Bankhead Springs
Bankhead Springs, along historic Highway 80, was named for Alabama Senator John H. Bankhead, who promoted development of a transcontinental highway across the southern part of the country. The new Bankhead Highway was designated in 1916, connecting San Diego to Washington, D.C. by way of most of the southern states. A number of small hamlets sprang up in the mountains east of San Diego along the new route; among these was Bankhead Springs where a hotel was built. The Bankhead Highway in California became US Highway 80 in 1926, and through the 1940s was one of the most traveled highways in the country. Following the construction of the new freeway (Interstate 8 after 1964), Bankhead Springs and the other communities along old Highway 80 quickly declined. The old hotel, now a private residence, as well as several cabins that once served travelers, now in various states of decay, still stand at Bankhead Springs; now little more than a mark on the map.
