San Bernardino

The Brandin’ Iron is the Inland Empires longest running Honky Tonk since 1969.....The Brandin’ Iron is located in the historic 1953 Citrus Bowl building.....The brassy and classy authentic saloon interior and 3" thick huge maple dance floor has made this place literally world famous.....But it wasn't always so....After one of the original owners, Bob Hill died in 1987, the famous building and salon sat empty and forlorn until 1992, when Bill Thomas rode into town and brought the Brandin' Iron back to its glory.

We visited the BI as the current owner refers to the place several times during the 90's, generally after work of course, and just during work....I had the privilege of delivering and recording the legal documents at the recorders office when the place reopened for business in 1992....One reason i decided to go back and revisit this place...I liked what I saw and loved the smell of the Kitchen.

Today better known as the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) began in Southern California down in San Diego County where eventually they establiblished the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in National City its Pacific Coast Terminus.

First known as The California Southern Rail Road it was organized in 1880 to build from National City north to the San Luis Rey River, through Temecula Canyon to San Bernardino and on to a junction with the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad.....The latter was preparing to build across New Mexico and Arizona...All materials had to be shipped to National City by ship from the East Coast....Rails, track fittings and most of the steam locomotives and cars came in sailing vessels around Cape Horn. The Rail road contracted with a San Francisco Logging company to ship Ties down to San Diego.
The main line was constructed to the present Oceanside in 1881; to Colton, junction with the Southern Pacific, in 1882, and to San Bernardino in 1883.....Floods and the Southern Pacific hindered the extension through Cajon Pass until 1885.....The last spike was driven on November 9, through service from and to Kansas City began on the 15th and, for a short time, National City really was the Pacific Coast Terminus of the now great Santa Fe Route.

Mormon Leader Brigham Young declared in 1851 that the church desired a west coast port city to shorten the route overland for European converts and a trading city to the far east.
Thus in March 1851 the first group of Mormon settlers bound for California left Utah....Almost three months later the group arrived at the top of the Cajon Pass....There they decided to stop for a while and fix anything broken and wait for another party to join them from Arkansas.....While waiting they continued to have church services and school for the children and also did a lot of gold mining in the upper Cajon and Lyttle creek areas....No mentioned in the history books is made of how much or if any gold was discovered.
In late August the group of almost 1,000 Mormons descended down through the pass and making camp where the present day campus of San Bernardino State is located.....In September, after some negations with the Spanish Missionaries and the Don Lugo Family, the Mormons bought Rancho San Bernardino for $77,500....The sale being made entirely of credit of future sales of farm products.

In addition to freeway projects, Measure I provides funds for major street improvements throughout the San Bernardino Valley. These funds are used for major rehabilitation, construction or reconstruction of main thoroughfares, also called arterial streets. A Measure I Arterial Program Five Year Plan is adopted each year to allocate funds for these streets.

There are some hot hangouts scattered across the Inland Empire that offer live music, jazz, rockin' roll and soul and rap. There's something for everyone if live entertainment is what you are looking for.

There is the Vault Martini Bar & Grill in Redlands for example. Only 11/2 years old, the Bar boasts talented live bands singing jazz, punk, funk and more on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Even though nothing much remains of the booming mining days of this gold area of the San Bernardino Mountians, this area is still visited by hundreds of tourists every summer. Nestled between Fawnskin and Highway 18, just above Big Bear it's less than an hour's drive from the city.