The Eastwood Dam at Big Bear Lake

The nationwide financial collapse of 1893, dealt a serious blow to the "Bear Valley Land & Water Company" which had built the "Rock Dam" at Big Bear Valley. Financially overextended with projects in other areas, they were forced into bankruptcy. The fate and future of Big Bear Lake sat unresolved in the courts for the next ten years. Then in 1903, a new group of Redlands farmers, headed by Herbert H Garstin, formed the "Bear Valley Mutual Water Company". They paid off all the creditors and took control of the lake in 1909. They made the dcision to increase the holding capacity of the lake by raising the height of the Rock Dam. An engineer by the name of John Eastwood was asked to take a look at it. In April of 1910, John Eastwood submitted plans for the construction of a new 65 foot high dam, to be built about fifty yards downstream from the "Rock Dam". His unique design called for a series of concrete arches, to be supported by massive concrete buttresses. It would be strong and cheaper to build than a normal "gravity dam". His plans were approved, and summer construction was started on the "Eastwood Dam". Unlike the Rock Dam, which had been constructed using materials found locally; all of the materials for the "Eastwood Dam" had to hauled from Victorville to Big Bear by wagon. Additional time and money had to be spent in an attempt to cut deep enough into the bedrock to get below potential leaks. A steam engine was hauled in, and set up at the base of the "Rock Dam" to move the tons of concrete and steel that would be required. Once the foundation was securely attached to the granite bedrock, construction was started on the massive buttresses that would bear the full weight of the lake. By the time the dam was finished in 1912, it stood 72 feet high. In spite of everything, Eastwood finished his dam on schedule at a total cost of $138,000. It was only 20 feet higher than the old Rock Dam, but it increased the holding capacity of the lake by 3 times. Eleven years after the completion of the Eastwood Dam, the bridge was added. San Bernardino requested an easement across the top of the new dam for a new road along the south shore into the "Village". The bridge and the new road cut travel time to Big Bear Village by almost an hour.
On to Lake Arrowhead