Washington, Henry, Survey Marker
historic place
In Big Bear City, California, stands the Henry Washington Survey Marker, a historic place in San Bernardino County. In 1852, Colonel Henry Washington established this marker. It served as the earliest initial point for the San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian. This began the surveying and subdivision of land across Southern California. Washington and his team of twelve men completed a four-day hike to set this point. The original monument was a twenty-five-foot pole, rising from a pile of rocks, with tin reflectors. While later surveys in 1897 and 1907 established new official initial points, Washington's original marker continues to serve as a point along the baseline. This site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 1975. The Henry Washington Survey Marker is historically significant as the foundational point for land surveys that defined Southern California.