Plot Map pdf: http://www.juliancemetery.org/content/Plot%20Map.pdf

This historical cemetery began in the 1870's amid the clamor for gold in the hills surrounding the newly established Julian. For many pioneers, the toil of hard life ended on the hill above Julian.

From a plaque at the Cemetery:

"Primitive living conditions, violence, alcohol, disease and fatal accidents, all common in the Julian gold mining district, created an urgent need for a graveyard. Such use began on this then private property with the burial of stillborn babies under a sheltering oak tree.

The earliest burials recorded are those of two teenage boys who died in the winter of 1875. Soon other victims were buried, some "with their boots still on" in unmarked graves, some in family plots and some alone in what became a family cemetery."

Personal Experience: I love old, off-beat cemeteries filled with history and character. I wouldn't say that San Diego has too many of these as it is one of the younger cities in the U.S. This is one of those special cemeteries though, home to many of the wild pioneers during the California Gold Rush.

There are so many old tombstones, some literally made out of a piece of brick with the name and date carved into it. We went in the autumn when the chill was just right and the trees were changing colors (another thing that you don't see too much of in San Diego).

Love the energy out here. Just the perfect mix of historical with a touch of creepy, most likely because of how un-uniformed and weathered it is. I will take a dusty, old graveyard over perfect and pristine any day. Afterward we walked about 2 minutes to the closest pie shop and ordered an in-season Dutch apple pie with whip cream (extra cost but sooooo worth it) and hot apple cider. That meal will be a memorable one. SO delicious!

Visit one of San Diego's most historic pioneer cemetery