bajajeffrey - 7-7-2010 at 11:15 PM
Looking for information on Percebu.
How it got its name?
why is there a Lagoon?
Old pictures or maps?
info on Rancho Percebu.
Any historical info would be great.
1962
David K - 7-8-2010 at 07:03 AM
In the 1962 Lower California Guidebook is the first edition with mention of Persebú as being a deserted ranch with water, located 1.0 miles inland
from a beach... see map:
In 1965, while returning north from Bahia San Luis Gonzaga in our Jeep Wagoneer, my dad wanted to check out 'Agua de Chale' (today's Nuevo Mazatlan)
hearing it had a nice beach and good fishing. We missed the correct road heading east at the sulfur mine and got on the old southern road to Persebú
(see map) just north of the sulfur mine.
We found a fish camp with some very friendly fishermen who invited us to stay (we did). It was located where today's Percebu is located, at the mouth
of a long lagoon that headed south.
Soon, a new road was made that headed straight west from Percebu (the 's' was changed to a 'c' at some point) to the (old) San Felipe/ Puertecitos
road, about 7 miles away. We returned to Percebu another time on that road in 1966 or 67.
In the 1970's, the place converted from a commercial fishing camp to a tourist camp and private homes began to be built for norteameicanos. The name
was changed to Laguna Percebu.
In 1982 a new graded dirt highway was built south of San Felipe and stayed closer to the coast than the older road until it rejoined the old roadbed
south of Coloradito. Pavement came over a dozen years later.
A few years ago the name was changed to Rancho Percebu (as well as many other campos had Rancho added to their names, perhaps for taxation reasons?).
The lagoon of Percebu goes over 2 miles south and during extreme high tides will connect with the back bay/ lagoon of Bahia Santa Maria. The barrier
island beach between these two lagoon entrances is 'Shell Island'... we just came back from camping there, 2 days ago!
The only older photos I have are from 1974 of the lagoon during a very high tide, and of a wrecked plane in 1978 that was turned into a gag yard
decoration by a gringo who lived at the entrance to Percebu.
David K - 7-8-2010 at 08:02 AM
Check out ViaBaja's web page, as well: http://www.viabaja.com/
The Plane, The Plane
MrBillM - 7-8-2010 at 09:52 AM
Is long gone along with the owner who hauled it in.
In the first reference I've seen written (from the mid 50s), the notation was the same as DK's: "well, good water".
The Name has always been a mystery. When I asked about it in 1982, there was no definitive answer.
It has been conjectured by some in print that it is of French origin because of the original "s". The Frogs were around in Baja quite a bit.
Quien Sabe ?
You'd Have to ask God about the Lagoon thing. It wasn't created by man. The owner once told me he'd seen it completely enclosed and it appears to be
headed in that direction again.
Bajatripper - 7-8-2010 at 12:10 PM
As usual, David K, your vast knowledge of things Baja impresses
viabaja - 7-8-2010 at 03:11 PM
I believe Persebu is named after the small mollusks that live
on the rocks in the lagoon. This from one of the locals.
Perhaps?
Origins
MrBillM - 7-8-2010 at 05:50 PM
Mollusks ?
As good a guess as any.
I've heard them all over the years.
One of the More likely was that it came from "Percebir"
Doesn't explain the "s", but THAT could be explained by a semi-literate translation.
At one time, 25 years ago or so, I "thought" it was important enough to spend a lot of time asking and reading, but never came up with anything
substantive.
Anybody that was around when it was named is long dead.
Anybody else is likely just passing on what they heard from someone else that they heard from someone else that they heard .............. and so on.
Reminds me of all the different versions I once heard about the naming of "Porvenir".
bajajeffrey - 7-9-2010 at 01:00 AM
Great information!!! Thank you.
I heard a story that the name came from a captain of a ship that laid over in the lagoon to clean and tar its hull. but cant find anything to back
this up.
I remember seeing the plane in the yard by the front gate up till the late 90s. Also gone is the old school bus (in the flats south of the rancho)
taken about two years ago when the price of scrap metal made it profitable.
David K - 7-9-2010 at 07:24 AM
Keep in mind, before the beach camp existed... 'Persebu' was a ranch a mile inland from the beach and north of today's beach camp. See the 1962 map:
the short road leading to the coast going southeast from Persebu... at the end of that road is the location of today's Percebu. Perhaps a search for
remians of the old ranch or well is in order, maybe 2 miles northwest of today's Percebu?
Searching Remains
MrBillM - 7-9-2010 at 09:29 AM
Northwest would put you towards the area of the "Italian Marina" Porvenir project and there are remains of various previous attempts to create habitat
there, including old wells.
While a search for old remains from old maps might be entertaining from a recreational view, it would be unlikely to produce anything of historical
interest. There are remains of little ranchos and wells all over the place.
There's one just inland from the Percebu road on the South side of the Arroyo where "someone" obviously put in a lot of work building a rather
extensive Concrete well with cleared land enclosed by Ocotillo fencing. I was told they raised cattle. There's a big stand of Tamarisk trees where
the Army likes to camp out when they're on their Drug Prowls. I've unfortunately run across them more than a couple of times.