Wrightwood, California: Brief History of Well-Known Ski Hub

The Village of Wrightwood is located in California's San Gabriel Mountains, at an elevation of 6,000-plus feet. It is situated atop the highest point of the infamous San Andres Earthquake fault. Wrightwood is best known for its local snow skiing at Mountain High. Yet, the unassuming, quaint village has a rich and interesting history.

One road leading to Wrightwood is Lone Pine Canyon, referred to by locals as "the back way". The canyon is home to Clyde's Ranch, which was the homestead of Almond Clyde. According to local legend, Almond Clyde was just sixteen when he fled to California in an attempt to escape the Mormons. According to the story, some church leaders did not believe he was obedient enough, and ordered him to kill a man. He refused and headed west. For several years he tried mining and cattle ranching in the Mohave Desert, and came to San Bernardino, California around 1852. Clyde homesteaded in Lone Pine Canyon in the 1870's.

Before characters like Clyde came to the area, the Serrano Indians, a subgroup of the Shoshone Nation, lived in the area. They were discovered by the Spanish Padres in the late 1700's and many Indians were brought into mission life and learned agriculture. But, not all the Indians were accepting of the lifestyle change and hostile raids throughout Cajon Pass took place. The mission was disbanded in the 1800's and many of the natives were back on their own. A good number suffered starvation and smallpox.

Mountain men made their home in the San Gabriel Mountains. One was known as Charles "Tom" Vincent. He discovered the Big Horn Mine on Mount-Baden-Powel, yet lost control of the mine. He lived as a recluse in the mountains near Wrightwood, and some believed he was in hiding for having killed some men in Arizona for jumping a mining claim. Vincent was an private character and refused to have his photograph taken. Once, another local legend, William Bristol, managed to slyly take a photograph of the elusive mountain man.

Two other brothers who came to the area before Vincent and Clyde were Nathan and Truman Swarthout, They were Mormon brothers who homesteaded in Lone Pine Canyon in the mid 1800's. When the Mormons were recalled to Utah in 1857 the Swarthouts abandoned their holdings and left behind their name. Wrightwood and Lone Pine Canyon are located in Swarthout Valley.

Other early pioneers include Harry Heath, who tended to his orchard and ran cattle in the area. Wrightwood's Heath Creek is named for this early settler. Another early resident was a miner-rancher known as Guffy, who introduced Sumner Wright to the area in the late 1800's.

Sumner Wright was a part-time resident to this mountain region, and began accumulating land in the area. He planted apple orchards and in 1910 formed the Circle Mountain Cattle Ranch. But, by the 1920's he lost his holdings in the area due to financial difficulties. Yet, like the Swarthouts, his name remained with the village, now known as Wrightwood.

By the 1940s Judge Nix had purchased much of Wrightwood from the Security Pacific Bank. No longer a cattle ranch, it was being subdivided to form the community that exists today.

Southern California is not normally thought of as having four distinct seasons. Yet, Wrightwood, located in Southern California, is often referred to as the Land of Four Seasons. It is also a village rich in history.

(About the author: From 1985 to 1991 Bobbi Holmes published Mountain/Hi-Desert Guide, a monthly community paper serving Wrightwood, Phelan and Pinon Hills California, along with Wrightwood Magazine, an annual full color magazine, published in 1988 and 1989. During her years in Wrightwood she worked closely with the Wrightwood Historical Society and researched and wrote a variety of local history articles.)