MILEPOSTS #1075

By Ken Brafman, Images from ROWHS Collection

TITLE: QUESTIONS, WE GET QUESTIONS: The Mountain History Museum in Lake Arrowhead is open seasonally and offers a vast collection of mountain history exhibits in an informal, fun setting. There’s a mountain general store and post office replica, and a timeline that shows the formation of the mountain range and takes you all the way to present day. There are exhibits with specimens of native birds and animals, and a diorama showing the building of Little Bear Dam, later Lake Arrowhead, that includes a working train set. There’s a theater, and much, much more. As docents, we get a LOT of questions. A common question might be, “Is that arrowhead thing down the mountain real?” Yes, it’s 1,375’ by 449’, is natural, and it’s made of light quartz. “What is that cylinder-shaped thing sticking out of the lake? A lighthouse?” It’s the outlet tower. It was completed in 1908 as the original Little Bear Lake was being constructed. It was intended to release water into tunnels for irrigation down to the valley. “I saw a small house perched way up high on a steel frame. What’s that?” There are seven fire lookout towers across the mountain. The one here in Twin Peaks is called Strawberry Peak. Volunteers scan the forest for smoke and host visitors. “Someone told me that Lake Arrowhead Village is having their 100th anniversary this year. It doesn’t look that old!” In 1920 the Arrowhead Lake Company, from Los Angeles, bought Little Bear Lake and re-christened it Lake Arrowhead. The original Lake Arrowhead Village opened in 1922. By 1979 the structure was in bad repair, and a major fire hazard, and it was deemed cheaper and wiser to eliminate it. A ‘Burn to Learn’ exercise was conducted and over the course of a month more than 1,000 firefighters and other personnel participated in burning all the structures except the Pavilion. The Village reopened in 1981. The Museum is always looking for volunteers. There are a variety of activities you can get involved in and it’s a great bunch of people to work with. For information email cburnett@mtnmuseum.org.

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