Benjamin David Wilson discovered and named Big Bear Valley, California, after the bears that he roped and teased

It’s too bad we don’t know more about native Americans. We tend to recount history from the time the Europeans arrived, but then the indigenous peoples were without a written history to hand down, so there you go.
We do know that tribes of these people who predate the Europeans used the Big Bear area as a summer hangout and hunting ground. It must have been beautiful then—even the swampy areas-- with its pine trees and meandering streams, before the dam filled valley, just some prime real estate overall.
In the early 1800’s the nearby town at San Bernardino was settled by Mormons in the vicinity of the Spanish mission. When, in the 1840's, the San Bernardino area was hit with a series of earthquakes, the native tribe began to believe the earthquake activity was punishment meted out by the Great Spirit. He must be angry with them for allowing the white man to move onto the land. Thus began the raiding of ranches in the settlement of San Bernardino. There is some really nice Big Bear real estate that is there for sure.
The tribes stole the ranchers' cattle and destroyed their crops and barns by lighting them on fire. By 1845 the Indians would raid under the cover of night and flee back into the mountains before dawn. Benjamin David Wilson took a posse of men went on horseback over what is now Cajon Pass and pursued the Indians through Lucerne Valley. The Indians fled over the mountains but Wilson and his men followed.
Then they saw it. They never did catch the wily Indians, but they found a lovely valley full of bears. It is said Wilson and his boys roped and taunted the bears. Upon their return to their settlement in San Bernardino, Wilson named the valley Big Bear Valley. Not exactly a PETA approved event but today this is some of the best real estate in the whole state.
Benjamin David Wilson eventually became the mayor of Los Angeles. That’s where Mount Wilson got its name.
Big Bear's first ski lift was installed in 1949 at Snow Forest. Snow Summit resort began serving tourists 3 years later