The year was 1951. The United States was at war in Korea. A new Ford was $948.00, and Westerns were the rage on that amazing window to the world called television.
World War II, as it turned out, had introduced thousands upon thousands of enlisted men from all over the country to the temperate climate and beauty of San Diego County. As they made their way to fight and, in some cases, die for liberty, many of those came back to live in the remarkable land of sunshine and promise. As they made their way to fight, and in some cases die for liberty, many of those who came through San Diego made quiet promises to themselves. If they made it, they’d return to the remarkable land of sunshine and promise.
As a result, from 1946 and even through today, San Diego has experienced colossal growth. But the period following the last Great War was particularly special. Young men, many single or with young families, came. They arrived in droves with boundless energy, drive, and talent. The road system in San Diego would need revamping. Building infrastructure, commercial sites, and homes would be paramount to accommodate this massive exodus from the colder climates of our nation to this paradise on the Pacific.
Into this need stepped names that would become synonymous with San Diego building and growth—R.E. Hazard & Daley. These were usually the names seen on freeway grading projects or bridge-building sites. Most didn’t know that these names would also be closely tied to horsemanship, equestrian/hiking trail development, and a remarkable group—they would come to be known as Los Senderos—comparable to “PATHFINDERS” in Spanish.
Roscoe “Pappy” Hazard would be the first Chairman of this group. The group was comprised primarily of former San Diego Sheriff’s Rangers. These were men of ability, leaders with a deep love for time in the saddle in San Diego’s unmatched landscape. The first meeting, help at Hazard’s Ppoint Loma home in April of 1951, was led by Pappyhimself. It was auspicious in that the group determined to be incorporated as a non-profit organization whose purpose would be to “promote the good fellowship of horseman and support activities of public riding trails“. This group of influential men would also require limited rules and regulations. Theirs was to be a group of friends. Men of common goals, bound by the desire to freely enjoy the fellowship one can only experience riding side-by-side while quietly sharing time in the saddle together. The great Teddy Roosevelt may have said it best. “There’s nothing like the outside of a horse for the inside of a man.” Longtime member Ralph Roelofsz recalled a doctor saying many years ago that the movement of a horse beneath a man is good for his internal organs. As a lively 82-year-old who rides every chance he can, Ralph may well be living testament to that good doctor’s opinion. The group would be about time on horseback with friends, enjoying monthly adventures…outings into San Diego’s fair weather and fabulous scenery.
The famed Laguna Beach art colony, founded in 1915, would attract artists from around the world to paint landscapes in Southern California for similar reasons. It might be February 8th, and the warm, golden light of San Diego’s sun could easily be out casting beautiful shadows beneath towing oaks that surrounded idyllic meadows – an outdoor painter’s dream. Similarly, one could saddle up and ride San Diego during months that were unheard of in other areas of the country. Many Laguna Beach artists traveled down to San Diego County, eager to capture on canvas what Los Sendeors members would come to see regularly from the back of their favorite mount.
Whatever each founder’s reason for joining might have been, he was fully committed to the group and its goals. The group would be Western in nature – Cowboy boots, saddles, and hats were (and still are) the dress of choice. As he reached back through the years in his memory, former member Jim Wise clearly recalled “sixteen cowboys sleeping out on the ground” while out on one of their original campouts. A station wagon could be a luxury if the ground became too hard. Warm campfires burned while stories about members’ experiences on horseback (and off) would grow to fill the evening with starry nights. Horses would quietly work on their feed just beyond the group’s red firelight.
Wives, children, and visitors were all welcome as invited guests to enjoy access to ranches and closed areas open only to group members. The first ride for a guest could be a revelation. More than one guest has found himself or herself in an area they’d driven past for years, longing to “go and check it out” only to have been met with menacing barbed wire and ominous No Trespassing signs. Verdant meadows with cattle peacefully grazing, distant valleys with windmills faithfully spinning in them, that had been alluring yet inaccessible for years, could be miraculously available as a member of Los Senderos.
A brotherhood of horsemen was never meant to be just another “riding club”. Membership would be limited – it now rests at a maximum of 60 men. One couldn’t petition or grind their way into the group. Following the sponsorship of several existing members and a New Members Board review, one might finally be accepted in. This was only after several rides as a guest “to get to know the prospective member better”. This was carefully designed to exclude those who would be divisive and problematic to the group’s cohesive nature. Meals were served from the very beginning at the monthly rides. Professional food catering would eventually replace an old-style chuck wagon the club used from the start. There seemed to be something distinctively different about a group who’d ride for much of the day, eat dust, climb mountain trails, navigate tricky water crossings (rescuing one another if the need arose) together, who’d then clean up, sit down to share a friendly meal where each had a chance to exchange views and muse over how the days’ ride went.
Past Los Senderos President Jim Roelofsz may have summed it up best in the enduring portion of his 1967 letter to the membership: “Membership in Los Senderos is a treasured position which cannot be bought or sold. Each individual must earn it after being carefully screened and selected for the honor of Los Senderos membership. There will always be a feeling of pride of belonging and close comradeship between our members as long as our club shall exist.”