MILEPOSTS #1052

By Ken Brafman, Image from ROWHS

TITLE: THE ARROWHEAD: BEAUTY IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER – PART I: When many people think of the San Bernardino Mountains the first image that might pop into their heads is ‘the Arrowhead.’ At the Mountain History Museum in Lake Arrowhead, the Arrowhead is a frequent topic of conversation. ‘Is it natural?’ is a common question. ‘How did it get there?’ ‘How long has it been there?’ Sometimes a tourist family will have heard about it and ask where it is. When I give directions for it, I always try and avoid having them experience an expedition bordering on anti-climactic. After all, it is a good hour round-trip from the museum…and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Much of the beauty of the Arrowhead is in what it symbolizes. History has it that the iconic shape was first observed by a Spanish padre in 1810 who was scouting for his Mission for a chapel to serve the large Native People population in the valley. The people there loved the valley for many reasons, chief among them game, climate, and the hot spring waters. The Arrowhead happened to point directly to the springs. One popular legend is that the Cahuilla people once lived in the area near the San Luis Rey Mission. They suffered constant assaults from warlike tribes near them. The elders called a council and prayed to the God of Peace to deliver them to a land where they could live their lives as he intended. The deity advised the elders that as they make their journey, they should look for a sign in the form of a fiery arrow. This arrow would lead them home. During the second, moonless night of their quest they saw a flaming burst in the heavens. They followed it, and at daybreak they observed an imprint in the side of the mountain, an imprint of a large arrowhead, this week’s image. To be continued next week.

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