Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Riverside County, California

Rancho Temescal

Rangeland in present-day Riverside County, California.

Record

About Rancho Temescal

Rancho Temescal was a farming outpost of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, one of the 21 Franciscan missions established in California by Spain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Mission was located on the coast where Oceanside, California, is today.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Rancho Temescal, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Rancho Temescal is

USGS topographic map around Rancho Temescal
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

17 historic USGS maps cover Rancho Temescal

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Showing the first 16.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Rancho Temescal

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our California index.

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Rancho Temescal (Serrano)": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q7291349.
  3. USGS GNIS 270150.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).