Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In the 1880s, San Diego, California was in the middle of a land boom. People were pouring into the city and real estate prices were skyrocketing. So it probably came as something of a surprise on January 1, 1888, when the front page of the San Diego Union claimed the city was in danger of collapsing into a giant underground cave system.
It sounds unbelievable today.
But at the time, people weren’t so sure.
In this video we start at the San Diego Bay and head east to the Anza Borrego Desert to take a look at one of the strangest stories in Southern California history, and one that has been largely forgotten.
Along the way we'll take a look at the story, why people believed it, the ancient Lake Cahuilla lake bed, and the wind caves on the edge of the Borrego Badlands.
Sources: The San Diego Union, January 1, 1888; Fallout from the Skeleton's Closet by Herbert Lockwood
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In the 1880s, San Diego, California was in the middle of a land boom. People were pouring into the city and real estate prices were skyrocketing. So it probably came as something of a surprise on January 1, 1888, when the front page of the San Diego Union claimed the city was in danger of collapsing into a giant underground cave system.
It sounds unbelievable today.
But at the time, people weren’t so sure.
In this video we start at the San Diego Bay and head east to the Anza Borrego Desert to take a look at one of the strangest stories in Southern California history, and one that has been largely forgotten.
Along the way we'll take a look at the story, why people believed it, the ancient Lake Cahuilla lake bed, and the wind caves on the edge of the Borrego Badlands.
Sources: The San Diego Union, January 1, 1888; Fallout from the Skeleton's Closet by Herbert Lockwood
○ Gear we use: amazon.com/shop/sidetrackadventures
►Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/SidetrackAdventures
►Please subscribe for weekly updates showcasing some of our adventures: youtube.com/channel/UCdueDRFYPVgzPAAOM_bxVWA?sub_confirmation=1
►Also please follow Sidetrack Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/sidetrackadventures
►Music in this video is from Epidemic Sounds; use our link for a free trial: share.epidemicsound.com/v927fj
