BajaNomad

A 1958 Guide Book

David K - 8-12-2015 at 04:31 PM



Here is a little gem, paper back, 72 pages, maps and photos. Very similar to an auto club type Baja guide. It was even published by AAA Publishing of San Bernardino, CA.

It is more of a travel adventure book, but he fills the chapters with details on the places along the way.

David K - 8-13-2015 at 08:03 AM

I may scan some pages of the inside, it is interesting!

BooJumMan - 8-13-2015 at 01:15 PM

Love the cover!

David K - 8-13-2015 at 05:15 PM

Yes indeed... Very Dr. Seuss'ish (I think Dr. Seuss traveled in Baja and got the ideas for his weird trees with ball moss on them, from boojums). Dr. Seuss lived in La Jolla (San Diego).

BooJumMan - 8-14-2015 at 09:35 AM

Yeah I know! He was my grandparents neighbor in the 60s up there on Mt Soledad!

bajajeffrey - 8-15-2015 at 12:01 PM

Nice find!!!

Whale-ista - 8-15-2015 at 07:03 PM

Please scan the "How to Keep Out of Trouble" pages, and share first...priorities.

David K - 9-17-2017 at 09:00 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Whale-ista  
Please scan the "How to Keep Out of Trouble" pages, and share first...priorities.


In reviewing this thread, I want to respond to Whale-ista. It seems that line item on the book's cover was just the author's plug to market the book. There is no chapter or section 'How to Keep Out of Trouble'



This page, in the front of the book, is actually a contents page. An 'index' is a list of selected words and what pages they may be found, in the back of a book.

Mexitron - 9-17-2017 at 09:44 AM

Never saw that book, good find!

David K - 9-17-2017 at 12:04 PM

I have another printing of it with just a plain cover and white paper inside. No different date or publisher name... no copyright. Just self-published, like my first guidebook (in 1973).

ncampion - 9-17-2017 at 01:15 PM

Skips right by Loreto. Must have been a pretty small town in 1958.

JZ - 9-17-2017 at 03:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ncampion  
Skips right by Loreto. Must have been a pretty small town in 1958.


No bay there, so probably not that interesting w/o a bigger town.

KurtG - 9-17-2017 at 03:14 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Quote: Originally posted by ncampion  
Skips right by Loreto. Must have been a pretty small town in 1958.


No bay there, so probably not that interesting w/o a bigger town.


The main road went either through La Purisima or Comondu in 1958 then south bypassing Loreto according to my guide book from that era.

David K - 9-17-2017 at 03:15 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ncampion  
Skips right by Loreto. Must have been a pretty small town in 1958.

The main road to La Paz did not go through Loreto until 1971 with the grading of the new road from Insurgentes to Ligüí, which was paved the next year to Santa Rosalia.

The main road, south of Concepcion Bay went to Comondú then on to Poza Grande and Insurgentes. Some went via La Purísima to Poza Grande, just a few miles longer.

It was possible to go from Loreto to Insurgentes via San Javier, but that was a very steep, rough drive.

fishbuck - 9-17-2017 at 03:21 PM

Very cool!

Baja Roads near Loreto in 1955 & 1962

David K - 9-18-2017 at 07:23 AM

Here is the AAA Baja Map and the Lower California Guidebook map of the area near Loreto:

1955 (note the solid line is NOT a paved road on the 1955 map):




1958 Shell Oild Map:




1962 (pavement began south of Comstitución):




Guilck's 1962 map:

ncampion - 9-18-2017 at 10:40 AM

Very interesting, I had not driven the road that far down until 1979 so didn't realize the old road did not go through Loreto. Somehow it got to be the Capital city for a while.

David K - 9-18-2017 at 12:00 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ncampion  
Very interesting, I had not driven the road that far down until 1979 so didn't realize the old road did not go through Loreto. Somehow it got to be the Capital city for a while.


It was the FIRST mission and colony (successful mission colony) in California, beginning in 1697 and thus capital of California until that title was moved to Monterey, in 1777.

In 1804, Spain divided California into two political provinces (Baja & Alta) so once again, Loreto would become a capital. That ended when a 1829 hurricane damaged the town so badly, the capital was moved to La Paz (with a brief period at San Antonio).

[Edited on 9-18-2017 by David K]

BigBearRider - 9-18-2017 at 12:05 PM

Gulick's 1962 map interestingly puts a "Santa Rosalillita" at the bottom of Bahia Concepcion.

David K - 9-18-2017 at 12:49 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BigBearRider  
Gulick's 1962 map interestingly puts a "Santa Rosalillita" at the bottom of Bahia Concepcion.


There is more than one Santa Rosalillita in Baja...
Same thing for places named Rosarito (see one just below Santa Rosalillita), La Bocana, and Agua Caliente!

DENNIS - 9-18-2017 at 02:26 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ncampion  
Skips right by Loreto. Must have been a pretty small town in 1958.


It was a small town in the 60s...but they had an airstrip. Ed Tabor's Flying Sportsman Lodge was there as well.
I loved to hang out there with his daughter, Nancy.
The carneceria on the plaza would close down when they got a report of edible road-kill and go get it.

BigBearRider - 9-18-2017 at 02:33 PM

I know there are several places with the same name in Baja. I wasn't aware of a Santa Rosalillita at Bahia Concepcion, or really any town or village there. Then I found that a more recent map has that place as "Santa Rosalita."

I noted that the "Rosarito" just south is "El Rosarito." I think there is another Rosarito somewhere around Guerrero Negro or somewhere around there as well.

Santa Rosa, Santa Rosalia, Santa Rosalita, Santa Rosalillita...

AKgringo - 9-18-2017 at 02:40 PM

And Saint Francis sure got his name thrown all over the map!

David K - 9-18-2017 at 03:56 PM

It is Santa Rosalia modified to Little Santa Roaslia or Roalillita.
The place most know, on the Pacific, north of Guerrero Negro as Santa Roaslillita was Santa Rosalia before automobiles made the time between the fishing bay/ surfer point and the French copper town, shorter, so the name was modified.

1930 (Santa Rosalia Point & Bay):


1941 (Rosalia Point):


1962 (Bahia Santa Rosalillita):


[Edited on 9-18-2017 by David K]