Bear Valley Dam
Posted by: 
geobwong2k
N 34° 14.524 W 116° 58.574
11S E 502188 N 3788996
The Bear Valley Dam that was built in 1912 replaced the Old Bear Valley Dam that was built in 1884. This dam holds back the water to form Big Bear Lake.
Waymark Code: WM1HR6
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2007
Views: 80
The original Bear Valley Dam was built in 1884 by Frank E. Brown to capture water for irrigation. The single arch granite dam created the largest man-made body of water at the time.
Years of above average snowfall drove the Big Bear Municipal Water District to start designing a newer larger dam. The result was a multiple arch dam downstream from the old bear valley dam. The new dam, completed in 1912, is the dam that we see today. The old bear valley dam is generally underwater, because of the new larger dam.
There are three plaques that you can view when visiting the dam. On the downstream side, there is a plaque from the American Society of Civil Engineers and a dedication plaque from the Big Bear Municipal Water District. From this location, you can see the downstream side of the dam. Cross the dam and there is a parking area where the California Historical Landmark plaque is located. This parking area provides a good view of the dam and the lake itself.
Fishing is allowed from the banks, but not from the dam.
The dam is cordoned off to prevent boaters from getting too close to the dam.
The Big Bear Municipal Water District maintains a
web page describing the dam's history.