Big Bear Valley Historical Museum

Here’s a pretty accurate synopsis of our local history. Thank you to Rhea-Frances Tetley! https://www.facebook.com/groups/452389811603328/permalink/1834212573421038/

Local historian, Shannon Wray, reveals some history of the Angelus Oaks area...very interesting information on how it got its name. https://www.facebook.com/groups/historyofthesouthSanBernardinoMountains/permalink/1666749893516656/

THis is the third part to historian, Anne Roark’s research on the Knights - Thank you, Anne! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449489845330871/permalink/2901304446816063/

Here is part 2 of Anne Roark’s research on the Knights and their relationships with other early families from the 1949 Grizzly. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449489845330871/permalink/2899833340296507/

Interesting article on the Knight family published in the Grizzly from 1949 (thank you to historian, Anne Roark) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449489845330871/permalink/2899171773695997/

This is a stylized map members received of how the Peter Pan Woodland Club envisioned Big Bear City. (Museum archives)

James Ramos is a descendant of Serrano leader, Santos Manuel. Manuel led his people out of Bear Valley down to the San Bernardino Valley floor to save them from being killed. The Serrano (Yuhaviatam), called themselves People of the Pines and they were one of the first people to call Big Bear home. The Big Bear Valley History Museum has many Yuhaviatam artifacts on display and we invite you to join us in celebrating November’s Native American History Month. https://www.facebook.com/385129638617232/posts/1061066594356863/

The Big Bear Valley History Museum offers many stories of people who developed the valley. Here is Bill Knickerbocker, early pioneer, dam keeper, builder, and reliable neighbor. Come see the Kalamazoo wood stove (pictured here with Bill himself) in the Museum’s Shay Bunkhouse.

The Desert Way with Jaylyn and John has some informative articles about our local desert and mountains. https://www.facebook.com/557316077633666/posts/3697396740292235/

This is a great summary of the history of the Museum’s Cienega Larga Cabin. Thank you to history detective, Anne Roark for this post! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449489845330871/permalink/2815319312081244/

We have been fortunate to have the summer months to work on some new projects at the Museum; one of which, is the new Bear Valley Schools exhibit.

The 330 Hwy (the City Creek front way to Big Bear) was originally the 30 Hwy. This little video from Bob Dutton explains when it was re-designated. https://www.facebook.com/64887981680/posts/10157246104946681/

A glimpse into the Shay Bunkhouse: new home to the Peter Pan Woodland Club exhibit

Thank you to Jim Weyant for donating these iconic framed photos, which hung in the Bear’s Den for years. They will fit very nicely with the Bear’s Den door displayed in the saloon in the Shay Bunkhouse at the Museum.

Big Bear Valley Historical Society member, Joan Cline, sent us this photo of Grout Bay. Camping and picnicking are not allowed there today because it’s part of the eagle habitat.

Eureka! Five years ago on my first day as a docent at the gold-panning exhibit, I enjoyed meeting this enthusiastic family...who happen to be the Sutters!

A Base Camp Ezywash washing machine has been donated to the Big Bear Museum for us to sell. It is new and unopened. Here are some of its features from the side of the box: Top loading washing machine 4.5 lb washing capacity Timed wash/rinse cycle... Aggressive bottom mounted agitator Drain hose Strong ABS polymer construction Quiet operation 120VAC/170W To use, connect to an AC outlet, fill with water, add clothes and detergent, set the washing time. It looks great for camping if you have an AC source, or if you have a cabin without a washer, you can do a small load. There are numerous postings of reviews and demonstrations on this washer on YouTube for you to check out. Contact me if you are interested. We were told that this washer sold for about $100, we are just looking to get a donation of $20 or more, and it’s yours. Remember, our museum survives entirely on fundraisers, donations, and revenue through memberships, gift shop sales and gate receipts. We do not receive any government help, and our museum is run entirely by volunteers, no one gets a pay check. Since we are closed due to the current health crisis, donations and memberships are our only source of income so far this year. New memberships are good thru 12/31/2021. One hundred percent of your donation goes to the operation of the Big Bear History Museum.

Here’s a little Forestry history in our area:

Thank you to Owen Phairis for this interesting information about the uranium mine on Sugarloaf Mountain. The Big Bear History Museum has an ore specimen from the mine on display, which had a surprisingly low reading on the Geiger counter loaned to us by Owen. Other pottery and uranium glass in the Museum had higher readings!

Question of the day. What are these, and which building are they in? How have they helped raise money for the Museum? If you know, please post.

We have a winning bidder for our Bench Fundraiser. We have raised $300 through the generous support of Amie Kinne. With her donation, and others like her, we are able to run and maintain our incredible Museum in Big Bear. We have 7 buildings with historical significance dating back to 1875. We have an operating blacksmith shop. We have one of a very few operating stamp mills in California. We are totally run by volunteers, no one gets a pay check. We do not receive an...y government funds. We operate on what we can generate on our own, mostly through donations, gate receipts, and memberships. I will be posting another fundraiser in a few days, so stay tuned. The Historical Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

The donation bid is up to $150 for the new redwood bench at the Museum. We will put a plaque Bench donated by, or In memory of, or something similar to the highest bidder. See original posting for bidding history and details on the bench. Bidding will end on 7/7 at 8 am. Remember, our museum survives entirely on fundraisers, donations, and revenue through memberships, gift shop sales and gate receipts. We do not receive any government help, and our museum is run e...ntirely by volunteers, no one gets a pay check. Since we are closed due to the current health crisis, donations and memberships are our only source of income so far this year. New memberships are good thru 12/31/2021. One hundred percent of your donation goes to the operation of the Big Bear History Museum. The Big Bear Valley Historical Society wishes everyone a festival and safe 4th of July.