Our chapter was formed in 1954 as the 134th
chapter organized in California. Our first meeting was held at
the First Methodist Church in Escondido with 25 members
present. In 1997 we merged with the Rancho Bernardo Chapter.
Over the years we have participated in many
DAR projects including the Good Citizenship program, support of
native American Indian tribes, scholarship programs, local
history preservation, local libraries, aiding veterans and
active duty military personnel, the Red Cross, the USO, and new
citizens.
Today we have about 100 members, age 18 to
95, who are active in their local communities stretching from
Temecula to Poway and Carlsbad to Julian. We take pride in
supporting our active duty military, local JROTC chapters, the
USO, and local libraries and museums while also supporting many
California and National DAR projects. We also take pride in our
outstanding chapter programs and the significant genealogy help
we provide to prospective members. As a result, our chapter
continues to be attractive to many ladies living in our
community.
Our Chapter’s name comes from the original
Rancho Rincon del Diablo. This rancho was granted to Juan
Bautista Alvarado by the Mexican Governor in 1843. It was
mainly a cattle operation, made up of over 12,000 acres in a
beautiful valley, which has now become the city of Escondido.
The hides and tallow from the rancho were sold to the ship
operators coming into San Diego Bay in the 1840’s. This rancho
was home to many excellent horses and cowboys. The name, Rincon
del Diablo, loosely translates into “The Devil’s Corner” – now
the name of our chapter newsletter. Why it was so named seems
to have eluded historians, but the best guess is that since the
area was not part of the California mission system, it must have
been inhabited by the devil!
