Traveling out west during the 19th century, prior to the arrival of the railroads was dusty, bumpy, and downright slow. Not only was the average speed of a wagon rambling along a “good” road no more than 3 or 4 mph, but the exhausted animals doing all of the work needed to rest every few hours. Combine that rate of speed with the fact that everyone — man and beast — could go only so long without fueling up with grub. That is what made the few scattered ranches along the travel route, known as “way stations,” a welcome site.
As the primary corridor bridging the Mojave Desert and the San Bernardino Valley, the Cajon Pass hosted several of these stops along John Brown’s toll road, which parallels old Route 66. The spots greeted weary travelers between 1861 and the early 1880s — local newspapers of the day raved about them.
Starting at the mouth of the Cajon Pass, east of what is now Glen Helen Park in Devore, was Martin’s Station. George and Sarah Martin established their ranch during the late 1850s and over the next two decades military reports, diary entries and newspapers indicated that just about everyone heading toward the desert from either Los Angeles or San Bernardino stopped there.
William H. Jackson noted in his diary of 1867: “At Martin’s, a comfortable looking little place, found good water and wood. Baked up bread and had a good hot supper.”
The San Bernardino Daily Times of May 18, 1880, made Martin’s Station — by then no longer owned by the family but still retaining the name — out to be somewhat of a swank pioneer nightclub.
“There will be a party given at Martin’s Station in the Cajon Pass on Friday evening next, which promises to be one of these regular jolly times which seem to…