Over the past five years now I have traveled throughout the State with a new perspective. Not like I used to… before I would fly through little burgs and towns without taking a second look. I have always traveled for work but never took the time to “see” where I was going. I would hit a town do my work and go back to the hotel and sit in my room clicking the clicker until the wee hours of the morning.
Now, every new town I pass through is an awakening. I thrive on the new treasures I see… monuments I have whizzed by a hundred times in my life are now new nuggets of knowledge, vista points I passed without a blink are postcard images burned in my mind, and side streets of towns are secret treasures that only non tourists find. Geocaching has made me stop and smell the roses.
Hopefully, this little puzzle will help enlighten you on the County of San Bernardino and maybe make you “stop and smell the roses” too.
N 35° 21.ABC
A = Joshua Tree National Park is located in San Bernardino, County and was declared a U.S. National Park in 19(A)4 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act (Public Law 103-433). Joshua Tree had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) forests native to the park.
B = Father Francisco Dumetz named San Bernardino on (B)/20/1810, feast day of St. Bernardino of Siena.
C = San Bernardino County is home to the San Bernardino County Library system, which consists of (C)4 branches within the county and branches in Victorville, Riverside County, Murrieta, Moreno Valley, and College of the Desert. Branch libraries offer services such as free internet access, live 24/7 reference services, vital records, LITE (Literacy, Information, Technology, and Education) Centers for children, and literacy programs
W 117° 37.DEF
D = Wyatt Earp Monument in San Bernardino County – The inscription says: “Wyatt Earp was born in Illinois March 19, 1848. In 1864 he came west with his family, settling near San Bernardino. He later served as lawman in Wichita and Dodge City, then came to Tombstone in 1879. After the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 188(D), he fled Arizona to avoid prosecution. He frequented the western boom camps, including Alaska, and in later years retired on income from Kern County Oil and the Happy Day Gold Mine group in the nearby Whipple Mountains. He and his wife Josephine spent their winters here for over two decades. He died peacefully in Los Angles January 13, 1929. soon after, this little community, formerly Drennan, was renamed in his honor when Earp Post Office was established in 1930. He is buried next to his wife, who died in 1944, in Colma, California.” The marker is in Earp, California, in San Bernardino County.
E = Patton has a zip code in San Bernardino County of 923(E)9
F = The Von Schmidt State Boundary Monument, Marker Number 85(F) says, “This boundary monument, a cast iron column erected in 1873, marks the southern terminus of the California – Nevada State Boundary established by A. W. Von Schmidt's 1872 – 73 survey. Von Schmidt's line, the first officially recognized oblique state line between California and Nevada, erred slightly, the boundary was later corrected to the present line, ¾ mile to the north.”
Some other interesting tidbits about San Bernardino County:
This is where I was born and raised… high school and all.
San Bernardino County is the largest county in the continental United States by area, and is larger in area than each of the nine smallest states. San Bernardino County is just slightly larger than the states of Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts combined.
The county seat is San Bernardino. The county is considered part of the Inland Empire region.
The Franciscans gave the name San Bernardino to the snowcapped peak in Southern California, in honor of the saint and it is from him that the county derives its name.
I would like to thank Pacific Stereo & Team Ulogoit for being my sponsors for County Line – San Bernardino.
Congrats to Calochortus for the FTF!
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.
As always, enjoy.