The fascination with America's Old West is world wide, much of it due to Hollywood Cinema.  However there are still towns that have maintained appearances of earlier eras and one of these is Julian located in San Diego's scenic back country.  And in Julian there is the oldest continuous operated hotel in California.  And here is a story.
Julian exists because an ex slave from Mississippi discovered gold in the surrounding hills and promptly started a gold rush to the region.  Another ex slave, this time from Missouri, decided the new town needed a hotel and opened one.  His name was Albert Robertson and the hotel was named Robertson Hotel which opened in 1897.  The Hotel quickly achieved fame especially the food served by his wife, Margaret.  After Albert's death she sold the Hotel in 1912.
 Since then it has passed through several owners but always remained in operation.  This makes it the oldest hotel in continuous operation in Southern California and as the result was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1978. 
Today it is named the Julian Gold Rush Hotel..  Owners and operators are two generations of the Ballinger Family and under their management  is rated one of the best Bed & Breakfast hotels in the nation.
While offering 16 rooms and cottages, that all have private baths and air conditioning , the rooms show the furniture and decorations of early eras.  A stay here is a look back to another time while enjoying the present.  This was certainly our impression after our recent two nights and days spent at the Hotel.  Not only the guest rooms but the parlor and dining room of the main building are exquisitely furnished with all the trapping of an earlier century.
Some of the cottages have adjacent  secluded patios and our room looked out to Julian's main street and on a classic old western veranda there were chairs so we could sit and watch the activity of the town.
At Julian Hotel the breakfast served each morning was delicious and could have been from a much earlier menu.  Also there is an afternoon tea and this was a must for us both days served in such a picturesque setting.  Here this Writer met Janice Jack, Hotel Innkeeper and discovered that both of us were Brigham Young University alumni.  This allowed for much conversation.
Julian Gold Rush Hotel Bed & Breakfast is located at 2032 Main Street, Julian, Ca. 92036, Telephone 760 765-0201, e mail:julianhotel@gmail.com, web www.julianhotel.com.  Reservations 800 734-5854.