Starvation Flats is an area in the
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain ...
near
Big Bear Lake, California
Big Bear Lake is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is about northeast of the city of San ...
. It was originally a settlement of the Native American
Serrano people
The Serrano are an Indigenous people of California. Their autonyms are Taaqtam meaning "people", Maarrênga'yam meaning "people from Morongo", and Yuhaaviatam meaning "people of the pines."
Today the Maarrênga'yam are enrolled in the Moron ...
for thousands of years.
History
Starvation Flats was an open mountain plain with occasional
grizzly bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...
s. In 1845,
Don Benito Wilson and 22 other men rode into the area in search of rustlers, but found only bears. In the years following, homesteaders came into the region to stake their claims. However, due to the poor soil and continuously bad crops, they found continuous trouble living there.
Eventually, they enlisted
William F. Holcomb, who was widely known as "the best sharpshooter west of
the Mississippi
The Mississippi River is the primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota ...
", to exterminate the grizzly bears. He was successful in his extermination, and so creating safety for the new homesteaders. He eventually went on to discover gold and found
Holcomb Valley
Holcomb Valley is a valley located in the San Bernardino Mountains about five miles north of Big Bear Lake. It was the site of some of the most prolific gold mines in Southern California. It was named after William F. Holcomb, who found gold ther ...
.
Belleville California - Waiting for the Mother Lode
/ref>
See also
* California Gold Rush
The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...
* Holcomb Valley
Holcomb Valley is a valley located in the San Bernardino Mountains about five miles north of Big Bear Lake. It was the site of some of the most prolific gold mines in Southern California. It was named after William F. Holcomb, who found gold ther ...
External links
References
{{coord, 34.3028, -116.8960, type:landmark_region:US, format=dms, display=title
San Bernardino Mountains
Valleys of California
Valleys of San Bernardino County, California