Three Points, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Three Points, California
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Three Points welcome sign and fire-burned trees
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 Three Points, California
Location in California
Three Points, California
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time) |
| ZIP code |
93532, served by Lake Hughes
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| Area code(s) | 661 |
Three Points is a small, quiet community located in the northwest part of Los Angeles County, California. It's nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Pelona Mountains, southwest of the Antelope Valley.
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Where is Three Points?
This community sits on the northern edge of the Angeles National Forest. It's found on the east side of Oakgrove Canyon, where it opens into Pine Canyon. Three Points is about 17.5 miles (28 km) north of Castaic. It is located 3,424 feet above sea level.
In 1991, a welcome sign said 150 people lived in Three Points. By 2008, a newer sign showed the population had grown to 200.
Three Points and Lake Hughes are essentially just wide spots in the road, a few homes and businesses scattered along a dry, brushy gully that marks the course of the San Andreas fault. The combined population of the two communities is about 500.
History of Three Points
Early Days (1880s – 1970s)
Three Points was first settled by the Lafferty family in 1892. Laura May Lafferty, who was 83 in 1991, shared stories about her family. Her grandmother was a midwife, helping deliver babies. Her father, Ben Cherbbono, was a French Canadian "muleskinner." He led a team of mules that helped build the Ridge Route highway in the early 1900s. A nearby lake, Gookins Lake, was named after her mother's family.
In those days, Three Points had a one-room schoolhouse called Pine Canyon School. In 1953, Mrs. Lillie Knighton taught children aged 6 to 14 there. A large stove kept the school warm in winter. The school also served as a community center. Movies related to school lessons were shown every Thursday night, and adults could watch too.
Besides the school, a tavern was another important place for people to gather. It was known by different names over the years, like Three Point Cafe, Maxine's, and Nancy's Up the Road Cafe. Bert Gookins built it around 1912 or 1924. His grandson, Bert Hart, remembered it was once a grocery store. The restaurant and bar might have been added in the 1930s or 1940s. Sometimes, a traveling dentist would even use the building, using a drill powered by a foot pedal!
More Recent Times (1980s On)
In 1984, Michael and Anita Felix bought the cafe. They hoped to use its large outdoor area for special events. However, two years later, Anita had a heart attack. The Felixes then started leasing the cafe to other people to run.
In 1991, Maxine Martin was running the cafe. It was a mix of a bar, restaurant, social club, and even a video rental store. The inside was decorated with interesting items:
a jukebox, animal traps, rattlesnake skins, guns, old photographs, dollar bills pinned to the wall, a bottle of pickled pig feet and a sign that says “All tabs must be paid by the end of the month.”
In November 1994, the Felixes took over managing the cafe again. But they only opened it on Saturdays and Sundays. Soon after, they decided to sell it. By 2008, the old cafe building had become a private home. An old gasoline pump outside was just for decoration. The only sign of a business was an outdoor vending machine selling bottled water.
Wildfire Danger
Three Points is in a wooded valley with many pine trees. These trees can easily catch fire. The town is also near a mountain called Burnt Peak, which shows how common fires are in the area. Wildfires have threatened Three Points many times over the years.
The first story about Three Points in the Los Angeles Times newspaper was on August 24, 1927. Like many stories after it, this one was about a huge fire in the forest.
AID SENT IN BRUSH FIRE : Blaze Unchecked on Ridge Route Hundred Men and Supplies Rush to Help 700 Already on Job Flames Advance to Three Points in Pine Canyon; No Lives Menaced.
Twenty-two years later, in 1949, another fire in the canyon made the news:
A freakish south-southeast wind which sprang up suddenly yesterday afternoon sent the Sawmill Mountain fire in the Angeles National Forest raging out of control again threatening 75 homes in the Three Points settlement, 16 miles west of Lake Hughes.
In July 2004, the Times reported:
two houses burned in Three Points, a place defined by the only business in town, a little red-shingled restaurant named the Three Point Cafe. A third house in the area burned Thursday.
