Local History PDF Print E-mail
balieysResort1920For thousands of years these forests were home to Luiseño Indians who, for centuries, hunted game and ground acorns in the morteros found in granite slabs found at viewpoints along the rim of the mountain... The Indians called this mountain area “Wavamai”, but when the Spaniards came, they named it Palomar, or “place of pigeons,” for the thousands of band-tailed pigeons that nested there.

In 1798, pines and firs from Palomar were used to build Oceanside's Mission San Luis Rey. The missionaries worked with the local Indians until 1834, when Gov. José Figueroa ordered all California missions to be “secularized.” By then, disease and cultural change had devastated the Luiseño population, but descendants still live on nearby reservations.

nate_HarrisonIn the 1860s, Nathan Harrison, a freed black slave sought solitude and freedom here on the mountain. He decided to build a trail to get up and down the mountain and over a number of years carved out what was then known as “Nigger” Grade but is now recognized more respectfully as Nate Harrison Grade. “Uncle Nate” made his home in what is now known as Doane Valley where he raised hogs and grew hay. When he died in 1920, Harrison was believed to be 101 years old. Edwin Doane came in the early 1880s and built a log cabin in what is now Doane Valley Campground near Doane Pond a local fishing hole in the State Park. You'll see a placard there about him and his search for a wife who could stand the whiskers of his enormous beard. His cabin has been restored into a park ranger residence.

historyFirstCabinIn the late 1800’s the ranchers in the valley below began to lose a lot of cattle. Private detectives were sent out to fin the rustlers and the cattle. When they found them in the long green valleys at the top of Palomar, they were so taken by the lushness of the place that a number of them settled here and became ranchers themselves. The descendants of these early settlers still live and ranch on the mountain today.

In 1887 a young surveyor fell in love with the mountain, filed a homestead claim for a beautiful little valley that reminded him of his native Kentucky and moved his family there. They first built a small cabin, then a larger house with the aid of the Luiseño Indians. As folks came up to the mountain, they would often stay with the family and soon the Bailey place became a Resort. Today the property is still managed by the Baileys.

historyUMLPalomar Mountain State Park was created in the 1930s when 1,683 acres were purchased. In January 2000 Judge O’Neill purchased a portion of the Upper Meadow from the Baileys and commenced the design and construction of Upper Meadow Lodge.

On his website Peter Brueggeman lists resources for those who would like to know more about Palomar History you will find .pdf versions of 6 books and many short works, photos and brochures that document the Luiseño Indians and the history of Palomar Mountain.