Big Bear has a fascinating history. Before it was first settled in 1845 by a group of rough riding Californians led by Benjamin D. Wilson, the only inhabitants were local native Indians and the abundant wildlife that roamed the valley. Hunters, trappers and prospectors enjoyed this mountainous solitude, until the discovery of gold in 1860, when the face of the valley changed forever.

Within a year, the population of prospectors, gamblers, and associated opportunists was second only to San Bernardino. Unfortunately (or perhaps not) the amount of gold found in the ensuing years never really amounted to much, and even though there were a couple of mini-gold rushes later, the real "pay dirt" in the area turned out to be just east of Big Bear Valley, in a place called Round Valley, which between 1898 and 1906 produced about 100 times as much gold per ton of ore than the operations at Big Bear.

Big Bear Lake itself is a man-made lake, created in 1885 with the construction of the original rock dam (now under 20 feet of water). This dam was an engineering marvel, made entirely from local granite blocks cut entirely by hand from the surrounding hillsides and weighing two or three tons each! Rather than a traditional "gravity" dam, this structure was just 20 feet wide at the base and narrowed to only three feet along the 52 foot high crest of the dam. By the time the water had reached the spillway it had become the largest man-made lake in the world! This dam stood strong for 27 years, before the construction of the current "Eastwood" dam, which although only 20 feet higher than the original rock dam, tripled the size of Big Bear Lake!

For a fascinating and detailed account of the history of Big Bear Lake and Mountain, visit the website of the Big Bear Municipal Water District.