The Cuyamaca Mountains ( Kumeyaay: ''‘Ekwiiyemak''), locally the Cuyamacas, are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

of the Peninsular Ranges in

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...

. The mountain range runs roughly northwest to southeast. The Laguna Mountains are directly adjacent to the east, with Palomar Mountain and Hot Springs Mountain more distant to the north. Most of the range consists of extensive oak forest and chaparral, part of the California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, interspersed with pine forests and lush riparian zones, featuring year round creeks and waterfalls. The San Diego River and Sweetwater River both have their headwaters in these mountains, which flow over 50 miles to the ocean. The pine forests were extensively burned by the 2003 Cedar Fire, along with many large areas of chaparral and oak woodland, which has since experienced slow and steady regrowth. The high elevation produces a risk of snowfall throughout the winter months. Cuyamaca Peak, at , is San Diego County's second highest, after Hot Springs Mountain.

Geography

The range's highest peaks are Cuyamaca Peak at , North Peak at , Middle Peak at , and Stonewall Peak at . The San Diego River and the Sweetwater River both have

headwater The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

s in the Cuyamacas. The Cuyamaca Reservoir lies adjacent to the east side of the range. Mountains are primarily protected within the

Cleveland National Forest Cleveland National Forest is a National forest (United States), U.S. national forest in Southern California that encompasses 460,000 acres/ of inland Montane ecosystems, montane regions. It is approximately 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean, withi ...

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is a state park in inland San Diego County, California, United States, located east of the metropolitan area of San Diego, California, San Diego. The park is situated near the southernmost reaches of the Cleveland Nat ...

, with

California oak woodland California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. Oak woodland is widespread at lower elevations in coast ...

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

, is located in the range. The former mining town of Julian is in the northern section, and the towns of Descanso, Pine Valley and Guatay is in the southern. Alpine, a more populated town with some dense residential development, lies directly to the west of the range, bordering the Lakeside and El Cajon areas. Interstate 8 passes through the southern part of the Cuyamaca Mountains. California State Route 79, known as the Cuyamaca Highway, runs north–south along the eastern part of the mountains.''Borrego Valley, California,'' 30x60 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1982''El Cajon, California,'' 30x60 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1979

Gold rush

Gold was discovered in the Cuyamacas in 1870 and the mountains were subject to a gold rush. Towns and encampments of Coleman City, Branson City, Eastwood, Julian, and

Banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

sprang up to support the miners. First there was a mining camp called Stonewall (1873–1876), then the company town of Stratton (1887–1888), renamed Cuyamaca City (1888–1906), had a peak population of 500 and served the Stonewall Mine. The town was abandoned after mining operations ceased, and few traces of it exist. The site of the town now lies within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Other gold mines were supported by the town of Julian, which celebrates its mining history with an annual festival called Gold Rush Days. The Eagle-High Peak Mine, no longer productive, is now a museum and gives daily tours.

References

External links

{{Authority control Peninsular Ranges Mountain ranges of San Diego County, California Cleveland National Forest East County (San Diego County) Mountain Empire (San Diego County) Kumeyaay Mountain ranges of Southern California

Geography

Gold rush

See also

References

External links