Volunteers for Camp Cajon monument in Southern California last month added a new photo-op at the historic site — a directional signpost that lists mileages to numerous cities on Route 66.
According to history columnist Mark Landis of the San Bernardino County Sun:
Designed as a nostalgic reminder of historic mileage signposts on early highways, the display gives visitors a glimpse back at the golden era of cross-country automobile travel on Route 66.
The signpost was installed Dec.16 by volunteers and features 11 directional arrow signs that point toward a variety of Route 66 cities and nearby points of interest.
Beginning with Chicago at 2,162 miles away, the arrows show the distances to the Route 66 cities in descending order. They end with signs pointing to the nearby Pacific Crest Trail in Crowder Canyon and to Wrightwood, the home of Camp Cajon’s founder, William Bristol.
The Camp Cajon page on Facebook posted a number of photos of the sign being crafted and its installation:
Camp Cajon served as a rest stop for the National Old Trails Road (aka Route 66) along Cajon Pass from 1919 until 1938, when a flash flood destroyed the site.
A new Camp Cajon monument was dedicated near the site of the camp on July 4, 2019 — the 100th anniversary of the camp’s opening. A bunch of volunteers and historical groups banded together to create it.
Since then, volunteers have added more improvements to the site, including an informational kiosk and a concrete picnic table similar to one that stood at the original campsite.
The monument itself sits at the south end of Wagon Train Road, near the intersection of Interstate 15 and Highway 138. Wagon Train Road is a dead-end section of Route 66.
Images of Camp Cajon during its heyday may be found here.
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