Holcomb Valley is a beautiful camp nestled in the San Bernardino mountains near Big Bear Lake in California. A camp rich in history and legend, serving as a base to enjoy the great out-of-doors.
Early visitors did not come to Bear Valley to ski, hunt, or ride as they do today. They came to find gold. In 1845, Benjamin Davis Wilson and 22 young Californians went into the valley in search of Indians who had been raiding cattle from the Southland ranches. When they arrived, they found the valley full of grizzly bears. After killing eleven grizzly bears, they named the place Bear Valley.
Gold was first discovered in 1848 far to the north in Coloma at Sutter’s Mill. The Gold Rush was in full swing by 1849 – hence the name given to men, who left their homes and families to strike it rich in the gold fields of California, the ‘49ers. Around 1855, miners were getting about $3.00 a day out of the area now called Baldwin Lake in Bear Valley. In 1859, Jo Caldwell ran a placer mine at the south end of the Stanfield Cutoff. This was known as “Starvation Flat”, because of the small amount of gold mined.
About this time, Billy Holcomb and his partner joined these miners. Billy became known for his marksmanship among the prospectors. After 10 years of prospecting they still had no major success. As food sources were diminishing, some of the prospectors hired Billy to hunt for grizzly bear to provide food for the long winter months. “Uncle Billy” as he was known was hunting grizzly bear in Bear Valley, when he climbed to the hilltop out of Polique Canyon, and saw a small valley among the mountains and canyons. The valley was home to the largest grizzly bear he had ever seen.
Billy Holcomb took aim and shot at the monster grizzly. He hit it, but as he approached the valley floor it was no where to be found. He trailed the bear until sundown and set up camp. Then next morning, while continuing his pursuit of this monster grizzly bear, he found a quartz vein bearing gold.
The news of this major strike traveled fast and miners flocked to Holcomb Valley.
By July 4th the valley was a busy town, and Mrs. Jed Van Duesen made a flag from the miner’s shirts and dance hall girl’s skirts. Because of her efforts, the town was named “Bellville” after her first daughter, Belle.
Almost 1,500 people populated the valley during its heyday. Legend has it that Belleville lost out as the county seat to San Bernardino by 2 votes. On the night the votes were being counted, an election ballot box containing votes was ‘accidentally’ kicked into a bonfire.
The unrest of the Civil War was prevalent in the valley, due to the large number of Secessionists and the many criminals that were attracted by the rich gold and distance from the law.
According to legend, the old “Hangman’s Tree” eliminated about 40 criminals during the heyday of mining. At one time, 3 horse thieves were hanged. After each ‘necktie’ party, that particular limb was cut off the tree.
Another legend tells of the lost Van Duesen mine in Van Duesen canyon. Van Duesen and his partner were working a very rich strike near the Bear Valley end of the canyon. They kept the location of their mine a secret from friends at the Belleville Saloon, but it was known that their sturdy log cabin was nearby. When the partners were missed from their usual haunts, friends decided to investigate. They found Van Duesen dead on the floor of the cabin, from a gunshot wound. The gold, the pack animals, and the partner were all missing. Neither the murderer nor the rich mine he left were ever found.
In the early 1960's, a retiring rancher from the area was attending a function at which Guy Reide, Old Baldy's Scout Executive from 1949 to 1966, was discussing the need for a new council camp site. Reide's vision was to have a council camp closer to the inland valley and utilize the then current council camp, Circle B in Tulare County, as a high adventure property. Within a week the rancher, William Hitchcock, walked into Guy Reide's office and struck the deal whereby the ranch became the property of Old Baldy Council. The council took title to the property in 1965. In April, 1966 Guy Riede died and was succeeded by Everett Vinzant as Scout Executive from 1966 to 1972. The Camp Development Chairman, Dan Milliken, led the capital campaign which resulted in the camp opening in 1970 for camporees and Order of the Arrow activities. Soon Loren Baldwin became the first camp ranger and Holcomb Valley held its first Boy Scout summer resident camp in 1974. As the successor to the Circle B Camp (1955-1973) and the Two Lakes Camp at Barton Flats (pre-1954), the Holcomb Valley Scout Reservation carries on Old Baldy council's tradition of keeping the OUTING in Scouting.
Holcomb Valley is rich with many legends and stories of yesteryear. Come trek along the Gold Rush Trail, brave a night under the stars, or enjoy the stories of the Gold Rush Glory Days from our resident storyteller. By horseback, mountain bike or on foot, Holcomb Valley is waiting for you to discover her rich heritage.