History of Lake Arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead Real Estate brought European settlers to this area due to the logging industry. In the 1800's, Chinese work crews dug a series of tunnels through the San Bernardino mountains connecting to Lake Arrowhead that would make Lake Arrowhead Homes more accessible. There was a narrow gauge steam train ran along where the "Rim of the World" highway is now, through Running Springs and into Grass Valley. The tower that stands in the middle of Lake Arrowhead is 195 feet high and is an outlet for water to the desert below. The Willow Woods, a local shopping community in Lake Arrowhead, includes log cabin buildings still in use that date back to the early 1900's. Tour companies from all over the United States include Lake Arrowhead Homes on their itineraries. The San Bernardino Mountains present Lake Arrowhead Real Estate with a spectacular showcase of life by offering visitors over 2,000 species of flora and nearly 400 species of fauna. The business district of Lake Arrowhead, CA was burned to the ground in the late 1970's and was rebuilt to what it is today. Located in the center of the village is the pavilion and it was the only original building that survived the fire. Many, many movies have been filmed in lake Arrowhead, including "Heidi", "Magnificent Obsession", "The American President," "Space Jam," and "The Parent Trap."

History of Crestline

Crestline Village is one of the busiest resorts in the whole “Rim of the World” area. Situated in an elevation of 4,851 feet, where the old Mormon Road crosses the Rim, Crestline enjoys a spectacular view of the valley below. Years ago, the Mormons and their oxen teams always stopped at Crestline to catch their breath as they made their way to Seeley Flats. A brass plaque marks the old Mormon spring where water was first found on the crest of the mountain. In 1926 there was only three hundred homes in Crestline Village. Crestline has grown into a year-round city with over ten thousand permanent residents. The citizens of the Village erected a monument that tells at least a portion of the Crestline story. The brass plaque reads: “To Charles S. Mann, founder and developer of Crestline Village and Skyland Forest, whose untiring endeavors transformed this district into a realization of the vision he had of a thriving and attractive community such as we know today.”

History of Running Springs

The mule drawn Log Hauler or "slip tongue" (shown on the right), depicts the rich history of logging in the Running Springs area, which in 1890 was first named "Hunsaker Flats." Immigration to the valley below and the orange groves of Redlands, set the stage for the logging industry for box crates and building lumber in the San Bernardino Mountains. The Highland Lumber Company and later, the Brookings Lumber Company, conducted substantial logging operations from Fredalba to Green Valley Lake. They even operated a narrow gauge railway for transporting logs to the mill located in what is now Fredalba and Smiley Park, directly south of Running Springs. Lumber was precariously hauled down the "City Creek Toll Road," later named Highway 330. The logging industry gave way to property investors and in the 1920's the first community subdivisions for vacation properties and camps arose. With the continued population growth of Southern California, these beautiful San Bernardino Mountains have provided unsurpassed opportunities for recreation and year-round living. Come and discover the majesty of the Running Springs area, the "Gateway to the San Bernardino's!"