By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY Historian Around the time William Stephen was entertaining the camping tourists in the mountains during the summers, there were changes occurring, redirecting the developed plans for its future The end of 1909 saw the Arrowhead Reservoir and...
Those Were The Days
Those Were The Days
Those Were The Days: Uncle Billy entertains, educates and advocates – Part 4
By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY Historian The fall/winter/spring of 1908-1909 in the San Bernardino Mountains was an active one with more people becoming year-round residents. When the vacationers left, the locals began to party. With his concertina, Professor “Uncle Billy”...
Those Were The Days: ‘Uncle’ Billy Stephen attracts visitors to the mountains – Part 3
By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY Historian Professor William Stephen arrived in the San Bernardino Mountains from Scotland in 1890. He wrote for the newspaper in the valley, extolling the virtues of the mountains and their beauty. He became part of the fun of visiting...
Those Were The Days: Professor “Uncle Billy” Stephen, the Bard of Strawberry Flat – Part 2
By Rhea-Frances Tetley Historian Professor William Stephen came to California from Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1890. He was an educated man, a writer and performer, who fell in love with the San Bernardino Mountains. The San Bernardino Pioneer Society (the first...
Those Were The Days: Professor William Stephen, the Bard of Strawberry Flat
By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY Historian Professor “Uncle” Billy Stephen was a personality who lived and entertained vacationers and full-time residents alike in the mountains around the turn of the 20th century. The title of “Uncle” bestowed upon him by visitors and locals...
Those Were The Days: Snow prompts creation of High Gear Road
By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY Historian Snowstorms are the exact reason why the Rim of the World High Gear Road, when it was reconstructed in the late 1920s to mid-1930s, was relocated onto the south face of the mountain. It was built there to allow the snow to melt...





