By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Historian
As summer heats up here in our beautiful mountains and we are attending concerts, festivals, Jamboree Days and other summer events and fundraisers, curious minds wander back to the early days and wonder …. what did vacationers do 95 years ago when visiting the mountains? Was there anything to do other than hike out to a stream to fish?
The Rim of the World Bowl’s grand opening performance was broadcast on radio station KFXM and was heralded as a wonderful new amenity to the mountains in newspapers throughout Southern California during the summer of 1930.
In 1930, the country was beginning to experience The Great Depression, but it had not hit the mountain communities quite yet. What did vacationers to do in Crestline while escaping the heat of the valley, as this was before Lake Gregory was built in 1938.
The High Gear Road was still under construction; other sections of the Rim of the World Drive roadway had been freshly oiled to keep down the dust, which at least made getting to the mountains more pleasant. The road came directly to Crestline.
Low summer travel rates
In the 1930s, not every family owned an automobile. The Motor Transit Line was offering low summer rates for travel to the mountains. It cost $1.50 for a one-way trip and $2 for a round-trip ticket. It was only an additional 15 cents for delivery to a particular resort not on the scheduled route. Some of the popular resorts were Pinecrest, Thousand Pines and Skyland.
On the Pacific Electric (trolley) Line, a traveler could leave Los Angeles at 8 a.m., and arrive in the mountains by noon, or leave Los Angeles at 3:30 p.m. and arrive at 8 p.m. The trolley took travelers to the foot of the mountain and then a motorized transit vehicle would take them to the crest. In today’s world, with the current crowded freeway, the travel time is about the same.
Rim of the World Bowl opens
The Rim of the World Bowl was a cement amphitheater located in Huston Flats in a natural canyon with perfect acoustics. An acoustic shell was placed at the back of the stage for reflecting the sound.
It was said you could hear well without amplification, but it was wired for sound and lights. The 36 x 36-foot cement stage was near the current corner of Rocky Loop, Forest Shade and Straight Way. Seating for 800 was in a semi-circle, up the opposite hillside. Shows were scheduled several times a week during the 1930 summer season. The first show was on July 18, 1930. Musicals, concerts, orchestras and even musical comedy shows were scheduled. There were plans to enlarge the facility for a seating capacity of several thousand over the next few years.
The golf course at Cedarpines Park was the first one constructed on the mountain.
The ROW Bowl was built by Crestline’s developer, Charles S. Mann, to provide entertainment and attract visitors to the area. Access to the Rim of the World Bowl in Crestline was on Bowl Road (hence the name). It was said to be designed by a famous architect and was expected to rival the quality of the Hollywood Bowl when built out to its full potential. However, the timing was unfortunate and the Depression took its toll, causing its closure after only a couple of seasons.
(Photo by Rhea-Frances Tetley)
A new swimming pool
In what is now Valley of Enchantment, there was new 60 x 25-foot cement swimming pool available for visitors and residents alike. It became the fourth pool available for vacationers to the mountains. It was located in the Rim of the World Park’s business district on Waters Drive. (It was next to the current V.O.E. post office.) Other mountain communities having pools at the time were in Cedarpines Park, located on Plunge Road, in the Pinecrest Resort, and a motel in Crestline. Hiking to Heart Rock and horseback riding also were favorite activities in the area.
Golf tournament in Cedarpines Park
The golf course in Cedarpines Park held a golf tournament on June 15, 1930. Cedarpines Park had the first public golf course on the mountain. At first it was expected that Cedarpines Park would be a major community, as it had a long history with numerous access roads and a long history of access during the 1800s. However, when Waterman Canyon Road was the one improved by the Arrowhead Reservoir Company and, when the county also decided to use it for access, the dirt roads in Cedarpines to the west were neglected. Another CPP golf tournament was planned for August.
Rim of the World Park store.
Crestline as a year-round resort
“The season never closes in Crestline” was the new advertising slogan from Charles S. Mann in his flowery writing style extolling the virtues of his numerous subdivisions on the “top of the crest of the mountain.” He was again promoting the community in which he had considerable investment. He was encouraging vacationers to come to Crestline, love the area and purchase property.
“With the convenience of electricity arriving in Crestline Village and in Skyland, and the daily service of tank gas for heating and cooking, it is no longer necessary to feel a few days’ recreation would be spoiled with camp drudgery,” it said. Mann had been selling property in the area for over a decade and was now the Crestline postmaster as well. That is why he built the Crestline Bowl for entertainment, to bring attention to his properties and create another reason why a person should buy or build a vacation home in Crestline.
The coolness of the mountains was the initial reason for travel to the mountains, offering an escape from the heat of the valley. All these activities and others could fill the days and nights with more than just fishing, 95 years ago this summer.
Camp Seely, next to Rim of the World Park in the Enchanted Valley, late 1920s.
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