Cedar Lake (California)

Cedar Lake is an artificial lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of California that has appeared in dozens of Western films. It is the centerpiece of Cedar Lake Camp, a private retreat center owned and operated by Cedar Lake Camp, Inc., a non profit public benefit corporation.[3]

Cedar Lake
LocationSan Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino County, California
Coordinates34°13′53″N 116°56′24″W[1]
TypeReservoir
Primary outflowsTalmadge Creek
Catchment area0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)[2]
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length700 ft (210 m)
Max. width300 ft (91 m)
Surface area3 acres (1.2 ha)[2]
Water volume30 acre feet (37 dam3)[2]
Surface elevation7,077 feet (2,157 m)[1]

Located south of the city of Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County and San Bernardino National Forest, the lake lies about two hours east of Los Angeles and two hours north of San Diego.

The lake is formed by a dam across a minor tributary of Metcalf Creek. The creek feeds Metcalf Bay, an arm of Big Bear Lake,[4] whose waters reach the Pacific Ocean by way of Bear Creek and the Santa Ana River.

History
Amish log cabins. About 125 years old. Procured by the movie industry and moved to the lake

In 1913, the Talmadge brothers purchased the property where the lake, dam, and camp are now situated. They used the land to graze cattle, then sold it in 1922 to the Bartlett brothers, who built the dam in 1928. They in turn sold it in 1937 to family member Guy Bartlett, who charged visitors 25¢ for admission to the property. In January 1955, the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles bought 110 acres (45 ha). The church later increased its holdings to 270 acres (110 ha).[5]

The lake's scenery and proximity to Hollywood made it a popular filming location. It appeared in more than forty films,[6] including:

It also appeared in six television series, including:[6]

On May 19, 2010, a 29-year-old man drowned in the lake after his canoe capsized.[13]

Cedar Lake Dam
Cedar Lake and Sawmill. The dam is at the waterline to the left.

Cedar Lake Dam was built in 1928 across Talmadge Creek. It is a variable-radius arch dam 28 ft (8.5 m) high and 220 ft (67 m) long containing 650 cubic yards (500 m3) of material. Its crest is 7,101 ft (2,164 m) above sea level.[2]

The old mill house and water wheel can be seen in the Bonanza episode "Thornton's Account".

Nomenclature

There are two other Cedar Lakes in California, both in Siskiyou County:

See also

References
  1. "Cedar Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Dams Within the Jurisdiction of the State of California" (PDF). Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  3. "Cedar Lake Camp". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  4. "ACME Mapper 2.0 topographic map". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  5. "Cedar Lake Camp - History". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  6. "Most Popular Titles With Filming Locations Matching "Cedar Lake"". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  7. Gaberscek, Carlo (2000). Sentieri del western: dove il cinema ha creato il West [Trails of the Western: Where Cinema Created the West] (in Italian). 2. Gemona, Italy: Cineteca del Friuli. p. 88. ISBN 978-88-86155-08-3. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  8. "Filming locations for High Sierra (1941)". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  9. "Filming locations for The Parent Trap (1961)". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  10. "Cedar Lake".
  11. "Filming locations for "Have Gun - Will Travel" The Haunted Trees (1959)". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  12. "Filming locations for "The Roy Rogers Show" (1951)". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  13. "L.A. Man in Wednesday's Canoeing Incident on Cedar Lake Dies in Loma Linda Hospital". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  14. "Cedar Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  15. "Cedar Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
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