{"id":497067,"date":"2026-10-15T15:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/497067\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T15:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:48:12","slug":"10-things-you-may-not-know-about-julian-that-have-nothing-to-do-with-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/497067\/","title":{"rendered":"10 things you may not know about Julian that have nothing to do with gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Trees and grounds of the hotel covered in snow. Sign in front of hotel reads: \u201cJULIAN HOTEL \/ ROOMS AND MEALS\u201d. Bottom of postcard is labeled: \u201cJULIAN, CALIF.\u201d 1935. (Photo and caption info courtesy of the San Diego History Center.)<\/p>\n

Julian is usually introduced through its gold-rush past. But the San Diego County mountain town has a much bigger story.<\/p>\n

Its history includes orchards, newspapers, schools, churches, hotels, Black pioneers, town halls, and even an attempt to become the county seat.<\/p>\n

Here are 10 things you may not know about Julian \u2014 and none requires a trip down a mine shaft.<\/p>\n

1. Julian had a newspaper of its own<\/p>\n

The Julian Sentinel began publication in 1887 and continued into the early 1890s.<\/p>\n

Surviving holdings are incomplete, but historical collections preserve the newspaper on microfilm.<\/p>\n

2. Julian had a school almost as soon as it had a town<\/p>\n

Julian\u2019s first school opened in 1870 in a one-room building north of Main Street.<\/p>\n

The Julian Union School District says the first teacher was Sue E. Storms, who taught 65 students reading, writing,g and arithmetic. The rough timber building had warped boards, falling knots, and walls that let in the wind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>View of schoolchildren in front of the Julian School at the dedication of the school building in 1887. Trees are seen behind the building, which is a one-room schoolhouse. About 75 to 100 people are in front of the school building. (Photo and caption info courtesy of the San Diego History Center.)<\/p>\n

Historian Robert L. Carlton documented a significant Black community in the Julian area during the late 19th century.<\/p>\n

Nearly 60 percent of the Black residents recorded in San Diego County in the 1880 census lived in the Julian area. Among the best-known residents were Albert and Margaret Robinson, who became successful business owners and ran the Hotel Robinson.<\/p>\n

4. A formerly enslaved man and his wife built Julian\u2019s famous hotel<\/p>\n

Albert Robinson had been enslaved in Missouri before coming to California. In Julian, he and Margaret Robinson built a restaurant and bakery before establishing the Hotel Robinson.<\/p>\n

The hotel opened in the late 1890s and became a gathering place for residents and visitors. Margaret was particularly known for her cooking and baking.<\/p>\n

The Robinsons\u2019 story is now part of the history of the Julian Gold Rush Hotel, the building that succeeded Hotel Robinson.<\/p>\n

5. Julian\u2019s apple story started in the 1870s<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>View of Mosler Brothers apple stand and building at Julian, one mile from Inspiration Point in San Diego County backcountry. 1900. (Photo and caption info courtesy of the San Diego History Center.)<\/p>\n

James Madison and Thomas Brady are credited with planting some of Julian\u2019s first apple trees in the 1870s.<\/p>\n

Madison recognized that Julian\u2019s elevation, soil, and climate could support fruit growing. By the late 19th century, orchards had become an important part of the local economy, and Julian apples won prizes at major expositions.<\/p>\n

6. Julian celebrated its first Apple Day in 1909<\/p>\n

The first Apple Day was held Oct. 9, 1909. The celebration included apple displays, food, speeches, dancing and athletic events.<\/p>\n

The annual tradition helped cement Julian\u2019s reputation as an apple-growing town.<\/p>\n

7. Julian nearly became the San Diego County seat<\/p>\n

Julian\u2019s population grew rapidly enough in its early years that the town was considered as a possible county seat.<\/p>\n

A San Diego History Center account says the effort came down to an election and that Julian lost the opportunity by a narrow margin.<\/p>\n

The larger fact is clear: Julian once had ambitions considerably larger than those of a mountain village.<\/p>\n

8. Julian has had several town halls<\/p>\n

The town hall standing on Main Street is not Julian\u2019s first.<\/p>\n

The current structure was built in 1914 after several earlier town halls were destroyed, converted to other uses or outgrown. One 19th-century hall even featured a spring-coil dance floor.<\/p>\n

The current building became a center for meetings, dances and other community activities. Part of it later housed the Julian branch of the San Diego County Library.<\/p>\n

9. Julian\u2019s historic appearance is protected by law<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Julian, Street Scene,\u00a0 1970. (Photo and caption info courtesy of the San Diego History Center.)<\/p>\n

Those old-looking buildings along Julian\u2019s streets are not there entirely by accident.<\/p>\n

San Diego County established the Julian Historic District in the late 1970s. County planning documents identify dozens of historic buildings and landmarks dating from the 1870s into the early 20th century.<\/p>\n

County regulations generally require structures in the district to resemble buildings that existed during the 1870\u20131913 period.<\/p>\n

10. Julian\u2019s story continued after the mines faded<\/p>\n

Julian\u2019s history did not end with the decline of mining.<\/p>\n

San Diego County\u2019s community history describes the transition toward orchard agriculture, cattle raising, lumbering and other businesses.<\/p>\n

The San Diego History Center\u2019s Life Beyond Gold study similarly describes a community that continued with stores, hotels, schools, churches, and other institutions after the mining era.<\/p>\n

Julian survived because people found new reasons to live there, work there, and visit.<\/p>\n

Read more history stories\u00a0here<\/a>. Do you have a story to tell? Send an email to DebbieSklar@cox.net.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

\u201cLife Beyond Gold: A New Look at the History of Julian, California,\u201d<\/a> by Kathryn A. Jordan.<\/p>\n

San Diego History Center, \u201cThe Glory Years, 1865\u20131899, Chapter Ten: The Discontented Seventies.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

San Diego County General Plan, \u201cJulian Community Plan,\u201d<\/a> adopted Dec. 16, 1976.<\/p>\n

Julian Union School District, \u201cHistory of the Julian Union School District.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

San Diego History Center, \u201cHistoric Landmarks of San Diego County.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

San Diego History Center, \u201cBlacks in San Diego County: A Social Profile, 1850-1880,\u201d<\/a> by Robert L. Carlton.<\/p>\n

San Diego History Center, \u201cThe Hotel Robinson in Julian Was Built.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

California Historical Landmarks, \u201cCHL No. 412 Julian.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trees and grounds of the hotel covered in snow. Sign in front of hotel reads: \u201cJULIAN HOTEL \/…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":497068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[117066,418,2258,17034,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-497067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-apples","tag-history","tag-julian","tag-mining","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}