By Ken Brafman, Image from ROWHS Collection TITLE: BERT SWITZER, FOREST RANGER: Passage of the Federal Forest Reserve Act of 1891 gave the President authority to set aside timberlands from the public domain. Early pioneer rangers had a challenging job. The work was arduous. They patrolled many miles of rough mountain country. They chased sheep …
MILEPOSTS #1096
By Bill Pumford, Image from the Russ Keller Collection TITLE: SQUIRREL INN – THE STORY CONTINUES: As the 1900s began, construction of cabins at the Squirrel Inn continued unabated from the previous century. Much of the construction, renovations, and repairs of the structures was done by the Dexter brothers: George, John, and Greg. This week’s …
MILEPOSTS #1095
By Bill Pumford, Image from ROWHS Collection TITLE: SQUIRREL INN – BEGINNINGS: One of the earliest and perhaps most mysterious of the resorts in the western San Bernardino Mountains would have to be the Squirrel Inn located on Highway 189 on the western edge of Twin Peaks. In the early 1890s a group of men …
MILEPOSTS #1094
By Ken Brafman, Image from ROWHS Collection TITLE: THE WAGON WHEEL IN RUNNING SPRINGS: Bill and Juanita Baker moved to the mountains in 1949 and purchased the Wagon Wheel Café and Bar. One of the things that made this establishment recognizable was the huge wagon wheel that was located in the front of the building. …