Borrego Springs
History
Borrego Springs has a rich history rooted in its Native American heritage, with the Kumeyaay and Cahuilla tribes inhabiting the region for thousands of years. In the 20th century, the area transformed into a desert retreat, attracting artists, nature lovers, and stargazers to its unique landscape.
The Borrego Springs Civic Foundation opened Old Borego for History Preservation Day, with vintage Borrego Sun front pages, Denny DuVall and student essays.
St. Richard Catholic Church in Borrego Springs has served the desert for more than 70 years. Now the parish and Christ the King Mission need help to stay open.
The old Chevron station across from La Casa del Zorro has stories
Two neighbors, one town, and decades of giving back: how Bill and Jenny Wright helped build the library, the concerts, the scholarships and so much more in Borrego Springs.
Actor Jon Hall, Borrego’s new honorary marshal (center), with the October 1949 Borrego Sun at the opening of Hoberg’s Desert Resort. From left: Sun publisher Paul Strand, Paramount starlet Mari Blanchard, actress Beverly Tyler and Jack Benson of Benson Tours. Photo by Gaylord Johnson, Borrego Sun, November 1949. Courtesy of the Fred Jee Collection.
Please join the Civic Foundation for its annual Old Borego Days celebration No, Borrego is not misspelled in the title above. This is the way Borrego was spelled back in 1928, when the first post office opened in what is now called “Old Borego.” The site is located at 1580 Rango Way. Please join the Civic Foundation for its annual Old Borego Days celebration of the historic heart of the Borrego Valley on Sunday, November 8, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The turnoff from Rango Way will be marked with a sign. Please note that no restrooms are available. Visitors will be able to enter the old post office and general store, originally run by Eslie Wynn, and view a fascinating video from the 1950s extolling the virtues of life in Borrego Springs. One of the first homes in Borrego Springs will also be open for public viewing, offering a nostalgic look back at life in the community’s earlier years. In addition, Borrego Springs Elementary School fourth graders, who study California history, will have their essays on display. Three students will receive awards for their writing on “Borego Now and Then.” Ram Media Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Borrego Sun, will also share display items from its archive, offering another glimpse into the valley’s past. Old Borego Days Sunday, November 8, 2026 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. 1580 Rango Way, Borrego Springs
From alfalfa fields to airport lights and the 1961 Aero-Rama, one man's ambitious vision for Borrego Springs lives on in the Borrego Sun Files.
Photo: From the 2015 Borrego Sun online edition, "Borrego Springs - April 1956, Acres Of Blooms"
From the Borrego Sun online edition, 2015 - In this photo, Chef Jacobs looks over a menu with Beverly Burnand and Mrs. Ron Chaney.
Photo: Porter Tinsley - Less Than Amateur
Mid-century design and a community vision that began in 1965.
This column first ran ahead of the 50th annual Pegleg Smith Liars Contest in April 1998. Phil Brigandi, a longtime desert historian and four-time contest winner, died in 2019.
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