Lake Arrowhead CA, nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains
Early History of the Valley and Mountains
The picturesque history and background of the “Rim of the World” area makes one of the most fascinating stories to be found in all of California’s romantic past. In order to obtain a complete picture of historic background of the “Rim of the World” for a moment we will retrace some of the colorful history of the city of San Bernardino. It was the citizens of this city who pioneered and developed this whole mountain area.
In 1810 a party of missionaries, Indian converts, and soldiers were sent out from San Gabriel Mission to establish a station between San Gabriel and the Colorado River. This party came into what is now San Bernardino Valley on May 20th, the feast day of San Bernardino of Sienna, according to the Roman Calendar of Saints, and the valley was named in his honor.
A small mission was established that prospered well until the terrific earthquakes of 1812 and destroyed the buildings and terminated all missionary activities for years.
- San Gabriel Mission
In 1822 the Guachama ranchita of Indians appealed to the San Gabriel Mission for assistance, and a priest was sent out who helped erect an adobe chapel and aided in the construction of the Mill Creek Zanca, which has been in use ever since. During the turbulent years that followed, there were many Indian battles and frequent massacres throughout the valley.
The downfall of the missions began in 1823 with the passage of the Secularization Act when Mexico came to power. As the missions declined, the land was granted under Mexican laws to private individuals who developed into a class that might be called “Cattle Barons.” The Lugos, Sepulvedas, Yorbas, Isaac Williams, Michael White, and Louis Robidoux were men of this class; and during the “gold rush” days, when meat was at a premium, they were as “flush” as the miners in the north.
It was during the War with Mexico in 1846 that the famed Mormon Battalion made up of five hundred volunteers, started out on one of the longest infantry marches in history. Theirs was a two thousand mile trek across uncharted deserts and mountains of California, by way of Santa Fe and Yuma. They arrived in San Diego in January of 1847, too late to lend much military assistance. Among the officers of the battalion were such men as Jesse Hunter, Andrew Lytle, and Jefferson Hunt, -all of whom later became prominent in the affairs of San Bernardino. When the men of the Mormon Battalion were mustered out of the service a short time after their arrival, a few of them started a chain of events destined to open up a new era for San Bernardino and her mountains.
- Jefferson Hunt, Father of San Bernardino County
Jefferson Hunt may well be called the “Father of San Bernardino County,” and he was the first Mormon fully to appreciate the climactic and agricultural possibilities of Southern California. Following his discharge from the battalion and prior to his return to Utah, he visited much of California from San Diego to the gold fields in the north.
In 1848-49 he led the first wagon trains into Southern California from Salt Lake City by the southern route through the Cajon Pass.
It was from his 1849 caravan that the ill-fated Death Valley party separated. There is no question but what the entire would have reached Los Angeles in safety, if they had not chosen to go against his advice and search for a short cut to the coast.
In March of 1851, shortly after California was admitted to statehood, a party of five hundred Mormons departed from Salt Lake City with an oxen wagon caravan. It was Brigham Young’s plan to establish a colony in Southern California to be used as an outfitting post for overseas missions.
The whole group was under the command of Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich, but the party was divided into three groups under the leadership of Captains Hunt, Seeley and Lytle (hence Seeley Flats and Lytle Creek). Three months later, the three groups were camped close to the Cajon Pass and were ready to select a site for their new city. Their first thought was to locate on the hills east of the present city of San Bernardino, thus the name City Creek. The present location of the city was finally chosen because of an abundance of feed for their stock.
They finally purchased, for $7500.00, a thirty five thousand acre tract from San Bernardino Rancho, formerly owned by Antonio Maria Lugo. Then began the Herculean task of laying out ranches, developing water systems, a building a self-sufficient community. In 1852 Colonel Henry Washington, a United States Deputy Surveyor, erected a monument on top of San Bernardino Peak and from it ran the base line from which a future Southern California surveys and subdivisions were made. H. G. Sherwood, who made the original surveys for Salt Lake City, also made the surveys for the city and county of San Bernardino. It was in 1853 that the one mile square town site of the city was laid out in Babylonian style –a miniature Salt Lake City.
Rancho de San Bernardino
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
As the Mormons began to erect homes and buildings, the demand for lumber increased. For a time the only supply was from a small mill in Mill Creek Canyon that was run by water power. In 1852 it was imperative that a road be built to the larger sources of timber in the mountains to the north of the town.
Captain Hunt and his men laid out a route past the Hot Springs and up West Twin Creek Canyon, now known as Waterman Canyon. This sixteen mile stretch of road to the crest of the mountains was one of the great public works contributed by the Mormons. It was built in 1852, during May when the men we not so much need in the fields. Every man in the colony turned out; with very meager tools and practically no equipment, they built a road to the top. It followed Waterman Canyon to the steep mountainside a mile and a half below the summit. It climbed this steep slope and crossed the present “high-gear road,” where you see the monument, which was erected in 1932 to these hardy, indomitable pioneers. Unlike so many roads of that period, it was not a toll road, even though the Mormons had put into it a thousand days of hard labor.
Traffic pull out, due to one way traffic on Waterman Canyon Road.
