A brief history of Camp Cajon

Freelance writer Mark Landis writes a fascinating historical piece in the San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sun about William H. Bristol, who was a key member of the community and a major promoter of the area in the late 1800s and much of the first half of the 20th century.

His contribution to Route 66 is this: He helped built Camp Cajon, which essentially was a rest area along the National Old Trails Highway along Cajon Pass near what would be the Los Angeles metro area. The National Old Trails Highway later would become Route 66.

But the rest area didn’t last:

Camp Cajon was decimated by the great flood of 1938. The beautiful handmade stone structures were buried or damaged beyond repair and the camp was abandoned. Route 66 was realigned and Camp Cajon, the gateway to Southern California, has been all but forgotten.

Here’s an old picture taken at Camp Cajon in 1930.

2 thoughts on “A brief history of Camp Cajon

  1. Does anyone know the location of Camp Cajon? My brother and I would like to travel there to see where it was located in comparison to the Cajon Pass.

    Thank you.

    M. D. Hill

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