Cajon Pass

[rt66]

I am looking for information on a place called Meeker's that was located in Camp Cajon in the Cajon Pass. Please Help!

[WWMtnGal]

[tiltronix]

Meekers had a home at Cajon Junction just down from the old cafe.  I had the pleasure to visit with Mrs. Meeker a few years ago with John Swisher, Pat Krig and John Leneau.  She is now "down below" in a "home for the elderly."

[HistoryBuff]

The book that came out in January, "Trails and Tales of the Cajon Pass: From Indian Footpath to Modern Highway" has several references to the Meekers and the Meeker family.  There is a picture of Maybelle Meeker and well as her memories of the place in her own words on page 376. There are pictures of all of the versions of Meekers.  There is even a picture of Meekers after it was hit by a truckload of beef and then another picture after it was rebuilt and so on.
It is a great book loaded with history. I got mine from going to the Buckthorn Publishing website.
BuckthornPublishing.com (go to orders)
Deanna

[Joe Schmoe]

Found some much clearer old pictures of the pass.  It's a collection of what are called postcards, though some just look like old photos here: http://www.66postcards.com/postcards/ca/index13.html .  That link starts at the summit, but the index pages are ordered to mostly track route 66 from end to end, so it includes old pictures of Barstow and San Bernardino.

Meekers:




This one is labelled "Blue Cut".  I had a hard time pinning down this one until I noticed the water tower on the left and it dawned on me!  I recalled passing an old dilapidated water tower in that group of buildings off old route 66.  It's the same one!  It was also an old 76 station sign.
Google street view of the location in 2008 before they dismantled the top portion of the tower: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2571292,-117.4655887,3a,75y,336.76h,101.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saYRNPft9HtAvTiEg0lSlbA!2e0!7i3328!8i1664
The photographer was standing on Applewhite Road.  Keenbrook, I think this is called.


A bit further north of the previous photo, looking south at the "rest stop" area near Lost Lake  Those look like maybe toll booths?


A view from across the wash on the train tracks side.  This is between Keenbrook and the Blue Cut rest area looking north-ish.  Only one set of train tracks at the time of the photo:

Later photo:


(out of order) One of the earlier alignments of 66 coming down from the top of the pass looking south:





The "big bend" coming down from near the top of the pass:


Back to Blue Cut, looking south

Blue cut, just north of the rest area, looking south


Monument at the end of the road past McDonald's, behind the scales:


Camp Cajon:



Same.  Is that an apple truck I see?  Or did all "tractor trailers" look like that back then?

[ChrisLynnet]

Thank you Joe, these are amazing!

[GRAHAM_RANCH]

Very , very awesome pictures, Joe!! Thank you for sharing them..

[SoCalGal]

Hi Joe, I think in pic #5, the rest stop near Lost Lake?  Actually I think that is the curve of modern Cajon Road, pretty much due east from Keenbrook - across the riverbed from Keenbrook, and still a rest area although not a very nice one nowadays.  And I think those little booths may be an ancient version of truck scales - a rectangle of concrete is clearly visible in the left one that looks very much like the scale platform of a modern one.  Just a guess.  Thanks so much for bringing these to light here!

[Joe Schmoe]

[Joe Schmoe]

Moving on.  I'll try to locate these after posting them.

This is leading to some other interesting photos, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the pass in 1933:


Camp Cajon:










Based on this and the next photo, it looks pretty clear that Camp Cajon was not located under McDonald's.  It's down the road a bit, closer to the scales.




"Cajon Ranger Station", not sure this is the pass:

[Joe Schmoe]

Information regarding what are called the Stoddard-Waite monuments, including a rededication in 2013, the centenial of the older original and now less accesible monument: http://mojavedesertarchives.blogspot.com/2013/06/100-years-later-stoddard-waite-monument.html

Reference to dates of the two different monuments:

At 10 a.m. the group will begin a convoy to a 1917 monument on Wagon Wheel Road in the Cajon Pass, from which they will walk 300 yards to the site of the 1913 monument.

Possibly the original dedication in 1913:


A fun re-enactment of the earlier photo:


Good photo of Camp Cajon


Elks building, Camp Cajon:

[Joe Schmoe]

Better version of original dedication.  Looks like Hamilton Swarthout on the left.  An interesting collections of items/mementos.


Titled "Cajon Pass Toll Gate".  I believe this was the Toll Gate on the original route through the pass, near the 138 east of the 15 - the route headed up to the top of the pass from there. 


Apparently the wash in the pass used to be known as the Arroyo Muscubiabe (as far as I know, the name of an Indian Tribe that lived in the pass).  While Lytle Canyon was called Cajon de los Negros.  And although on another portion of the surveyors map there is an "Arroyo de los Mejicanos", I have a feeling the name refers to black bears.  1868.