Lytle Creek Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains has a long and interesting history. It is named for Andrew Lytle, who served as a company commander in the famed Mormon Battalion during the Mexican War. Lytle was among the earliest settlers of the town of San Bernardino, where he later served as mayor. The canyoncontains the North, Middle, and South Forks of Lytle Creek, a major tributary of the Santa Ana River. It also is home to Bonita Falls, which consists of three separate drops, making it the second highest cataract in Southern CA. Just east of here is the San Andreas Fault, where a major earthquake occurred in 1857.
The earliest recorded visitors to the canyon were Serrano Indians who lived nearby. During the Mission Period (1771-1846), the area was home to vast Spanish and Mexican Land Grants. Mormon Colonists camped at the mouth of the canyon in 1851 while negotiating to purchase a site for the City of San Bernardino, which was a Mormon Colony until the settlers were called home to Salt Lake City in 1857. In the 1860s gold was discovered in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino ranges, resulting in an influx of miners. Tremendous floods ravaged the canyon in 1862 and again in 1938. Today Lytle Creek Canyon is home to the historic communities of Scotland, Happy Jack, and Tally's. The 2010 Census showed a total population of 701.
Monument erected October 13, 2013 by the Billy Holcomb Chapter 1069 of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, in cooperation with the United States Forest Service
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