Fawnskin, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fawnskin, California
Unincorporated community
Fawnskin
Location within San Bernardino county
Fawnskin, California Location in California Show map of California Fawnskin, California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Bernardino
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	92333
Area code(s)	909
GNIS feature ID	271110

Fawnskin is a small place in San Bernardino County, California. It's called an "unincorporated community." This means it's not officially a city with its own local government. Instead, the county helps manage it.

Fawnskin is located on the northwest side of Big Bear Valley. It sits high up in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 6,827 feet (2,081 meters) above sea level. Around 380 people live there all the time. Many other homes are vacation spots, from fancy mansions to old log cabins. Fawnskin has its own Post Office, which opened in 1918. But you have to pick up your mail there, as there is no delivery service.

Discovering Fawnskin's Past

This little community was once a popular spot for artists. Musicians, composers, and actors from Los Angeles loved to visit. In the 1800s, people traveled to Big Bear Valley through Fawnskin. They came on bumpy roads by stagecoach and later by cars. The village had other temporary names, like Bald Eagle Valley and Oso Grande.

Fawnskin has always been a favorite place for vacationers. They come to escape city life and enjoy the mountains. Hundreds of homes are built along the north shore of Big Bear Lake. Others are nestled in the forests near the San Bernardino National Forest.

How Fawnskin Got Its Name

In the 1800s, gold miners, loggers, and hunters came to the nearby Holcomb Valley. There's a story about how Fawnskin got its name. It's a mix of Native American legend and local tales. The most common story says that hunters found deer (fawn) skins drying in the sun. Because of this, the area became known as "Fawn Skin," which later became Fawnskin.

Fawnskin used to be a busy center for lakeside activities. It was a stagecoach stop and a tourist spot with hotels and restaurants. A main building in town is the Fawn Lodge, built in 1924. It is now closed. A composer named Fannie Charles Dillon started the Woodland Theater in Fawnskin in 1924. She managed it for several years.

Other important places include the Pedersen Saw Mill, west of the lodge. The old post office building is now a private home. Downtown Fawnskin has some of the oldest buildings in the Big Bear valley.

Fun Events and Nature

The Lighthouse Camp and Landing was a popular camp in the 1920s. Hanna Flat Campground and YMCA Camp Whittle are in the forest above Fawnskin. They are still popular places for summer vacations.

Fawnskin has fun events like the funny Doo-Dah Parade and the Loggers’ Jubilee. The town also has a unique way of choosing its mayor. Anyone can vote for the Fawnskin Mayor as many times as they want. Each vote costs a quarter. The candidate who raises the most money wins. So, the town "buys" its politicians! Today, the mayoral race helps raise money for the North Shore Improvement Association. Billy Van Vugt is the current mayor.

Fawnskin is a special protected home for golden and American bald eagles. Bald eagles are usually seen in Big Bear Valley from November to April. But a pair of eagles live there all year. You can watch them live on the Friends of Big Bear Valley Eagle Cam.

In 1998, the Big Bear Discovery Center was built. It's a large center that teaches about nature. It is run by the US Forest Service and the San Bernardino National Forest Association.

Fawnskin's Weather

Fawnskin has a mountain climate. Here's a look at the average temperatures and how much rain and snow it gets:

People Who Live in Fawnskin

Many interesting people live in Fawnskin. Several writers call it home, including William Sarabande. Jordan Romero, who climbed Mount Everest when he was only 13 years old, is also known as one of the "Fawnskin Folks."

Actress and singer Shirley Jones and her husband, actor Marty Ingels, also owned a home in Fawnskin. In 2001, they bought land and created Fawn Park in downtown Fawnskin. It was closed for a while but reopened in 2011. It now has a special memorial for those who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Some homeowners in Fawnskin don't want more buildings in the area. They want to "Keep Fawnskin Funky" because they like its unique charm. The North Shore Improvement Association (NSIA) works to improve the area.

This small mountain town has several parks. These include the historic Old Miller School House Park, Dana Point Park, and the Don Conroy Memorial Park. The community also has a Moose Lodge, a restaurant, and a Buddhist temple. There are no churches in Fawnskin. The Big Bear Solar Observatory, which studies the sun, is located nearby.

Fawnskin in Movies and TV

Fawnskin has been a popular place for filming movies and TV shows.

• The 1958 movie Giant from the Unknown was filmed here.
• Hallmark's Angel in the Family and Doctor Dolittle II also used Fawnskin as a setting.
• The 1999 movie The Insider, which was nominated for an Academy Award, filmed scenes in Fawnskin.
• Many scenes from the TV show Columbo: Murder by the Book (1971) were filmed here.
• An episode of Perry Mason called "The Case of the Violent Village" was also filmed in Fawnskin.
• The low-budget horror-comedy Jack Frost (1997 film) was filmed in Fawnskin. Much of the action happened around Fawnskin Lodge.
• A 2003 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was set in Jackpot, Nevada. But the scenes were actually filmed in Fawnskin. This brought about $150,000 to the community.

Local News and Publications

News and activities in Fawnskin have been shared in two local publications.

• Fawnskin Folks was published in the 1920s.
• The Fawnskin Flyer started in 2005 but is no longer published.