Mount San Jacinto State Park – San Bernardino National Forest CA

Description

“”For the People, . . . a New Mountain Park,” proclaimed the headline of a 1937 article about Mount San Jacinto State Park’s Grand Opening. It could also be called a park “by the people” because of its grassroots acquisition and development. The park was acquired in 1933 as the result of a local effort to preserve the higher elevations of the mountain as wilderness. The park infrastructure was then developed by the men of the CCC…

The CCC companies built two rangers’ residences, a garage, a campground, and a picnic area at Idyllwild. They also hiked as far as three to seven miles each way into the back country to improve existing trails and build new ones. They spent one summer in another temporary tent camp in the upper wilderness area of the park and built two structures that still exist: the stone shelter just below 10,804 foot San Jacinto Peak for hikers caught in bad weather, and the small wilderness ranger station in Round Valley . As in all other CCC camps, the young men stationed at Mount San Jacinto were also ready at a moment’s notice to fight fires, too.”