The EnsenadaGold Rush
115 Years Ago This Month
It's interesting to note that there is no missionary
built church in
Ensenada. Gold, not God, developed the area into what is now known as a
town. In February 1889, accounts reported that gold had been discovered in
the Santa Clara Mountains
about sixty miles southeast of Ensenada, which signaled the beginning of the boomtown era as gold rush fever
brought new settlers from other areas. Now becoming a center of trade and
support for the miners, with all the graft and greed that are usually a
result, Ensenada
endured the effects of this sudden prosperity. Rumors about the size of
the area and its richness traveled from man to man. The farther the
stories spread, the more incredible became the stories of the gold
discovery. Soon the Baja California
gold strike was given rumor status comparable to that of 1849 in central California. Old timers that had panned for gold as “forty-niners” near
San Francisco, began streaming south in search of the quick riches that had eluded them
in the north.
Joining them were men
who had traveled to the west in search of a new life found land was
abundant but jobs were scarce. The result was those who had made this
migration to the area had no choice but to remain, regardless of the
financial troubles they were experiencing. The news of the gold strike was
quickly spread among these men in the
Southern California
region and soon they too were joining the rush to the Ensenada
area. This news was circulated widely by Southern California News sources,
which sent many correspondents to the new Santa Clara
gold settlements. These journalists even further fueled the frenzy by
exaggerating accounts of the event in order to increase the circulation of
their publications.
The gold was in four
gulches in a region of the mountains some 4,500 feet above sea level. The
settlers in these gulches named their settlement after the ethnic group
that was the primary population. American, Indian and Mexican names were
assigned to three of the gulches; the other was of no particular ethnic
connection named
Alamo. These were inhospitable, cold and snowy areas and the camps attracted
many more than their advertised capacity of 1,000. This tremendous
pressure on an area that was quickly depleted of the gold found, created
an even greater hardship than the environment on these men as they
realized the fabled gold strike was mere fallacy.
The miners were
gouged in every conceivable way by the services employed by the rush.
Southern California
steam ship and stagecoach lines all increased their fares by as much as
doubling the costs of transportation south. The cost was increased to as
much as $10 to reach the mining area. Additional schooners were enlisted
that were charging $6 per passage. Even at these inflated rates, they had
to schedule extra runs which were loaded with men, animals and equipment.
Many chose to travel by foot with pack mules and burros and campfires were
seen glowing along the entire length of the dusty dirt road between
Tijuana
and the Santa Clara
claims. Burros were in great demand and the cost of a good animal rose
from $15 to as high as $40! All supplies were channeled through San Diego
to the departing miners as news spread that Ensenada
had no more supplies for those going south. To outfit for the trip,
complete with food and equipment cost about $50.
By 1890 the mines were depleted and the area returned to its
previous pastoral existence. This period of increased activity boosted the
local mercantile business and a few of the miners involved did obtain
great riches through their successful efforts to harvest the small amount
of gold that was found. During this era, Ensenada
consisted of three hotels, one bar, a pier, a few shops, a flour mill, a
school, a stable and a wine cellar. A new telegraph and phone line between
San Diego
and Ensenada
had been established. The discovery of gold had lured Hussong’s
Cantina’s founder, German immigrant Johann Hussong to Ensenada. In those days, the cantina was located where Papas & Beer is now.
The next door neighbors complained constantly about the noise, so Johann,
who had assumed the name Juan, moved his bar across the street. In April,
1892 Hussong’s Cantina was formally established it’s the current
location. The town's population of 1400 consisted of primarily out-of-luck
miners.
THE SAN DIEGO
LIBRARY LOCAL AUTHOR EXPOSITION
During the entire month of February, our book, “The 90 Day
Yacht Club Guide to Ensenada” will be on display and featured at the downtown San Diego Library. Please visit the expo and tell the library
personnel how much you enjoyed our book and how you had hoped it had been
in the library when you first started looking for the book. Wish us luck
in the Writers Digest Self Publishers book contest that will award a nice
dollar amount prize as well as an award seal to display on our next
edition’s cover.
Do you realize
what would happen if Moses were alive today? He’d go up to
Mount Sinai, come back with the Ten Commandments, and spend the next 8 years trying
to get them published.
_________________________________________
GORDO’S
BOATYARD
As you walk on the malecon along the Ensenada
waterfront between the fish market and Gordo’s Sports Fishing, you may
have noticed a collection of boats resting on cradles being attended to by
local work personnel. For many years, this yard was reserved for the
service of the colorful charter craft of the Gordo's sports fishing fleet.
Now it is an alternative to other yards for the haul out and repair of
visiting and local private yachts. Next to the Titanic Restaurant and Bar,
the harbor side walk transverses a drawbridge that is raised to permit the
cradled boat to be pulled up the causeway by cable. The drawbridge is hand
lever winched by block and tackle and chain attached to each wing of the
bridge. During this period of time the malecon is impassable at this point
and always seems to draw an interested crowd. A group of wide-eyed local
school children that were visiting the area on a field trip to see the
seals were lucky to witness the process recently.
These boat haul out and launches are
timed to coincide with the highest high tides, which occur twice a month
during the full and new moons. The local Ensenada port authorities must be
notified and approve of the haul out prior to the event. These extreme
high tidal flows provide the amount of water necessary to maneuver the
boat as it is floated over a submerged steel cradle. This cradle is
attached to a truck in the yard by heavy cable and after the water born
craft is positioned on the cradle a winch on the truck pulls the boat up
the cement boat ramp. Oversize rubber tires support the cradled boat as it
is moved up the incline to its resting place in the yard.
To
position the floating boat and install the necessary below the water
supports a diver is used. His job is to make certain the boat will stay
upright when the boat leaves the sea’s influence and enters the dry land
gravitational forces. The process is a slow one as it is very important
the diver has the wood wedges and steel scaffolds in place and locked. For
the owner of the yacht, this can be a very stressful phase of the haul out
and complete trust must be placed on the yard personnel shoulders.
The facility can service 2 to 3 boats at a time up to 70 feet in
length. Paint and mechanical work are performed in the water at adjacent
docks. Bottom paints that are more effective and toxic designed to protect
the boat’s bottom from growth can be applied in Ensenada. Many of these
paint brands have been outlawed for use in stateside boatyards due to
questionable environmental laws. Compared to the prices being charged in
the states for the same services, the smart yacht owner often takes
advantage of the savings found in the local Ensenada shipyards, and a
chance to enjoy Ensenada’s many hospitalities during his stay.
The
next time you notice it is a full or new moon or happen to be reading your
tide tables and realize the tides are at one of their apexes for the
month, visit this area and ask someone at the yard or at Gordo’s Sports
Fishing when they next plan to haul and/or launch. If your schedule
permits, make yourself available to view the next eventful episode of busy
Gordo’s ramp activities in one of the most colorful areas of Ensenada.
See the photos
on our Photo Album page that illustrate the above article.
A NEW
RESTAURANT TO VISIT
La Forchetta Italian Restaraunt: Ave. Blancarte #7. If you
desire a full menu of Italian dishes beyond the local pizza fare, this is
the place to visit. You will discover a quiet and quaint atmosphere with
great service and delicious food.
Tel. 178-3408
Click on this photo
and the following photos in this newsletter and use your web browser
back button to return to this page
STATESIDE TV AND RADIO RECEPTION IN
ENSENADA
It
is a characteristic of the FM frequency band that FM stations are very
clear at short range but fade quickly when confronted with topographical
barriers or distances over 75 miles. Ensenada
does not receive any but the strongest U.S. FM stations and only when
atmospheric skip conditions are good.
On the other commercial radio band, AM frequencies travel quite
well over long distances. We rely on Los Angeles 1070 AM station KNX for 24-hour news and weather reports, which we can
survey from a distance while sitting in the tranquility of our cockpit.
Interestingly, this station can be received into the
Sea
of
Cortez
and is a good source of information on weather conditions coming from the
north. When the Santa Ana
winds are blowing in
Southern California, it's a good bet the dreaded Northerlies are raging in the Sea
of
Cortez. San Diego 600 AM is an all talk Rush Limbaugh type format, which at this
date of publication provides border traffic reports 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week. San Diego 690 AM is a sports talk station and perhaps the
strongest station due to their transmitter tower being on a hill near Tijuana. Another sports talk station transmitted from Rosarito is San Diego
1090 AM, which has San Diego Padre and San Diego State College Aztec
sports broadcasts. Many FM and AM stations based in Ensenada
feature U.S.
oldies and some current music releases. Various major sporting events such
as the World Series and the Super Bowl can be found on the local non-cable
Ensenada
television channels and you can listen to the commentary on U.S.
AM radio stations in English. The radio satellite subscription system is
ideal for a large selection of radio programming and is reported to have
its coverage extend to Mazatlan
on the mainland of Mexico. If you bring down your Direct TV dish, you can receive all the TV and
music channels you wish while in Ensenada.
BUG
CONTROL
Below
is an interesting juxtaposition of a bug control advertisement and a
lobster which we sometimes refer to as a bug. This is found along the new
six lane cement free road in south Rosarito while traveling to Ensenada.
The best book
collaboration is between the author and the reader.
____________________________________________
A NEW
BAKERY TO VISIT
Panaderia El Coliman: Calle Delante #297. As you travel east on
Delante you will pass 2 stop lights and two stop signs as you approach
huge electrical towers; the bakery is next to the power plant on the left
going east. Ensenada
is famous for its variety of freshly baked 7 grain natural whole wheat
Mexican breads. Try the delicious hot empanadas filled with tuna (atun),
cheese (queso), chicken (pollo), or ham (jamon). The smell in this shop is
heavenly, a must stop while you visit!
THE
DOWNTOWN BUS DEPOT
(#8 on our site locator maps in our
books)
The Marco Polo and Dina touring buses are the Boeing 747's of
Mexico. A mid-night stop at one of the large bus stations in a major city
reminds us of a scaled down Chicago O'Hare airport, complete with taco and
hot dog stands, bustling with the excitement of wide-eyed True Travelers
looking for their coach along the long line of idling, arriving and
departing super cruisers. A ticket from Ensenada to La Paz one-way is
around US $80; a wild 22 hour ride complete with movies on suspended TV's,
stops for livestock on the road along the dark unlit Baja desert highway,
a sunrise cruise along the incredibly beautiful Santa Rosalia to Puerto
Escondido area on the Sea of Cortez, and a scary bathroom with emanating
fumage. *Travel tips - Take the
2 pm
bus to
La Paz
to time sunset over the
Pacific Ocean
at San Quintin, and sunrise over the Sea
of
Cortez
at Santa Rosalia. Bring your own toilet paper and avoid sitting in the
rear near the water closet. Ave.
Riveroll between 10th and 11th.
