Fawnskin is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. Its altitude is 6,827 feet (2,081 m). The community has a post office, which was established on May 18, 1918.

History

The small township was once an artists' colony, which attracted artisans, musicians, composers and actors from the Los Angeles area. Mountain travelers in the 19th century came to the

Big Bear Valley Big Bear Valley is a valley in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The valley, in the San Bernardino Mountains, includes Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, Fawnskin, Holcomb Valley, Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which ...

through Fawnskin on the rough road by stagecoach and later motorcars. Several other names were temporarily chosen for the North Shore village including Bald Eagle Valley, Big Bear Village, Cline-Miller, Grout, and Oso Grande. The village has always been an attraction to vacationers seeking a retreat from city life in its mountain terrain. Several hundred homes are in the forested mountainside adjacent to the forest. Gold miners, loggers, and hunters were drawn to the adjacent

Holcomb Valley Holcomb Valley, located in the San Bernardino Mountains about five miles north of Big Bear Lake, was the site of the most gold mines in Southern California. It was named after William F. Holcomb, who found gold there in 1860. That year started th ...

during the 19th century. The Native American legendHow Fawnskin Got Its Name
/ref> about how the town got its name has been turned into the urban legend. The Anglo version is that hunters discovered deer (fawn) skins stretched out to dry in the sun. Hence, the area became known as Fawn Skin and later Fawnskin. Fawnskin was once the hub of lakeside activity, serving as a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

stop and tourist attraction with hotels and dining. The town's main landmark is the Fawn Lodge,Fawn Lodge
/ref> built in 1924,Fawn Lodge Update & Deed
/ref> but now closed. Composer Fannie Charles Dillon founded Woodland Theater at Fawnskin, Big Bear Lake, California, in 1924 and served as its general manager from 1926 to 1929. Other notable landmarks include the Pedersen Saw Mill, which lies just west of the lodge; and the historic post office, which lies to the east of the lodge but now is a private home rental. Downtown Fawnskin has some of the oldest buildings in the Big Bear valley. Once popular for camping, the Lighthouse Camp and Landing is the only surviving north shore camp from the 1920s. Hanna Flats an
YMCA Camp Whittle
—owned and operated by the Metropolitan Los Angeles YMCA—are located within the forest above Fawnskin and remain favorites of vacationers. Fawnskin events include the comic Doo Dah Parade and the Loggers’ Jubilee. The town also claims the only "honest" election in the nation. Anyone can vote for the Fawnskin Mayor; votes are donations of a quarter. The candidate who wins is the one who raises the most money. Hence, the town "buys" their politicians. Today, Fawnskin is designated as a protective habitat for golden and

American bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

s. They return annually to the valley from November to April. In 1998, the multimillion-dollar Big Bear Discovery Center was built and plans to expand. The facility is operated by a partnership between the

US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

and the San Bernardino National Forest Association.

Notable residents

A variety of celebrities live in the area. Two publishers operate out of Fawnskin and several writers live there full-time, including William Sarabande.

Jordan Romero Jordan Romero (born July 12, 1996) is an American mountain climber who was 13 years old when he reached the summit of Mount Everest. Romero was accompanied by his father, Paul Romero, his step-mother, Karen Lundgren, and three Sherpas, Ang Pasang ...

, the 13-year-old boy who conquered

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow hei ...

,Jordan Romero
/ref> is also known as one of the Fawnskin Folks. Actress/singer

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as '' Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...

and her husband actor/comedian Marty Ingels also own a home in Fawnskin. Marty Ingels and Shirley Jones bought a piece of property in 2001 and created Fawn Park in downtown Fawnskin.Fawn Park Corporation
, was registered on March 26, 2003 However, it was closed to the public from July 2006 until it was reopened September 2011, featuring a memorial to those who died in the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

. The small mountain resort community also has other parks which include the Old Miller School House Park, Dana Point Park, and the Don Conroy Memorial Park.

In popular culture

Fawnskin is a popular filming location and has been featured in the 1958 B-movie, ''

Giant from the Unknown ''Giant from the Unknown'' (working titles ''Giant from Devil's Crag'' and ''The Diablo Giant'' ) is a 1958 independently made American black-and-white science fiction- horror film drama, produced by Marc Frederic and Arthur A. Jacobs, directed by ...

'', Hallmark's ''Angel in the Family, Doctor Dolittle II,'' the 1999 Academy Award-nominated film ''The Insider,'' and others. Many scenes of '' Columbo: Murder by the Book'' (1971) (with guest star

Jack Cassidy John Joseph Edward Cassidy (March 5, 1927 – December 12, 1976), was an American actor, singer and theater director known for his work in the theater, television and films. He received multiple Tony Award nominations and a win, as well a ...

, then married to Shirley Jones) were filmed here, as was a ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' episode, "The Case of the Violent Village." In chapter 35 of

Stephen J. Cannell Stephen Joseph Cannell (; February 5, 1941 – September 30, 2010) was an American television producer, writer, novelist, occasional actor, and founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios. ...

's novel, ''At First Sight'' (2008), the antagonist Chick Best and protagonist Paige Ellis stop in Fawnskin en route to the Bests' vacation cabin in Big Bear. A 2003

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...

of ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'' is set in

Jackpot, Nevada Jackpot is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 855 as of the 2020 census. Located less than from the Idaho border on US 93, Jackpot has been a popular casino g ...

, but the scenes were actually filmed in Fawnskin, which earned the community about $150,000 in revenue.

Media

The small town's news and informal activities have been reported in two publications, ''Fawnskin Folks'' (1920s) and the ''Fawnskin Flyer ''(Est. 2005).

References

External links