By Ken Brafman, Image from ROWHS Collection

TITLE: FIRST ELECTRIC LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN: One of the mountain’s pioneering families were the Andresons. They made important contributions to the development of San Bernardino and they also appreciated the wonders of the local mountains. John Sr. and his wife, Emma, immigrated to the United States from northern Germany in 1871. They settled in San Bernardino, opened a brewery, and had five children. They became a very prominent family in the valley, acquiring large citrus orchards. They built landmark buildings and constructed a trolley system for the growing area. The family became active in politics, and their son, John Jr., became a bank president and was active on the boards of other banks as well as with the water utility. With their prosperity they were able to make frequent horse and buggy trips up to Skyland, and to camp at Pinecrest. They loved Pinecrest and they eventually built a large home there that was used year-round. Walter Kohl was a son-in-law. He was an expert photographer, and he built an archive of thousands of photos from the family’s travels around the world. When automobiles were developed, the Andresons were among the first families in the valley to have one. This more efficient mode of transportation made access to the mountains and desert much easier, and Kohl took countless photos of these many trips. These photos are a significant part of today’s historical record. Kohl was also considered a mechanical genius. On one of the family trips, he became annoyed that they couldn’t play croquet at night. He obtained a rickety one-cylinder gas engine which he connected to a direct current generator at the cabin. In 1897, the first electric lights brightened the San Bernardino Mountains. The Andreson/Kohl families is this week’s image.