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ADVENTURE : AT BIG BEAR ~ ~ co ~ - by William L. Pettigrew Big Bear, California lures thou.. sands of tourists and Southern Cali-S! fornians to its lake shore every ~ year. Many come every year to soak ,~ up the brilliant sun and breathe the -. clean crisp air. Many come, but few fI) know that the area is fabulously ~ rich in historical events of the ~ 1800's. Co:l There are areas within a few ..:J short miles that have a history as U fantastic as any in California. The two-wheel mode of transportation has many advantage here. Big Bear Valley is located in the San Bernardino Mountains of California. It was discovered hy Benjamin David Wilson, a young settler from Tennessee. Mr. Wilson and a group of 22 other early Californians stumhled upon the Valley while :i G Many of California's scenic wonders a,. within a few short miles of metropolitan Lo. Ang.I••, such as the breathtaking y"w ov.rlooklng Big B.ar Lak.. stop our bikes for a bite to eat•.As you pass Wilbur's Grave, off to the left is a small lake under the tall Ponderosa and Jack Pine. This is an ideal place to camp if you plan to take an overni ght two-wheel adventure. After lunch we proceeded back down the mountain only to find we had missed Marble Canyon, so up we went again. This was the most difficult part of the trip and we would advise not attempting it unless you are a seasoned trailer. As we came out of the canyon and started back down, we passed through part of Chicapee Canyon and were lucky enough to have a clear day. We could see aU the way to the desert floor, thousands of feet below. Continuing down through Holcomb Valley we passed several cabins still standing from the Gold Rush days. After about two miles we emerged onto a bluff overlooking • Baldwin Lake several hundred feet below. Baldwin Lake was named after Lucky Baldwin, the extremely successfulfinancier.Luckyalso had a mine in the Bellville area that was reported to have produced from 10 to 12 million dollars in gold. Our Honda and Bultaco, both brand new, performed beautifully. We would like to thank Norm Best of Norm Best Motors for the loan of the new Honda. We would also like to thank Doug Yerkes at Bl'ltaco Western for the use of the very strong 200cc Mecurio. This was the ending of our trip as we pulied into a gas station near North Shore on Big Bear Lake. It was a ride that brought out the sensation you get from coming close to a long-ago but notforgotten era. All in all the trip cost us a meager $5.00 for the gas and lunch. Discover America ••• on two wheels. r Pleasant plac•• to pause are part of the oy.rall taln .. hunting an Indian war party that had raided the San Bernardino area. This earlY-1800 discovery quickly led to furthe r development of the area. . How To Get There As you approach Big Bear from the San Bernardino side of the mountain, take a left at the fork which is North Shore Drive. Proceed for ahout 6-7 miles to a sign, posted on the left-hand side of the road, that says Van Duzen Canyon, and Upper Holcomb Valley. This is your starting point for two-wheeled adventure. As you start climbing up the winding road through Van Duzen Canyon you immediateLY notice the cool breezes that are' ever-present. Off to your right is the Canyon itself, a canyon that holds millions in gold in its protective clutches. The story goes that a man named Van Duzen, a blacksmith by trade, and a partner struck a very rich claim somewhere in the canyon in 1860·s. As legend tells it, Van Duzen and his partner decided to haul most of the gold they had dug out down to San Bernardino, California•.As it turns out Van Duzen had chosen a brigard and not a partner. This partner decided that a large fortune was better than a small one and killed Van Duzen in their cabin. This partner made his getaway good and never returned, and to this time no one knows where the actual mine is. Afterthe short ride up the canyon you emerge into the upper halt of Holcomb Valley. After gold was discovered in the area hauds of people poured into the valley. A town was set up almost overnight and named Bellville, after Van Duzen'd daughter. I might mention here that Bell- plea..,. of a '-wh"l.d Ja...t to the m_ ville! at one time, had 1/8 the entire POPulation of San Bernardino county. It lost hy two votes of becoming the county seat• There are many points of interest in Holcomb Valley but perhaps the most striking is Hangman's Tree. It is reported that they hanged as many as four men on that tree at one time. At this point in our trip we had the good fortune to meet an old timer from this area, Reginald Randle·. Mr. Randle mentioned several important facts to us, one of which was that the real Hangman's Tree was approximately 150 yards from the tree designated by the Fore st Service. We tooled over to the tree in question and through a quick observation found it to be a more suitable tree for neck-stretching parties. Just to the left of Hangman's Tree was the legendary old Octagnn House. This was the center of the gold mining town of Bellville. The house was one of the most unique works' ever devised hy the art of carpentry. One side of the room held -a beautiful all-wood bar. The other side held a series of rooms for each facet of the octagon in which the dance hall girls entertained their weary customers. As we parked the bikes and went out looking for the foundation of the old house, Mr. Randle popped up to inform us that it had been covered by sifting dirt from the stream that ran through the area each spring. We climbed onto our iron horses and proceded up the road to the site ofWUbur'sGrave.This marked grave is the grave of the first county recorder for san Bernardino. He died in September, 1900. About this time we decided to • - } -. . -Big Ilear old-tlm.r R.glnald Randl. stands by fam.d Hanllllllll" Tr... l.g_daIY reminder of earl~day California Justlc..