Seeley, California

Seeley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California. Seeley is located 7.5mi west of El Centro. The population was 1,823 at the 2010 census, up from 1,624 in 2000. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area.HistoryThe first post office at Seeley was opened in 1909. The name honors Henry Seeley, an early developer of Imperial County.Seeley is one of the oldest established communities in Imperial County, tracing its history back to the early years of the 20th century. Originally established as a stage stop on the shores of the now dead "Blue Lake", Seeley was known originally as Silsbee.NAF El Centro, the winter home of the Blue Angels, was built adjacent to Seeley in 1946. In 1964, Interstate 8 was run a mile south of Seeley, marking the lowest elevation on the Interstate Highway System at -52 feet.Correction: Silsbee and Seeley were not the same town. Silsbee was located on the shores of Blue Lake. Seeley is northwest of the location of Silsbee. Seeley is north of Interstate 8 and the old location of Blue Lake is south of Interstate 8. Blue Lake was caught up in the path of the New River when a disaster created the Salton Sea c. 1907 and was drained into the Salton Sea via the flow of the river. Silsbee was a proposed resort town platted by a man named Silsbee. The loss of Blue Lake ended the resort aspect of this location and the development of Silsbee ended. The approximate location of Blue Lake can be found by entering "Blue Drain, Imperial County, CA" into mapping software. There is an historical marker on Silsbee Road marking the site of the town and the lake. The area is now an agricultural field with no easily identifiable trace of the lake or town other than the marker.