Great Roads and Ghosts in the Desert: Imperial County’s Ogilby Road Heads North Through History

Today’s drive is a bit long but not tough at all. Roads are mostly straight and curves gentle; just keep an eye out for semis, large RVs and toy haulers — this is off-road heaven for many.

Up Ogilby Road are two ghost towns; burgs that are mostly gone except for a few building foundations and cemeteries.

The dunes were a formidable barrier to ground transportation between San Diego and the east. The southern transcontinental rail route — once the Southern Pacific Railroad — runs through here between Los Angeles and points east. The first roads for wagons and automobiles were made of wood over the shifting sands. Parts of the plank road were unloaded from railroad cars at Ogilby, which is now only a cemetery and the town’s school’s foundation. Located about four miles north of I-8 just before the railroad crossing, it was a railroad water stop and supplied the American Girl Mine operations at Hedges (later Tumco), where we’ll go next.

Cross what are now the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and head a few miles north (look for the peeling Tumco Historic Site sign) for the right turn to Hedges/Tumco.

About a mile east is a parking area and information kiosk. Dating to the 1880s, the town popped up after the Southern Pacific tracks went in, making gold mining practical in the Cargo Muchacho mountains. Originally called Hedges, a later change in ownership of the town and mine made it Tumco. It was abandoned by the end of the 1920s.

The hike around Hedges is about 1½ miles. Be sure to wear substantial shoes.

From Hedges/Tumco, Ogilby Road continues its twist north through beautiful country. It’s open desert with greenery around following recent rains.

At state Route 78 (yes, the same one that’s in San Diego’s North County), I went left toward the dunes and Glamis, which this time of year is packed with sand fans. Over Christmas weekend, it didn’t seem there was a spot for an RV anywhere while the dunes were covered with dirt bikes and quads. Looked like a lot of fun.

Stop in at the Glamis Store and T-Shirt Emporium for a souvenir. A little farther west is Osborne Overlook, which provides a great dunes view.

With the day coming to an end,I headed west toward San Diego, cutting down through the farm and dairy acreage to Holtville. With all the farms and the quaint town square in Holtville, it fulfills founder W.F. Holt’s vision of bringing the Midwest to the California desert. It boasts of being the carrot capitol of the world, with its Carrot Festival scheduled in February.

It’s a long way from the opening of the southern transcontinental railway and a gold rush to today’s highways and SUVs. This is one tour that proves history can be fun.