The Greenspot Market

The Greenspot Market. . By the mid-nineteenth century the San Bernardino Mountains and Valley were becoming enveloped with civilization. Travelers, merchants, families and explorers were constantly trekking the area, using the old Indian trails and logging roads that had started to become the highways and boulevards we know today., As travel increased, so did the need for supply stations, stores and purveyors of provisions. Pioneers heading into and out of the San Bernardino mountains frequently used an access road originally designed to transport timber to constructions sites in the San Bernardino Valley. Over time, that trail eventually became Highway 38., Greenspot... The name derives from the Greenspot Springs along Mill Creek, north-east of this location. In 1884, the Excelsior Water Co. tapped these springs, digging a 650-foot tunnel to supply water to Mentone that is still used today., The original building on this site was a blacksmith shop before it became the Rocky Comfort Store in 1910. Cornelius and Ruthann Hodenfield purchased the land and business in 1921, renamed it Hod's Place, installed fuel pumps dispensing Gilmore gasoline and began delivering groceries and dry goods to local residents. In 1927, Louis Stowells added the exterior stonework that you see today., The Great Depression took hold and the Hodenfield family sold the store in 1931, returning to their home state of Iowa. The store changed hands many times over the years; Mark and Ethyl Tyler, Sylvia and Clyde Parsons, (both daughters of William Young-the foreman of Redlands Heights Ranch), Karl and Constance Knudsen, Leon and Alice Stafford, Chester Nordling, Virginia Miller, Glen Soffel, Charles Peters and Ed and Virginia Adamczyk are all documented as being owners of the store at one time or another. Over the decades the business has been named Greenspot Trading Post, Hasty's Ranch Market, Greenspot Liquor and The Greenspot Store., In 1992, the store changed hands again, this time purchased by Marlene Knox and her nephew and his bride, Gary and Debby Jacinto, who still operate it to this day., Every effort has been made to preserve the uniqueness of this landmark as the Greenspot Market continues to provide World Famous Jerky and a last stop for travelers passing thru the Gateway to Big Bear.