I have always wondered where the stone that was used in the construction of the Big Pines Lodge, Recreation Hall and the Arches came from. I asked this question to several people and nobody knew where it came from. One Archaeologist from the Forest Service mentioned to me that he thought the stone came from Mescal Canyon but was not sure.
In the article above from the San Bernardino Daily Sun, Saturday, October 31, 1925 Titled:
"Iron Tablets Which Will Soon Adorn Granite Gateway to Big Pines Camp Placed on Exhibit". It is mentioned in the article that "The Arch is built of black granite from a nearby quarry on Table Mountain".
There is an unusual meadow and berm feature at Table Mountain Campground near the Amphitheater and I always assumed that it was a stock pond. I now suspect this might have been the quarry for the black granite.
I have also observed that the architecture style and stone workings at Big Pines are very similar to the architecture that was used by the Socialist Llano Del Rio Cooperative Colony in Llano and Valyermo area in the early 1900's. Perhaps men from the Socialist Llano Colony where employed in the construction of Big Pines as masons and stone workers?
