Eichar's Grave, Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California - Out of Place Graves on Waymarking.com

John J. Eichar, descended from the royal family of a small Bavarian kingdom, is the only person resting in a marked grave on the grounds of the old Rancho Peñasquitos (Little Cliffs Ranch) in a public open-space area in San Diego surrounded by suburban residential development. His story is told on the marker by his grave, a photo of which is included with this waymark. Some sources say he was shot during a card game, but I know of no documentation of that claim.

The white wooden fence around the grave is typical of many 19th-century graves here in San Diego, although this specific fence is obviously of late-20th or early-21st century vintage. There are several such fences in El Campo Santo (the Holy Field), the cemetery in San Diego's "Old Town" district, for example; there are a couple of waymarks there, too.

The ranch was in operation until the mid-20th century. The old ranch house, originally built in the early 1800s, and added on to over the years, is still there, along with its old springhouse, and there is usually a park ranger there who can show you around. There are trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding for about 6 miles from here to the west, and the canyon is teeming with geocaches.

Eichar's grave is just a few yards off the main trail on the south side of the creek in the R.P. Canyon Preserve. It's an easy walk of about 0.3 miles from free parking in Canyonside Park (where there are often games of cricket, baseball, or soccer going on) near the trailhead at 32° 56.412' N, 117°08.142 W; walk south, cross the creek, then turn west. Or, you can park (for a $3 fee) in the equestrian staging area about a quarter-mile south of there, and walk west on the main trail.

First Name: John Last Name: Eichar Born: 08/07/1825 Died: 01/06/1882

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/27/2022 The_Mitch visited it