Before freeways, regional transit systems, and modern bus hubs shaped daily life in East County, El Cajon played a quiet but important role in Southern California’s transportation history. Long before it was incorporated as a city, the El Cajon Valley served as a natural passage point, making it a logical stop along routes connecting San Diego with inland communities.
The earliest paths through the valley were established by the Kumeyaay people, who created an extensive network of trails for trade and seasonal travel. Those routes later guided Spanish explorers and, eventually, American settlers moving east from the coast. By the mid-19th century, many of these Indigenous trails had evolved into wagon roads, including what became known as the Julian Road, linking San Diego to mining towns in the mountains.
Stagecoach travel along these routes was demanding and often dangerous. Contemporary accounts describe winter journeys along the Julian Road where fierce winds caused coaches to sway violently. In 1883, stage driver Frank Frary recalled that during one such run, he and his passengers loaded “two or three hundred pounds of rocks” into the coach to keep it from tipping over. Even under calmer conditions, the road drew sharp criticism. That same year, The San Diego Union and Daily Bee described the Julian Road as “a disgrace to the county,” writing that it “could hardly be in a worse condition.”…