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History · Big Bear

Big Bear’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Big Bear. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
10recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The first humans to inhabit Big Bear Valley were the Serrano Indians, who trace their beginnings to Bear Valley. Serrano means mountaineers, or those of the Sierras. The Serrano people that settled much of the San Bernardino Mountains, called themselves Yuhaviatam, or: people of the pines.

Pre-colonial period

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Big Bear’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Big Bear’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Big Bear

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Itan Daniel ChaviraItan Daniel ChaviraSports
By decade

Big Bear, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today10 photos
Big bear city airportCommonsBig bear city airport2018California ski resort (Unsplash)CommonsCalifornia ski resort (Unsplash)2017San Bernardino County SheriffCommonsSan Bernardino County Sheriff2012San Bernardino County Fire DepartmentCommonsSan Bernardino County Fire Department2012San Bernardino County, CA, USA - panoramio (20)CommonsSan Bernardino County, CA, USA - panoramio (20)2010Fatboy's houseCommonsFatboy's house2010Big Bear, CA 92314, USACommonsBig Bear, CA 92314, USA2010Big Bear CityCommonsBig Bear City2006371 Big Bear Valley Historical Museum 2004-06-27Commons371 Big Bear Valley Historical Museum 2004-06-272004366 Big Bear Valley Historical Museum 2004-06-27Commons366 Big Bear Valley Historical Museum 2004-06-272004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Big Bear is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Big Bear has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Washington, Henry, Survey Marker in Oak Glen, 12.1 miles away.

Big Bear and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Big Bear. Tap a dot.
Washington, Henry, Survey MarkerPioneertown Mane Street Historic DistrictMill Creek ZanjaJudson and Brown DitchShady PointIntegratron

Closest to Big Bear

Washington, Henry, Survey MarkerOak Glen · Object12.1miPioneertown Mane Street Historic DistrictYucca Valley · District18.3miMill Creek ZanjaMentone · District21.9miJudson and Brown DitchRedlands · Structure22miShady PointLake Arrowhead · Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals22.2mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Washington, Henry, Survey Marker’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Big Bear?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Big Bear’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Big Bear Lake📜 Yucaipa📜 Banning📜 Yucca Valley

From Wikimedia Commons (10). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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