The Bergman and Mendenhall names on this mountain go back to the mid 1800's.  Jacob Bergman joined the Union Army at the Presidio in San Francisco in 1858.  In 1864 he settled in what is now called Aguanga - in the 1870s he had the mail contract to deliver mail between Colton and the gold town of Julian driving the stagecoach.

        At that time Palomar was known as an area for renegades and rustlers.  In 1860 Enos T. Mendenhall came to the mountain, had a cattle business and it is said that he also worked for the government rustlin' the rustlers.  Enos T's son, Sylvester and his wife, expanded the family cattle business with goals to have that heritage passed on to their children and children's children.   Their daughter, Annie married Jacob's grandson, Arlie. 

        They had four children, one being Carl, known as 'Wog' around the Mountain.  He resides on Palomar where he has run cattle and then started one of the spring water companies.  Wog is Dutch's father and Dutch is the Mountain Cowboy. Complete with cattle drives in the spring and fall, branding, sorting out and all the rest that goes with being very much at home on the range. 

        Dutch met his wife, Sharon in the 1970's on the Mountain. Their son Wes is the sixth generation to work with the cattle business - in the same meadows and corrals as his ancestors nearly 150 years ago.

        Dutch often has a guitar along and has written beautiful songs, woven with some of his family history, and tells of his love for the mountain that so many mountain folks share.  Like to hear him sing?  It can be part of the package for your next adventure, a step back in time,  on Palomar Mountain Ranch.