Ballena, California Explained

Official Name:Ballena, California
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Mapsize:250x200px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2: San Diego
Timezone:PST
Utc Offset:-8
Coordinates:33.0653°N -116.7467°W
Timezone Dst:PDT
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:92065
Area Code Type:Area codes
Area Code:442/760
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:06-66004

Ballena is an unincorporated community in the Ballena Valley of San Diego County, California.[1]

Ballena is east of Ramona and west of Santa Ysabel, at the junction of California State Route 78 and the Old Julian Highway.

History

The area of Ballena is named after the nearby Whale Mountain in the northwestern Cuyamaca Mountains. The Ipai name for the mountain was Epank, meaning "whale," and ballena is the Spanish word for "whale."

Ballena began in 1870, as a way stop and layover point for freight wagons, which provided fresh teams of horses and mules for the wagons on the road between the gold rush camps of Branson City, Coleman City, Eastwood and Julian − and the ports of National City and San Diego.

Sam Warnock opened a general store and post office there.[2] The post office operated from July 27, 1870, to September 26, 1894, then from August 12, 1896, to August 30, 1902, when it was moved to Witch Creek.[3]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ballena . 13 April 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120310150838/http://www.placenames.com/us/p1701295/ . 2012-03-10 . dead .
  2. Richard L. Carrico, Ramona, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2011, p.8
  3. Frickstad, Walter N., A Century of California Post Offices 1848-1954, Philatelic Research Society, Oakland, CA. 1955, pp. 147-158