Escondido history

In search of…Big Tepee

Big Tepee? Do you know the way, Jose’? Go around Escondido. Ask anyone about the Big Tepee. Since we can’t bet dollars against donuts anymore — some donuts cost much more than a dollar — let’s wager dollars against Chargers super bowl appearances that people asked that question will believe you should go to a big tepee of the medical kind. There’s an answer to…


Looking back at Del’s Barber Shop

Like father like son like grandson, Del’s Barber Shop is old school and proud of it. “It’s pretty much the same old barber shop,” said Jason Engelbrecht, now large and in charge of the 4-barber shop on S. Escondido Boulevard next to Lourdes Restaurant and its famous chicken soup. “We try not to change anything.” One would be hard-pressed to find another blast from the…


1846 Battle of San Pasqual redux

In the San Pasqual Valley southeast of Escondido, in the darkness of early morning on December 6, 1846, the American Army under Stephen Watts Kearny fought the bloodiest encounter to win California from Mexico. The San Pasqual battle was only one of the military encounters in California in the war, but proved to be the bloodiest and most controversial as to outcome. San Pasqual Battlefield…


Historic homes open for Mother’s Day Tour

Who: Old Escondido Historic District What: 19th Annual Mothers Day Home Tour – Five historic homes will be open to the public. Where: In the Old Escondido Historic District, just south of Escondido’s historic downtown. When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 8. Why: To further the Old Escondido Historic District’s mission “to promote and protect Old Escondido, the city’s oldest neighborhood.” How: Tickets can…


Lots of gardening events and even a movie about Valley Center at Valley Center Library

Tomato talk scheduled for April 12 Garden Club Meeting  Roy Wilburn, horticulture director for Sunshine Care Homes in Poway, will “talk tomato” at the Dos Valles Garden Club’s Tuesday, April 12 meeting. It will be held 10 a.m. at the St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church, 31020 Cole Grade Road. It’s free and open to all who would attend. Wilburn will address vegetable production, focusing on growing…


Historic home no match for state’s second tallest (now fallen) Torrey pine

A historic cottage was crushed underneath a Torrey pine in Escondido during a storm earlier this month. Not just any Torrey pine either, but one believed to be the second tallest in the state. The two-story cottage, in the 500 block of E 4th Ave. was just a few feet away from the occupied Pritchett House, home to a family of four, according to Carol…


VC Historical Society desperately seeking ‘missing’ Valley Center orchid

The Valley Center Historical Society is hunting for an orchid that was developed more than two decades ago and was given the name “Valley Center Pink,” Valley Center historian Robert Lerner said Monday.  A preliminary search by local flower enthusiasts so far has not been fruitful, he said The orchid was hybridized and grown in 1992 by Joseph P. Banando, a retired grocery supervisor who…