The Border in eastern San Diego County is one of the most interesting places around. My brothers and I own a property in the Boulevard/Jacumba area. We love to hike and explore.

Happy Sharp was a prospector who worked the area in the thirties and forties. Known as, “The Old Man of Jacumba Mountain.” He has long since passed on. But we learned that his old cabin was hidden somewhere in the In-Ko-Pahs. That mountain range is just a few miles from us.

Local friends around Jacumba gave us advice.  “Look for the two palms, the cabin is nearby.”

It sounded like a treasure hunt. So we were excited. The day was warm, but not hot. A cooling breeze carrying the herbal scent of sage made it a good day for a hike.  When you go out in the desert pack plenty of water and get the right transportation. For us it was my brother’s   WW2 Radio Car. Originally owned by the Navy it was a 4-wheel drive Dodge panel wagon. In the In-Ko-Pahs you need off-road wheels that keep turning. It was unstoppable as long as you weren’t in a hurry.

Well, we found the palms; they’re natural for that area. Even though Juan Bautista de Anza passed through the area in 1774. Man did not plant these trees, they prosper naturally where water is. There must be an underground stream where they’re growing.

From the palms we found a high point and started looking. At first didn’t see anything. Hey, there it is. It’s a ruin, but what would you expect? It’s old.

We’re always careful before going into a place like this. You never know what’s inside. So we walked around it making noise. Found pots and pans, rusty tools and the remains of a Model A Ford.

The place is only a mile or so from where Old Highway 80 would have been. But now only pieces of the roadbed remain. Our prospector could have driven down the sandy wash to get to it.

Once inside we found an old bed with coiled springs, a stove, wood burning, shelves for storage and rock walls. This guy was probably single. We didn’t see any amenities that would be attractive to a female companion. In fact there was no bathroom that we could find, in or out. Everything was barebones functional. Wind probably snuck in through a few cracks in the wall.

This was a great find for us. There’s a lot of history in the area. Not far from here a coat of Spanish mail was found under a rock ledge. Rumors of a lost Jesuit mission abound. The border has a lot of interesting things to discover. Just be careful if you go looking.

 My names Wally Runnels and I write Border Pulp.