HISTORY OF BORREGO SPRINGS

Look back at the people, places and events that shaped Borrego Springs and the surrounding desert.

A Yacht Club in the Borrego Desert

By Andrea McKenna • September 28, 2026
Borrego Springs Yacht Club Brings Model Sailboat Racing to Rams Hill Borrego Springs is home to an unusual desert pastime: model yacht racing. The Borrego Springs Yacht Club was founded in 2010 by Steve Luckman and Dennis Daoust. The club has grown to about 40 members and operates at a pond on the former nine-hole golf course at Rams Hill. Members race V32 sailboats, 32-inch non-motorized model boats controlled remotely through their sails and rudders. The boats were manufactured in California for decades but are no longer in production. Races typically draw 16 to 20 boats, with courses marked by duck decoys used as buoys. The racing season runs from November through May, although members can practice throughout the year. Six club events are held during the season, including Opening Day in November, the Pacific Cap in January, the Invitational in February, the Misplace Race in March, the Powder Puff in April and the Tequila Bowl in May. Winners receive trophies that are held until the next event. The club also maintains a palapa-style clubhouse and hillside seating overlooking the pond, providing space for members and spectators during race days. Membership was listed at $250 per year. The Borrego Springs Yacht Club offers a distinctive local version of sailing, combining competition, model boat craftsmanship and community activity in the desert. If you have any interest, contact Dennis Daoust at captain-havoc@earthlink.net .

The History of The Mall in Borrego Springs

By Andrea McKenna • September 22, 2026
Mid-century design and a community vision that began in 1965.

$1.6 billion, 150-mile power line gets strong pushback from residents

By By John Carroll / General Assignment Reporter & Anchor • September 18, 2026
People wearing yellow shirts, who are opposed to the proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink, are shown at San Marcos City Hall on Sept. 17, 2026 . Photo by: Carolyne Corelis /KPBS

Pegleg Pointers: A 1998 Look at the Pegleg Smith Liars Contest | Historic Borrego Sun

By Phil Brigandi • September 13, 2026
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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Borrego Springs, California

A Short History of Borrego Springs

Located in eastern San Diego County, Borrego Springs is a desert community surrounded by the vast landscape of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Its story reaches from ancient Native American travel routes and Spanish exploration to homesteading, mid-century resorts, Hollywood visitors and the community we know today.

Ancient History

A Desert Crossroads

Long before modern settlement, Native peoples traveled, lived and traded throughout the desert. Ancient trails, village sites, rock art and other archaeological resources remain part of the region's remarkable cultural history.

1774–1776

The Anza Expeditions

Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza traveled through the Borrego region while establishing an overland route from Sonora into Alta California. Portions of his historic route passed through what is now Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Early 1900s

Homesteaders Arrive

Ranchers, farmers and homesteaders began establishing permanent lives in the Borrego Valley. Agriculture became an important part of the early economy as wells and irrigation made desert farming possible.

1940s–1950s

A Community Takes Shape

After World War II, Borrego Springs entered a period of rapid growth. Roads, businesses, resorts, golf courses and new neighborhoods helped transform the remote valley into a growing desert community and destination.

1949

The Borrego Sun

The Borrego Sun began publishing in 1949, documenting the people, businesses, events and changes that shaped Borrego Springs. Its historic issues now provide an extraordinary record of community life across generations.

Mid-Century Borrego

Resorts & Desert Living

By the 1950s and 1960s, Borrego was becoming known for stylish desert resorts, golf, modern architecture and wide-open spaces — attracting visitors from San Diego, Los Angeles and beyond.

Hollywood Comes to Borrego

Borrego's dramatic desert landscape and growing resort scene also caught Hollywood's attention.

In 1958, scenes from The Young Lions , starring Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and Montgomery Clift, were filmed in the Borrego area.

In the late 1950s, entertainer Bing Crosby and others purchased approximately 3,000 acres near the Borrego Air Ranch in an area known as Sleepy Hollow. The proposed development was never completed, but the story remains part of Borrego's colorful mid-century history.

The era of desert resorts, country clubs and celebrity visitors helped give Borrego Springs a distinctive place in Southern California's postwar story.

Borrego Springs Today

Today, Borrego Springs remains one of San Diego County's most distinctive communities — surrounded by California's largest state park and known for its desert landscapes, dark skies, art, architecture and strong sense of local history. From ancient trails to Hollywood stories and generations of community life, the Borrego Valley continues to tell a uniquely California story.

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