Switzer's Camp

USA / California / La Canada Flintridge /
 waterfall, ruins, campsite / caravan site, place with historical importance
 Upload a photo
Honeymoon campsite of R. Waterman and his bride in 1883. They provided the financial backing for their associate Perry Switzer to build a "rustic" resort the following year. A forest fire in 1896 destroyed several cabins. In 1911 J.R. Phillips acquired the failing business and built it back up, more successful than ever. For the next two decades this weekend retreat was well known to the leading citizens of Pasadena. The great flood of March 1938 was even more damaging than the fire had been, washing away the one mile paved road that connected the camp to Angeles Crest Highway. The "camp" struggled on into the 1950s under the name Switzer-Land. The stone chapel right above the waterfall was the last structure standing until it was demolished as a safety hazard by the U.S. Forest Service. What little is left of the resort is now shown on USFS maps as Commodore Switzer Trail Camp. CAUTION: the waterfall, a 60 foot free fall to the rocks below, is completely invisible from above. Over the years, many hikers have fallen to their death while attempting to look over the edge.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arroyo_Seco
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   34°15'31"N   118°9'18"W

Comments

  • Correction: Switzer's Camp was purchased in 1911 by Lloyd B Austin and his wife. The Austins' son worked for them as a mule skinner, packing supplies and guests from the base in Pasadena to the camp, which was renamed Switzer Land.
  • Thanks for the corrected info. Taking my scouts up there and wanted to find the background history of the camp. Everything else I read said that Lloyd Austin purchased it. The reference to Phillips threw me.
This article was last modified 5 months ago