Welcome to Camp Cajon

Welcome to Camp Cajon. . , William M. Bristol, founder of Camp Cajon: 1859-1941 , William Bristol came to Southern California in 1882, and purchased an orange orchard in East Highland in 1891. He married Francis "Fannie" Dearborn in 1893, and the Bristol's went on to have 5 children. Only Howard and Helen survived through adulthood. Bristol became a respected writer, poet, community leader, and masterful promoter of the region., (photo captions:), ·The idea for Camp Cajon began on December 23, 1917, when an orange grower named William M. Bristol attended the dedication ceremony for the Santa Fe and Salt Lake Monument, now located just south of here., The Cajon Pass was becoming a busy automobile corridor into Southern California, and Bristol believed this location would be an ideal site for a welcoming rest stop for weary motorists to rest and recuperate from their difficult trip across the Mojave Desert. , ·Birds-eye view of Camp Cajon circa 1922, and present-day. Camp Cajon was built on National Old Trails Road, the United States' first "Ocean to Ocean Highway," opened in 1913 to serve the newly motorized American population. National Old Trails Road became U.S. Route 66 in 1926, and Camp Cajon became known across the country as "The Gateway to Southern California.", ·Camp Cajon's facilities expanded to both sides of the highway when organizations like the Elks Club, the Mission Inn, the Knights of Pythias, and the Santa Fe Railroad, built unique outposts buildings on the hillside. Traffic on Route 66 increased dramatically, and highway officials had to relocate some of the camp's facilities to accommodate road widening., ·The Great Flood of 1938 severely damaged the facilities at Camp Cajon, as well as homes, businesses, and infrastructure throughout the region. Faced with the cost of rebuilding the camp and the urgent need to widen Route 66, county and road officials decided to close and abandon Camp Cajon. , 42 of the camp's iconic concrete picnic tables were relocated to Perris Hill Lytle Creek Parks in San Bernardino., ·This cast iron picnic table plaque can be seen on the Camp Cajon table that was relocated back to this site in June, 2021., ·Camp Cajon became a well-equipped auto camp, complete with picnic, cooking, camping, and entertainment facilities. , William Bristol came up with an idea to have sponsors donate items such as picnic tables, stoves, and barbeque pits. Each sponsor paid to have a cast-iron tablet with a promotional inscription of their choice placed on their donation. , ·Camp Cajon was dedicated in a grand celebration on July 4th, 1919. The crowd cheered when a huge flag was lifted to unveil the entrance monument, a hand-crafted stone spire, covered with patriotic poems and commemorative musings. The monument became a landmark, and a favorite photo stop for travelers coming into Southern California. The historic facsimile of this monument to your left, was built in 2019, and dedicated on July 4th, 2019, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Camp Cajon's opening.