July 4, 2019 - Dedication of Camp Cajon Monument

1919 Cajon Camp Monument

The  San Bernardino, Highland and Wrightwood Historical Societies sponsored the building of a reproduction the landmark Camp Cajon Monument.

The rock base is 8 feet tall and contains a 40 foot flag pole and reproductions of the original AAA signs that were imbedded in the monument.

Camp Cajon, opened July 4, 1919,  and was built on National Old Trails Road, the United States’ first “Ocean to Ocean Highway,” that opened in 1912. National Old Trails Road became U.S. Route 66 in 1926, and Camp Cajon became famous as “The Gateway to Southern California.”

William Bristol, a well-known local orange grower, author, and poet, conceived Camp Cajon in 1917. He believed the location of Camp Cajon would be an ideal spot for motorists to stop and recuperate from their difficult trip across the Mojave Desert.

William Bristol created a unique style for the heavy rock and concrete facilities at Camp Cajon and came up with an idea to have sponsors supply items such as stoves, barbecue pits, and tables.

Tragically, the great flood of 1938 decimated Camp Cajon. The beautiful handmade stone structures were buried, or damaged beyond repair, and the camp was abandoned.

The present-day site of Camp Cajon is located on Wagon Train Road, just east of Interstate 15, and south of Highway 138, in the Cajon Pass. It was approximately 1,000 feet south of the existing McDonald’s.

The dedication for the reconstructed monument took place at  10:00 am, on July 4th, 2019, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the camp’s opening.