As I gazed at the land surrounding the Desert View Tower, I imagined paying the 2.5 million asking price and taking up residence here. All this could be mine—a 1920s-era tourist attraction, five small houses, a boulder climbing park and about a thousand rattlesnakes. All inconveniently situated a few miles from the border wall in the dry southern California desert. I could rent out the houses as writing retreats, or lure painters to capture the huge sky and endless expanse of dirt and boulders, some stacked precariously, apparently by nature.
One of my two sisters quickly stopped this train of thought. “No takeout,” she reminded me. I returned to my senses.
History of Desert View Tower
San Diego real estate developer Bert Vaughn starting building the tower on Interstate 8 near Jacumba in 1922. Vaughn owned the whole town of Jacumba and needed more business. So he envisioned a tower to look out upon his arid domain. He finished his 70-foot tower in 1928 and dedicated it to the pioneers who’d braved the area pre-highway. From the modern 1920s on, people could stop to climb the tower, refill their radiators and gas tanks and get something to eat at a nearby café.
In its 100 years, the tower has been managed by people with varying degrees of ingenuity and dedication. In 1950, an owner added the gift shop. Nowadays things have veered toward the New Agey, with full moon healing days every month.
Climbing the Desert View Tower
The main attractions are the tower itself and the boulder park. If you like old roadside attractions, the tower is a marvel. It looks like a homemade art project on a grand scale. The stones look hand-placed, and the diamond-shaped windows don’t quite line up. A couple of carved heads stick out of the exterior—a buffalo, an Indian. A rainbow-painted arch over the entrance reads Epluribus Unum. Inside the arch, a celestial mural depicts dogs, a couple of humans and a Gila monster.
The bottom of five floors is the largest, with an extra outer ring surrounding the tower. This is where you pay your $7.50 admission, browse for souvenirs and pet whatever dogs and cats might be lazing around on couches or shelves. My favorite souvenir was a colored guide to things that might bite or sting you in the desert—a must have so I can apply first aid at my future artist colony.
The tower is a series of round rooms stacked on top of each other, connected by spiral staircases. As you can imagine, these aren’t the most even stairs. But they do have railings. If you tire easily, you can poke around in each room, perusing books, memorabilia and more souvenirs for sale while you catch your breath. If you have balance difficulties, hold the railing and proceed with caution.
At the top, you get the promised desert view—a panorama of rocks, dirt and mountains and a reminder that just because you’re in California doesn’t mean you’ll see the ocean. Or any water at all. It’s beautiful in a very dry sort of way.
Boulder Park
Kids, mountain goats and anyone else who likes to climb will enjoy Boulder Park. You can scramble over and between boulders in this area, some painted to look like critters. During the Great Depression, down-on-his-luck engineer W.T. Ratcliffe sculpted these huge quartz granite boulders into whatever struck his fancy—a lizard, buffalo, coiled snake, giant skull. Supposedly he created the boulder maze for a dollar a day plus a jug of wine. The carvings are part of what make up the site’s official registration as California Historical Landmark #939.
Some adults like to climb the boulders, too, but only in sensible shoes. Since rocks are a known snakey hangout in warmer months, I was glad to be there in January.
Airbnb it
You can stay in the Desert View Tower! Yes, it’s an Airbnb. You’re promised tower privacy from five PM until 8 AM. Then it’s rise and shine before the tourists descend. Staying in the tower is high on the novelty scale but probably low on comfort—it felt a bit chilly to me, plus there’s no bathroom in the tower so you have to climb down all those steps and go elsewhere on the property. Or you could stay in one of the houses. Less romantic, but more practical. Either way, I plan to Airbnb it for at least a week before I plunk down that 2.5 million and make desert living a permanent habit.
