Jacumba is the quintessential Mudhole -- in fact, it was this specific property which brought the phrase into being for us.  Jacumba exists today in part because one of the defining elements of a Mudhole -- being bypassed by the interstate highway system.

Jacumba sits on a piece of asphalt which might have been a part of California Highway 94, or maybe California Highway 98 -- but each gives up and connects with Interstate 8 to the west or east of the town.  Technically, Jacumba is on Old Highway 80.  In the 1920's and 30's, however, this was the main highway connecting San Diego with Yuma, Arizona and points east.  We have been told that Roosevelt took this highway west amid much fanfare at some point in his career.  Jacumba is located seventy miles east of San Diego and three miles south of I-8, with Live Oak Springs to the west and Ocotillo to the east.  The official population of Jacumba is 400.

PROPERTY	JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS RESORT
ADDRESS	44500 OLD HIGHWAY 80 P.O. BOX 371-- JACUMBA, CA  91934
TELEPHONE	619.766.4525  fax 619.766.4837
WEB	www.jacumbasprings.com  jacumbaspa@sbcglobal.net

Other lodging choices in the area include Live Oak Springs Resort (619.766.4288).  Even if you are staying at Jacumba, this has a fine restaurant for dinner.

MUDHOLE ALERT!!!   MUDHOLE ALERT!!!   MUDHOLE ALERT!!!  JACUMBA IS TRYING TO RE-INVENT ITSELF AS AN UPSCALE !!!  WARNING!!!

  NOTE THE ADDITION OF  "& CABANA CLUB"......  MAILED LITERATURE INDICATES A MARKETING PROGRAM TO SELL WHAT APPEARS TO BE TIME-SHARE MEMBERSHIPS.......

2007 UPDATE:  THE TIMESHARE ARRANGEMENT IS GONE; MEMBERS OSTENSIBLY LEFT HOLDING THE BAG.....  ONE OF THE PARTNERS HAS "GONE AWAY" (ASK LOCALS WHAT THAT MEANS).....  SO JACUMBA HAS RETURNED, MORE OR LESS, TO ITS OLD VERSION -- HOORAY !!!

WHEN TO GO AND HOW TO GET THERE:

• Located south of Interstate 8 and 46 miles west of El Centro 
• Take Campo exit if driving east from San Diego
• Go in the summer; otherwise the spa is drafty and the outdoor pool will be too cold
• Annual parade -- called Healing Waters Music Festival;  well, at least it was in 2005.  In 2007, it's Telemagica over Memorial Day weekend.......
• www.healingwatersfestival.org --(everything from pre-schoolers to the local nudist camp to the local elderly riding their scooters) approximately June 11 & 12 (book early, or the place will be full)

MAPQUEST: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=jacumba&state=CA&zip=91934&country=us&level=2

".....Hunting around for a place to escape to for 2 days ideally w/mineral springs nearby and am finding your website so to my taste!" -- Elizabeth B.

Massage services are locally-available and offer European Swedish, Deep Tissue Sculpting, Excessive Pressure, Sports Therapy, Hawaiian, Shiatsu, and Hot Stone massages.  Meditative Nerve Powder is an extra charge.

Rates?  When this place was first discovered by CaliforniaMudholes.com, rates were advertised at $37.00 per night.

The property is owned and managed by Felix Bachmeier and his son, Felix, Jr.  You may also encounter Robert -- a very influential local person.  2005 UPDATE:  The Germans were bought out, and new owners are in the process of renovations.  (Robert may in some way be involved.)

OWNERSHIP UPDATE:  We have heard a rumor that ownership & management of this property has changed -- you might inquire locally as to the story behind this; we prefer not to share what we have heard.

One room has been renovated ("Mayan Theme Room") and the rooms along the rear of the property have been re-roofed and are quite nice.  Some -- but not all-- rooms are equipped with small refrigerators.

Do not expect the spa to be as hot as you might find at more modern facilities.  But the proprietors do boast about the chemical content:

• 31% sodium chloride
• 40% sodium sulphate
• 09% sodium bicarbonate
• 17% calcium sulphate
• 03% magnesium

If you visit, you may still find the several teepees on a narrow strip of land, adjacent to the highway (nope; they have been removed).  This was a set for a short-lived Sunday sit-com entitled "Manhattan, AZ."  We believe only the pilot program ever made it on-screen. -- 2005 UPDATE:  The series ran one short season; teepees now departed.

From the "Coyote Valley News":  It's so dry in Ocotillo that....

• Cows are giving evaporated milk
• The trees are whistling for the dogs
• The birds have to use pot holders to pull worms out of the ground

The IN-KO-PAH Desert Tower is a four-level museum and observation deck, also with some odd rock carvings dating from the 1920's.  East of Jacumba on I-8.  619.766.4612.  The Tower was built in 1922-23 by Bert Vaughn of Jacumba to commemorate the pioneers and Road & Railroad builders who opened the area.  W.T. Ratcliffe carved the stone animal figures in the 1930's.

De Anza Springs Clothing-Optional resort:

• Clubhouse, 2 swimming pools, spa, tennis
• Restaurant & bar
• Rental Units and RV hook-ups
• 1951 Carrizo Gorge Road/Jacumba (south freeway exit to Jacumba, west on the road past the Shell Station)
• Carrizo Gorge RailRoad hike to the wooden goat trestle. 
• 619.766.4301 or Stay@DeAnzaSprings.com

Information found on the web, but alas we have lost the attribution (let us know whom to credit, please): 

Old U.S. Highway 80 bisects the town which is about three miles west of the airport.  Today, some 400 people live in Jacumba.  On weekends you’ll find sail planes being towed aloft to catch the thermals, with pilots who savor the solitude and challenge of powerless flight. 

The town itself has a history.  What now appears a quiet high desert retreat was once a thriving spa.  In the 1920s and '30s the community thrived, its therapeutic hot springs a mecca for Hollywood celebreties and wealthy Imperial Valley growers.  Clark Gable is said to have made Jacumba famous by frequenting its spa.  The landmark Jacumba Hotel was destroyed by a fire and was torn down in 1991.  

Jacumba is in a valley in the Jacumba Mountains at an altitude of 2800 feet. The area is dry with an annual average rainfall of 11.8 inches. A small settlement exists on the Mexican side of the border, known as Rumerosa or Jacume; the unmanned crossing was closed in 1995. 

While I have always found this area safe day or night, locals are well aware of people walking north through their properties late at night.  From the LA Times, May 21, 2006:

".....Mile-for-mile, more drugs are seized in this area than almost anywhere else along the California line....federal agents capture 660 migrants each month.....  Mexican police won't enter the town [Jacume] without heavily armed backup......" 

The Kumeyaay peoples occupied Jacumba and surrounding areas prior to European incursion. They were probably attracted by the warm Jacuma hot spring.  Ranchers occupied the area in the 19th century and were often in conflict with the Indians. Many were slain by ranchers for cattle rustling in the 1870 Jacumba Massacre.

In 1919 rail service connected Jacumba to San Diego.  By 1925 the town had a world class hotel, the Hotel Jacumba.  In the 1930s, Jacumba had developed into a top destination and had a population of more than 5,000.  Many of the foremost movie stars and celebrities of the time regarded Jacumba as a prime destination for relaxation.  Jacumba's role as a prime destination continued through World War II.   After the new Interstate 8 bypassed Jacumba by two miles, most of the roadside service businesses folded and the community went into economic decline.  The Jacumba Hotel closed and was destroyed in an arson fire in 1985. The ruins stood until 1991.  Today, the stub of the massive central fireplace can still be seen.  The great public baths closed and the well was capped by its rights-owner.   In the 1980s, the Jacumba Motel was the only hotel facility left in Jacumba.  The area continues to attract primarily foreign visitors and the motel has acquired rights to the spring and opened a spa.

Jacumba is about 1.6 miles south of Interstate 8 and about 0.5 miles north of the Mexican border.  There was an open border crossing here, across from Rumerosa, but was closed in 1995.  At 52 degrees off true north, 3.5 miles distant is the summit known as Squaw Tit (3,880 feet).

RESOURCES

LIVE OAK SPRINGS RESORT 37820 Old Highway 80 -- P.O. Box 1241 -- Boulevard, CA  91905 www.liveoaksprings.com info@liveoaksprings.com 619.766.4288 619.766.4944 fax COYOTE VALLEY NEWS P.O. BOX 331 -- OCOTILLO, CA  92259 coyote-valleynews@hotmail.com SAN DIEGO RAILROAD MUSEUM 619.595.3031 619.595.3031 www.sdrm.org www.jacumbaartscouncil.org GASKILL BROTHERS STONE STORE MUSEUM (CAMPO) / CAMP LOCKETT

We visited this property in August 2000, and again in 2005, 2007.