers.
Lieutenant Fagas, returning from
the desert in pursuit Of deserters,
broke the Vallecito trail in 1882.
Santiago ArGuella rediscovered it
in 1925 while in pursuit of hostile
Indians.
Ramualdo Pcchaco, lieutenant of
engineers, explored it in 1926, and
finding it the most feasible route
he established fort on the Color
ado liver below Yuma, and there
after the trail was used as mail
route between Sonora and Califor-
MIA. That was the first inland mail
route in California.
The first Americans of record TO
Use the trail were David E. Jackson
and his band Of troopers, among
whom was John Trumble Warne1-
that was in December, 1881.
Used BY Noted Scout
Kit Carson travelled the trail in
1876 with government dispatches
for Washington, d. c., as far as
A h1.iun hC
Kearney, returning as his guide in
1886.
In 1847 came Colonel Cook and
the Mormon battalion followed by
hoard Of emigrants.
In 1348, Col Cave j. CoutS guild
ed the Whipplo boundary survey
party over the line to the Color
ado river, where he established
ferry at Camp Calhoun. -Four
months later ne sold the ferry TO
Dr.. G. w. Lincoln, who was mur-
dercd soon after by the John Clan
ton cut -throats; Clanton was in
turn murdered by the Yuma IN
dianS.
Vallccito was camp ground for
all the above-ramed parties. Af-
ter the gold discovery cf l948 it was
thronged with emigrants, but l find
no record of permanent occupancy
prior to 1850 and from information
deemed reliable. James r. Lassiter
was the first white man to make
permanent Improvements at Vale
cito, he having built the house now
being reconstructed, the first room
being constructed of sod cut from
tic nearby cicrega laid in commop
Garth mortar and covered with a
thatch roof pl2Stercd with mud.
Pony Express Established
There, Lassiter established a way
side store and camp ground and ran
4 bunch OF stock on the open range.
In 1864 he married the widow Null
kins Of Old Town. She had four
children, the oldest, John, a lad of
II, so more room was needed and
Lassiter built an addition of adobe
and took his newly acquired family
there in 1854.
The same year, Warnock and
Sweater put On a semi-monthly
pony express between San Diego
and Fort Yuma, carrying govern
ment mail between the two points.
That was the first regular U. S.
mail line established in Southern
California and the service was con-
tinued until rile Butterfield line
YVES established with Vallecito as
STATEN on the line.
When the Butterfield line was
established in 1858, the company
erected shelter for stock and quar-
ters for q squad of U. S. soldiers
stationed there to protect the COM
pany's property and convoy the
mail contract. These buildings
have entirely disappeared.
Lassiter was put in charge of the
stage station and as business in
creased he erected additions to his
first buildings as needed and fed
the stage passengers and wayfarers.
BY reason of its strategic position