Ranchita, California

Ranchita (Spanish for "small ranch") is an unincorporated community in San Diego County, California. Ranchita is 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Borrego Springs. Ranchita has a ZIP code of 92066.^[2] A notable feature is the Rancheti, an 11-foot-tall (3.35 m), 300-pound (136.08 kg) fiberglassYetistatue erected on Montezuma Valley Road in December 2007.^[3] The statue was featured on the March 4, 2016 installment of Zippy.^[4] The Ranchita Historical Society, Inc., a California 501(c)3 Non-profit corporation, https://www.RanchitaHistoricalSociety.org, has been established to continue the vision of the Montezuma Valley Historical Society which transitioned to preserve and document our history for future generations to come.

Before present-day Ranchita was founded, it was known as Cañada de la Verruga, a Spanish name meaning "Valley of the Wart" that was used by Spaniards and Native Americans. The area was later known as "Wid Helm's place," named after homesteader William Johnson Helm. Upon his arrival to the area, Helm constructed an adobe house just west of present-day Ranchita. Helm's property was popular with deer hunters who traveled long distances to hunt the area. After Helm vacated the area, land locators from Los Angeles brought in new homesteaders who settled there freely under the Homestead Acts, the informal founding of Ranchita.^[5]

The Verruga Post Office was founded in Ranchita on September 22, 1917. Several houses, a mine, and a school opened up around that time as the local population grew. Many of the new residents of the town left within a decade due to a lack of water. The post office was moved to Warner Springs on February 27, 1926.^[5]

Existía un antiguo deseo de construir una carretera que conectara la ciudad de Borrego Springs en el este con San Felipe, Warner Springs y otras ciudades del oeste a través de Ranchita. La carretera permaneció durante mucho tiempo como una simple idea debido al obstáculo que representaba Hellhole Canyon. La Junta de Supervisores del Condado de San Diego rechazó una solicitud para construir la carretera el 5 de abril de 1937. ^{[ 6 ]} Las cuadrillas comenzaron la construcción de la carretera en 1955, pero no completarían el proyecto hasta 1964. ^{[ 7 ]} La carretera se inauguró oficialmente el 24 de junio de 1964 y se celebró por acortar el viaje de Escondido a Borrego Springs en 14 millas. ^{[ 8 ]} La carretera, la Ruta del Condado S22 , se conoce como Montezuma Valley Road en su tramo a través de Ranchita.

El incendio conocido como "The Pines Fire" arrasó esta zona el 2 de agosto de 2002, causando estragos entre los residentes y en el paisaje. El Departamento de Bomberos Voluntarios del Valle de Montezuma fue asumido oficialmente en 2015, cuando Cal Fire y el Condado de San Diego construyeron y dotaron de personal la Estación de Bomberos n.° 58.