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
Those Were The Days
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...
Those Were The Days: Deep Creek Cutoff cuts off Green Valley
By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY Historian The dedication of the Rim of the World Drive in the San Bernardino Mountains in 1915 opened mountain access by motorized auto traffic on compacted dirt roads. The eastern end of the road had formerly been the Metcalf and...
Those Were The Days: San Bernardino Mountains celebrated in Rose Parade floats
By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY Historian The San Bernardino Mountains have over the past 106 years been in the Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day numerous times. The first mountain area Rose Parade entry was in 1920, promoting visiting Big Bear. The “float” was...




