By Ken Brafman, Image from ROWHS Collection
TITLE: BLUE JAY ORIGINS: In the 1860s the West was experiencing a housing boom, which created the need for lumber. A lot of lumber. A prime resource in the San Bernardino Mountains was lumber and many communities got their start by way of establishing sawmills. Jonathan Jamesby moved his mill from Huston Flat (today’s Lake Gregory) to the center of present-day Blue Jay. Sawmill operators were attracted to the west end of Little Bear Creek. Fast forward to the early 1900s. With much of the forest depleted Camp Blue Jay was born in 1907 and was popular with fishermen and families. There was prime fishing and activities like horseshoes and ball, along with a lot of learning about nature. In 1914 the area was homesteaded by Art and Nora Wixom who built cabins and amenities for tourists and campers and named their resort Wixom Corner. One of the transit companies that brought a steady stream of tourists to Wixom Corner was the Pacific Electric Company. The company established a vacation camp in the area known today as Agua Fria, for its employees. The ruins of the camp exist today, covering an expanse of property off Highway 189. A developer named Stoney DeMent leased Wixom Corner in 1934 and named it Blue Jay, after the large population of colorful birds. Of course, the birds are really Steller’s Jays – but Blue Jay is probably a more pleasing name. Development of the area continued throughout the 40s, 50s and 60s with Einer Jensen opening a 30,000 square store. This week’s image is the Blue Jay Restaurant and Drug Store in 1944. In the late 1960s DeMent’s two sons took over management, leading up to 1978 when the entire town was purchased for $3,000,000 by H.R. ‘Rick’ Kaufman, known as the Pioneer Chicken King. Blue Jay has continued to thrive and grow and is known today as Lake Arrowhead’s ‘Little Sister.’