MILEPOSTS #1109

By Bill Pumford, Image from the ROWHS Collection

TITLE: DAY’S RESORT IN ARROWBEAR: This well-known spot in Arrowbear has enjoyed a number of varied lives during the past nearly 100 years. This week’s image is from the Russ Keller collection. In 1925 Frank and Mary Day built a resort which was well placed on Rim of the World Highway (Highway 18) between Running Springs and Big Bear to catch the people in their travels. The resort offered a café which advertised chicken dinners in 1928 for $1 and by the early 1930s the café had expanded its offerings to include milk shakes, sundaes, sodas, sandwiches, and beer and wine. Also, by the early 1930s a garage was added to the property that provided a number of services including towing, welding, and car repairs. In 1943 the property with the resort, store, and garage was sold to Ruth and Clare Welsh while the Days moved to Big Bear. The name was changed from Day’s Resort to Arrowbear Trading Post. The building had two doors, where the left door led to the café and the right door let to the store and post office. In 1947 the garage was separated from the actual trading post and sold to Frank and Eunice English. The Arrowbear Trading Post also had the post office within the building. In the 1960s Tim Farrell, a long-time resident of Sawpit Canyon, lived in the upstairs quarters with his family. Tim’s mother was the postmaster at Arrowbear. After several years the Farrell family moved to Running Springs to better separate family privacy and the business. The garage no longer exists and in later decades the building became the home to a variety of restaurants including the Czech Inn, Blondies, and the new Victoria’s Family Restaurant.

Share this: