Big Bear

By Russell L. Keller

Big Bear is known throughout the southland of California as an outdoor recreational destination. Located high atop the San Bernardino Mountains, the area was once home to the Yuhaviatam Indians, the People of the Pines. In 1845, a party lead by Benjamin Davis Wilson, the grandfather of Gen. George S. Patton, entered the valley and discovered the area alive with grizzly bears, giving the valley its name. A dam, completed in 1884, created Big Bear Lake, which provided water to citrus growers in the area of Redlands and later lead to the water-related recreations, camps, resorts, and the welcoming community that Big Bear is famous for today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Oct 13, 2008
• ISBN: 9781439620755

Russell L. Keller

Author, historian, and avid postcard collector Russell L. Keller has compiled images for this book from his own personal collection and from his late friend Tom Core�s collection. These images capture and document the area�s history for the last 100 years.

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BIG BEAR BEGINNINGS

A BIG BEAR LAKE BEAR. Bear Valley and Big Bear were named after the many grizzly bears that once roamed wild through these regions. With the advent of civilization, these bears were killed off; the last one disappearing around 1906. Once the bears were gone, resort owners and folks interested in attracting tourists thought it would be nice to have bears here again. So, in 1934, thirty-four black bears were imported from Yosemite National Park into the San Bernardino Mountains. (4.)

SUGAR PINE, BIG BEAR VALLEY. Sugar pines are abundant in Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains, and are native to these mountains. They are the tallest and largest of all pines, sometimes reaching a height of 200 feet. The wood was milled and used in the manufacture of thousands of boxes and crates that were used by the citrus industries of Redlands and the Inland Empire. (16.)

WILLIAM JAMES. William James is pictured here, and the caption reads, Wm James 1st trip to Big Bear 1857. A number of cards have been seen that depict James in various poses with his mules and/or mining gear. The assumption is that he came here to make his fortune in gold, but like so many others, the dream never matched reality. He did, however, make a good living from Big Bear’s many visitors by posing for photographs. (34.)

JUST A TRAVELIN’, BIG BEAR LAKE. Although this is a posed photograph, it does depict the early mode of travel up the steep mountain roads to Big Bear. The deserts to the north or the cities of Redlands or San Bernardino to the south provided a gateway to the mountain area of Big Bear from the early 19th century until now. The note on the reverse states, William James. (34.)

OLD MINER’S CABIN, HOLCOMB VALLEY, BIG BEAR LAKE. William Francis Holcomb was born in 1831. In 1850, he left his family home in Iowa and headed for California to mine for gold. Ten years later, he discovered gold in the valley that now bears his name—Holcomb Valley. This discovery set off the largest gold rush Southern California has ever known.