Baldwin Lake (San Bernardino County, California)

Baldwin Lake from northernmost shore looking back toward Big Bear.

Baldwin Lake is a natural, intermittent, alkali lake in a valley of the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California. The depth of Baldwin Lake's lowest point is approximately 25 feet (7.6 meters). At its widest, the lake is more than a mile across. Chaparral grows on the surrounding terrain.

Baldwin Lake is part of the Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve.

Namesake

Benjamin Davis Wilson encountered the lake in 1845, while tracking horse thieves in the San Bernardino Mountains. When Wilson saw that the region was populated by many grizzly bears, he divided his 22 men into hunting partners. The men slaughtered 11 bears for the fur pelts. While returning to Jurupa (Riverside), they slaughtered another 11 bears for the fur. Wilson named the region Big Bear Valley, and the lake he called Lake Big Bear.[1]

In 1884, the Bear Valley Land and Water Company began construction of a dam southwest of the lake. The company's stakeholders named the new reservoir Big Bear Lake. They also renamed the alkali lake to Baldwin Lake, after Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, who came to Big Bear and Holcomb Valley in 1876 when he purchased Gold Mountain Mine (later renamed Baldwin Mine).

Community Improvement Association

In January 2011, the Baldwin Lake Community Improvement Association was formed which is a non-profit volunteer organization of residents, business and property owners in Baldwin Lake, California who share a common appreciation for the beauty and diversity of Baldwin Lake.

The mission is to improve, beautify and preserve the quality of life in Baldwin Lake through the development of outdoor environmental education programs, community gardens, and a small business incubator to create a sustainable future for the residents of Baldwin Lake.[2]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ History of Big Bear Lake
  2. ↑

Coordinates: 34°16′26″N 116°48′31″W / 34.27389°N 116.80861°W