I was late getting home from school one evening . . . I didn't want to be in here and I was scared to death.  It was so dark in this eucalyptus grove, because of the density of the trees, you couldn't see well. We were creeping in closer and closer, when I began to make out what looked something like a lean-to.  I couldn't see if anyone was in there or not.
  As quiet as an Indian, we crept up not knowing if anyone was hiding inside.  We stopped to look behind us for a moment to make sure no one was sneaking up behind us.  I felt uncomfortable and was getting more nervous all the time.
  Suddenly my buddy, Don Ruiz, said: "Shhh! I think I heard something" . . . "Yeeow!"  That's all it took for me. We shot out of there the same way we went in, but ten times faster, as if we were running for our lives.  Finally, we reached a clearing where I could now breath a sigh of relief that no one was chasing us. Then we began to laugh at each other for being so scared.
  We had passed this eucalyptus grove a thousand times on the way to and from El Cajon Grammar school.  These trees were planted by the railroad once the rails were laid into El Cajon, Santee and ended at the town of Foster near Lakeside.  We had heard there were Indian wickiups in there and we wanted to sneak in this grove to get a peek at one. 
  In the 1940s the local native Americans, the  Diegueto or Kumeyaay, were well established in all the communities of East County area.  They worked very productive lives at the packing plants, the grape and tomato fields, the olive presses, the orange and lemon groves, and many other tasking jobs within the community.  They kept to themselves for the most part, as they traversed by foot daily in and around Lakeside, Bostonia and into El Cajon to purchase daily needed items.  Many had cars that took them to the aircraft plants, canneries and the shipyards.
  Those on foot had their favorite rest stops along the way into El Cajon. One was at the corner of Mollison and Main Street in El Cajon.  There was the Black Diamond Market owned by William and Susan Riggles (whom by the way are noted in Legends of Lakeside, Page 261). They had a bench outside by the sidewalk where we could all rest and watch the very scarce traffic come by. Being the main East - West artery, there were commercial vehicles of every description including the many Imperial Valley hay trucks heading West.
  If you were there at 3:00 PM, you would also see a dog sled (yes, a dog sled built like a cart with wheels) heading West through town right in the middle of the traffic.  A six dog team brought their master into town every single day.  This was a real sight to see this rig coming down main street right in the middle of the road, the dogs

yapping at each other while at a brisk run, as they headed for the old Cuyamaca Packing Plant on West Main Street. How many of you readers remember seeing that dog team?
  On occasion, the Baronaians would be in town late at night. So they made what was known as ewaas (pronounced "waas", not wickiups as some referred to them).  And there were various methods of construction, most were more as lean-to's since there was plenty of loose wood lying about the floor of these groves.  The  ewaa's could keep you out of the cold, were good shelters, and well hidden deep inside the grove.
  Most had been used years before and perhaps forgotten about when Don and I visited them.  And most likely, they were used a few years after the first planting by the railroad in the 1800s.  The railroad planned to use the wood from these groves for railroad ties until they discovered the wood split and twisted too much, becoming unsuitable for their purpose.  Soon the idea was abandoned, but the trees remained in approximately five acre parcels around the county.  I'm glad they did because, besides the adventure of us scaring the pants off ourselves, they offered us all a place of refuge especially in bad weather.

  As you may remember from past years the Lakeside Historical Society tries to do something different in place of our regular May meeting.  This year the Indians of the Barona Reservation have offered to take us  on a four-hour tour of the reservation as well as provide lunch for us.
  The date: May 21
  The time: 11:30 AM (bus leaves from the Olde Church)
  Return: The bus will leave the reservation for the return
  trip to the Olde Community Church at 4:00 PM.

The cost is free but I'm sure they wouldn't object if you chose to drop some coin in a slot machine!  The sign-up sheet is at the Society's store.  It is a 29 passenger bus.