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The stone tower was built over several years beginning in 1922 by Bert Vaughn, a San Diego real estate developer who owned
Jacumba. Vaughn dedicated it to the pioneers, and highway and railroad builders who opened up the area. It also served as a roadside advertisement of a restaurant and bar located
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Travel through this area has existed for centuries, and is documented in many of the nineteenth century newspapers of San Diego and elsewhere. Pioneers are known to have crossed here on trips between Yuma and San Diego. The first crossing in wheeled vehicles may have been the 1856 journey of Lt. E.B.
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An ensemble of sculptures of animals and other figures, called
Boulder Park, is adjacent to Desert View Tower. They were sculpted in the local stone by Merle Ratcliff (spelling of his name varies across different sources) over two years during the 1930s while he was unemployed during the Great
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Williston from San Diego, briefly through México, then up through
Jacumba and on to Yuma. An historical plaque next to the tower marks the site of the Mountain Springs Station, a stone house used in 1862-1870 as a store from which ox teams pulled wagons up a 30% grade. Beginning in 1915, the
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on the old road across from the tower. The five-story Tower houses a museum and has an observation deck on its upper level. The gift shop at the base of the Tower is a later addition.
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California
Historical Landmark No.194, registered 20 June 1985, plaque erected on grounds of the Desert View Tower, In-Ko-Pah Mountains
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496:"National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Submission: Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments in California"
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436:"Welcome to the Desert View Tower", information handout for Tower visitors (obtained on 4 July 2019 visit)
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337:"The Mountain Springs Grade: Conquering San Diego's Mountain Barrier to Commerce with the East"
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University and college buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
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Buildings and structures on the
National Register of Historic Places in California
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on August 29, 1980. As folk art, the tower and
Boulder Park were included in the
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List of jails and prisons on the
National Register of Historic Places
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provided additional assistance for making the crossing in motorcars.
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National
Register of Historic Places in Imperial County, California
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Depression. Both the tower and
Boulder Park are works of folk art.
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470:"California Historic Resources Inventory: Desert View Tower"
257:. It is at 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation, in the
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Buildings and structures in Imperial County, California
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Twentieth Century Folk Art Environment in California TR
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Selway, Robert; Hurtado, Albert; Hart, Emily (1978).
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Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments in California
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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621:List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state
411:"Old Stone Tower Offers Spectacular Desert Views"
1013:National Register of Historic Places portal
280:The tower and Boulder Park were listed on the
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390:. California Office of Historic Preservation
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561:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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468:Hurtado, Albert L. (October 12, 1977).
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312:"National Register Information System"
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343:. San Diego History Center Quarterly
317:National Register of Historic Places
282:National Register of Historic Places
1064:Roadside attractions in California
976:National Historic Preservation Act
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409:Finz, Stacy (November 21, 1987).
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335:Streetman, Joe (Winter 2016).
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114:Show map of the United States
289:Multiple Property Submission
29:United States historic place
16:Not to be confused with the
190:Bert Vaughn, M.T. Ratcliffe
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960:American Legation, Morocco
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215:NRHP reference
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903:Northern Mariana Islands
195:Architectural style
128:Boulder Park, California
498:. National Park Service
898:Minor Outlying Islands
881:Lists by insular areas
595:Keeper of the Register
198:Environmental Folk Art
182:1922–1928, 1930s, 1950
155:32.65917°N 116.09917°W
89:Show map of California
18:Desert View Watchtower
600:National Park Service
580:Contributing property
472:. State of California
322:National Park Service
174:5 acres (2.0 ha)
1044:Towers in California
955:District of Columbia
341:sandiegohistory.org/
160:32.65917; -116.09917
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447:"The Desert Tower"
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449:. Imperial County
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388:ohp.parks.ca.gov/
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384:"Plank Road"
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247:Boulder Park
243:Interstate 8
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124:Nearest city
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948:Other areas
908:Puerto Rico
742:Mississippi
657:Connecticut
158: /
134:Coordinates
1038:Categories
857:Washington
777:New Mexico
772:New Jersey
647:California
295:References
146:116°5′57″W
143:32°39′33″N
867:Wisconsin
832:Tennessee
737:Minnesota
712:Louisiana
1023:Category
852:Virginia
802:Oklahoma
782:New York
757:Nebraska
747:Missouri
732:Michigan
722:Maryland
707:Kentucky
687:Illinois
662:Delaware
652:Colorado
642:Arkansas
502:July 25,
476:July 25,
453:July 25,
222:80000801
187:Built by
969:Related
872:Wyoming
847:Vermont
752:Montana
692:Indiana
672:Georgia
667:Florida
637:Arizona
627:Alabama
422:July 8,
394:July 8,
347:July 8,
807:Oregon
762:Nevada
702:Kansas
677:Hawaii
632:Alaska
568:Topics
939:Palau
837:Texas
717:Maine
682:Idaho
245:, in
179:Built
893:Guam
842:Utah
797:Ohio
697:Iowa
504:2012
478:2012
455:2012
424:2019
396:2019
349:2019
237:The
171:Area
217:No.
204:MPS
20:in
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