Thelma's Old Time Photographs of Crystal Lake Camp Grounds

Thelma used to run the Crystal Lake campgrounds for a number of years and her archive collection of photographs, postcards, and newspaper articles were provided to the Crystal Lake Recreation Area web site so that they could be scanned in to the computer and get posted here for everyone to see and make copies from.

The hope was that none of these old photographs could be lost through time and that they continue to be used by researchers and historians and the average person to see what the campgrounds were like going back to the 1920's.

Permission was give by Thelma to allow these archives to be freely used and disseminated provided they are not used commercially.

Other collections of archived materials will either be added to this list or to new lists depending upon the scope and extent of the new archives as they come in.

-- The kitchen and store with two old vehciles parked outside.
-- 1910, Arleigh Lee, Camp Rincon, San Gabriel Canyon. Wood wagon pulled by four horses across the San Gabriel River. There are 11 people in the wagon.
-- 1934, The Big Oaks, Coldbrook Camp. Two cabins and one vehicle.
-- 1934, Alexander's Cabin, Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles County, Calif.
-- 1934, Alexander Cabin, Pioneer Cabin -- Crystal Lake (L. A. Co) camp, photograph number 82. Shows the cabin along with two people.
-- 1934, Postcard of Alexander's Cabin, Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles County, Calif. Postcard number B3991.
-- 1934, duplicate, Alexander Cabin, Pioneer Cabin -- Crystal Lake (L. A. Co) camp, photograph number 82. Shows the cabin along with two people.
-- 1934, Postcard, The Log Cabin, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Ageles National Forest. Elevation 5800 feet. 24 miles north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains. Postcard number F-8180.
-- Postcard, Rangers Headquarters, Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles Co. Calif. Postcard number 1024. Pinyon Ridge is in the background. This Ranger Station is located near the ampitheature.
-- 1909, Postcard, The Wawona Cabin, Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles County, Calif. Postcard number B3994.
-- 1909, not a duplicate but a wider view of the previous photograph, Postcard, The Wawona Cabin, Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles County, Calif. Postcard number B3995.
-- 1933, October 8, Road to Crystal Lake, Above Luckey's Rincon, San Gabriel Canyon, photograph number 109. One vehicle shown.
-- 1936, Wawona Cabin
-- South Hawkins Fire Tower, Crystal Lake Park, Elevation 7,800 Feet. Shows one individual using binoculars. Also shows one telegraph pole on the lower left.
-- More recent color photograph of South Hawkins Fire Tower. A USFS vehicle is parked in front of the tower.
-- Ampitheature with a fire going in the center and the seats packed with a lot of people. Notice that there are no extenal electric lights at the open-air facility but there is a wooden roof structure in the back of the theature.
-- Postcard, Open Air Theature, Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles County, Calif. Day time picture of the ampitheature.
-- Boy sitting in ampitheature with the Ranger Headerquarters shown in the background. There is also a mobile recreation vehcile shown parked in the campgrounds without the motorvehicle that pulls it. Photo by "e;Chas" Jones.
-- More recent color photograph of the kitchen and store with a long line of motorcycles which are all of the same make and model. These may be police vehicles since there appears to be red and blue lights mounted at the front of the motorcycles.
-- Pickup truck pulling a boat out in front of the caretaker's cabin.
-- 1933, entry and exit "Check Station" where a Ranger is handing out parking permits to people in cars.
-- More recent photograph in color shows a snow plow and other vehicles behind a wall of snow.
-- 1934, Postcard, Check Station Below Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles Co., Calif. Photograph may be number B6178.
-- 1933, Picknickers at Crystal Lake, (L. A. Co.) Camp. Photograph number 98. Someone has chipped out their initials "R. N." on the rock fireplace.
-- Postcard, Public Camp Ground, L. A. Co. Crystal Lake Camp. This shows numerous vehicles and people.
-- 1934, Crystal Lake Corral, Postcard. Horseback Riding at Crystal Lake Recreational Area. Angeles National Forest Elevation 5800 Feet. 25 miles noth of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains. Postcard number F-9576.
-- 1934, Crystal Lake Corral, photograph number T860.
-- 1934, the USFS Visitor Center as it existed which is currently (2009) in the same location. Interestingly the Visitor Center today looks much like it did back in 1934.
-- 1934, another view of the USFS Visitor Center. The building today looks remarkably the same as it did back in 1934 with the flag pole out front currently located on the left side of the building. Also today there are two trees growing along the left side of the building. The wooden storage shed behind the Center shown in this photograph has been replaced by a white natural gas tank today.
-- 1934, Postcard, Crystal Lake Park Rangers, Los Angeles County, Park Headquarters. This shows the front of the building which is just like it is today (2009.)
-- More recent and color, snow at Crystal Lake piled up against one of the work sheds at the caretaker's facility.
-- More recent and color, heavy snow among one of the work sheds.
-- More recent (in the 1960's) and color, a picture of the kitchen and store as it existed when there were two seporated buildings. The photograph was taken from the parkig lot near the Visitor Center.
-- More recent (1960's) and color, the kitchen and store as it was when it was two seporate buildings. Lots of wonderful ols cars.
-- 1934 (or possibly 1935, or 1936,) donky with three little children on it posed outside of the kitchen and store. Photograph number F5049.
-- Postcard, Public Camp Grouns, Crystal Lake Recreation Camp, Los Angeles County, Calif. Photograph number B3999. Shows the kitchen and store in the background.
-- 1935, L. A. County Store. Shows only one of the two buildings of the kitchen and store.
-- Postcard, "Let's Go" Cryastal Lake Park, Los Angeles County, shows 13 people, 11 horses, and a Ranger on the right in the line.
-- Postcard, Sandwiches and coffee at the Crystal Lake Store, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, 25 miles North of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains, Elevation 5800 feet. Photograph number F-8188. Shows the store with snow and ice.
-- Postcard, Bill Conner's Crystal Lake Store, Crystal Lake, California.
-- Postcard, Crystal Lake Store, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, Elevation 5800 feet, 25 miles north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains. Photograph F-9573.
-- 1933, First C. L. Store, Tent Store. Photograph shows 4 people and 4 horses, one of the people on horseback is wearing wide "Hollywood" chaps.
-- 1960s, color, shows the store that was located at the lake completely flooded. When the lease for running the campgrounds changed hands, the new owner of the lease and the buildings found the store as you see it in this photograph. This store used to be located at the bottom of the concrete-and-stone stair steps that are currently at the lake.
-- 1960's, faded color, shows the store at the lake not quite as badly flooded as the previous photograph. This photograph also shows a better indication of where the lake store used to be located.
-- 1960's, faded color, another look at the flooded store. This one shows the store's reflection in the sill lake water.
-- 1960's or 1970's, color, shows the lake with the floating platform and a dock holdig boats that could be rented. Also shows a large number of people, most of the women wearing single-piece bathing suits.
-- 1974, July 14, faded color, shows the inside of the Lake Store and some of the nicknacks that people could purchase from behind the glass display case. Some of the things shown in this photograph are currently on display in the existing kitchen / mini-store across from the USFS Visitor Center.
-- 1969, August 9 or September 8, faded color, Please Keep Off the Ramp! Shows the dock and shows about 24 rowboats that people could rent for a time. The other sign on the lower left can not be read but is said to contain the times at which boats can be rented and must be returned.
-- Postcard, Crystal Lake and the floating platform along with a diver on the diving board, 4 horses and 4 horseback riders. Photograph number F3056.
-- This looks like an early version of the lake store. This photograph shows the building either being constructed or being repaired.
-- Postcard, Many people at the lake and the floating platform not quite beached in the far left side of the photograph. The long dock is shown but with all of the rowboats being used out on the lake. Photograph T862.
-- Postcard, Crystal Lake Store, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, Elevation 4800 feet, 25 miles north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains. Shows the best view of the store located at the lake, situated at the base of the concrete-and-rock stairs that are currently at Crystal Lake. That store is shown flooded in other photographs so you can get an idea of what the water level is like from time to time.
-- A view of the lake and the store as seen from the concrete-and-stone stairs leading down to the lake. A lot of the tree growth included on the left and right of this photograph no longer exist, and none of the plants located at the base of the stairs behind the store still exist.
-- A distant look at the lake with the store across the way. You can see the floating platform crammed packed with people and a few rowboats on the lake. The lush pine and oak tree coverage shown in this photograph currently does not exist; the current tree coverage is much less dense.
-- A diver is caught in mid-leap from the floating platform which has had railing installed along three sides. On the far side of the photograph there is a walking trail heading up the hillside to the main dirt road that curved around that side of the lake.
-- Completed Lake Store.
-- Postcard, A Big Day and a Big Feed, Crystal Lake Camp, California. Shows a string and a reed basket with lots of fish along with two fissing rods.
-- 1931, Crystal Lake From Trail -- (L. A. Co. Camp. Shows the lake from Lake Trail (the trail still exists.) Photograph number 79, also shows "Booth photo."
-- Photograph, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, [unreadable but problably Elevation] 5800 feet, 25 miles north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains. Photograph number F-95[]1.
-- Postcard, The Store and Boathouse at Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, Elevation 5800 feet, 25 miles north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains. Photograph number F-8190.
-- Not quite a duplicate of a previous photograph, this shows the lake with many people on the shore and all of the rowboats in use. Two pickup trucks are also shown.
-- 1934, high definition photograph of many people swimming and sitting on the dock as well as sittig on the shore. Shows a good photograph of the lake store. Unfortunately part of this photograph is missing.
-- High definition photograph of many people fishing, looks like it is cold sice many are wearing jackets.
-- Another high quality photograph of many people fishing in the lake. The big boulder shown in the photograph no longer exists there. The drainage channel shown on the lower left still exists today.
-- Not quite a duplicate of a previous photograph, this shows the lake and the store as seen from the concrete-and-stone stairs leading down to the lake. Also shown is the floating platform with many people on it.
-- High quality photograph, shows the lake frozen with the docks and many of the row boats durned over for the winter.
-- A high quality view of Crystal Lake from the mountain top where many people still climb today.
-- 1912, the lake with water level very high.
-- The cover of a printed menu or a price list for the Crystal Lake Store, complete with someone's written notes in pencil.
-- Probably 1970's, color, shows a lot of people standing in one of the old wood wagons. The wagons exists in the area up until May of 2008 at which time only some of the wheels were salvaged. Soe of the old wheels are still on display at the campgrounds.
-- Faded color, probably 1970's, shows the lake with a whole lot of mud and not much water.
-- Probably 1970's, color, shows snow on the pine trees.
-- Probably 1970's, badly damaged color photograph of the lake which shows a very large butane tank as well as some wood shacks.
-- Probably 1970's, shows a pickup truck in the snow.
-- Probably 1970's, color, El Capitan, Sugar Pine, shows the name of the pine tree along with the distance to some of the trailheads.
-- Probably 1930's, shows the area in snow.
-- Postcard, probably 1930's, The End of a Perfect Day, shows a line of fish along with two people and a tent sitting in front of a camp fire. Photograph number J-40.
-- Probably 1930's, two people using a power saw to kill a very large sugar pine tree.
-- Two horses saddled.
-- 1959, Feburary, shows the area in snow.
-- Postcard, a duplicate, Crystal Lake Store, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, Elevation 5800 feet, 25 miles north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains, photograph F-9573.
-- Postcard, a duplicate, slightly damaged, Crystal Lake Store, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest, Elevation 5800 feet, 25 miles north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains, photograph F-9573.
-- Entering Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Angeles National Forest.
-- Snows a road with snow.
-- Snows the area in snow.
-- Shows the Ranger Information Station in snow. The location of the building has not changed and the current USFS Information Station looks pretty much the same today.

This is the end of the Thelma Archives and the following photographs were provided by Rubiotime John and cover a time period from around the 1960's and the 1970's. John provided these photographs as part of his own family archives.

-- Here is what the store used to look like in the same location where the new store is located across from the U. S. Forest Service Visitor Center.
-- Here is a bit of what the ampheheature looked like. As you can see, the facility hasn't changed at all over the period of time that this old photograph was taken and what it looks like today.
-- Overlooking the lake.
-- This house used to be parked right next to the lake, apparently.
-- A wood walkway used to project out into the lake at one time.
-- The lake and house / store that used to exist.

You may download all of these photographs BY CLICKING HERE and you will get a ZIP file containing the photographs.

If you want to watch a video of these photographs instead, CLICK HERE and you will be showd a slide presentation in the form of a video movie.