In Riverside County, just outside the northwest corner of Anza-Borrego Desert
State Park, the town of Anza occupies a large valley. The San Jacinto Mountains
and the Santa Rosa Mountains come together here at an elevation of 4,000 feet.
Anza has played an important part in Anza-Borrego history.
Originally, it was a big valley covered with Ribbonwood and Sage. There were
at least three Indian villages. In the 1770's, Juan Bautista de Anza's expeditions
left the desert by way of Coyote Canyon and Nance Canyon, and crossed the
valley on their way to the California coast where they would colonize San
Francisco.
Americans from eastern states began to settle here after the discovery of
gold in 1849 and California statehood in 1850. The Ribbonwood and Sage were
cleared for farming – dry farming because there was little water. In
winter, when there might be snow on the ground, cattlemen brought their families
and their cattle down Coyote Canyon to the desert and a more welcome climate.
In the 1880's, Helen Hunt Jackson wrote a blistering report on Indian reservations
such as the Cahuilla reservation at Anza. When nobody seemed to listen, she
wrote a novel titled Ramona. Based on a true story of a local incident,
it became very popular and continues to be read today. A white man shot and
killed a Cahuilla who, he claimed, had stolen his horse. He was tried, but
found innocent. The setting for the novel was the area around Cahuilla Mountain.
The Coyote Canyon Road may be driven from Terwilliger Road in Anza to Upper
Willows in Coyote Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. High clearance
is advised, 4WD if the road is muddy. Hiking and horseback riding are also
possible.
The Pacific Crest Trail can be hiked northward from Warner Springs. Vehicle
crossings are at the Chihuahua Valley Road (Lost Valley Road on some maps),
the Tule Spring Truck Trail, the Coyote Canyon Jeep Trail, the Table Mountain
Truck Trail, and Highway 74. Travel the California Riding & Hiking Trail
on foot or horseback or in a high-clearance vehicle from the Chihuahua Valley
Road to Bailey Road along the south edge of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation.
emet, I-15, and San Juan Capistrano. East to Pinyon Pines and Palm
Desert.
