Arrowhead Springs Hotel a resort hotel, and during World War 2Naval Convalescent Hospital Arrowhead Springs, is near the City of Arrowhead Springs, north of San Bernardino, California. Naval Convalescent Hospital Arrowhead Springs was a U.S. Navy medical treatment facility during World War 2. The hotel/hospital has an outdoor swimming pool, 130 person theater, natural hot springs, lake, tennis courts and recreational facilities on 1,700 acres in the mountains. From 1961 to 1992, the resort hotel was the headquarters, training center and conference center of Campus Crusade for Christ. In May of 2017, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians purchased the resort. [1]
History
The land was originally home to the Yuhaaviatam clan of the Serrano people. The site has natural hot springs and on a nearby hill is an arrowhead-shaped natural landmark, which combine to give the place its English language name.
A small tuberculosis sanitarium center that had a natural steam cave and mud baths opened in 1864. A 1886 fire bunt down the sanitarium building. A new hotel was built in 1905 and at the same time, the Arrowhead Springs Company was founded selling bottled spring water, Arrowhead Springs water.
The U.S. Navy leased the resort hotel on 7.5-acre and turned it into a 149 room hospital that opened in June of 1944, also called Naval Special Hospital, Arrowhead Springs. It was opened to help with the overcrowding at the U.S. Naval Hospital at Corona. In June 1944, 500 patients were transferred from Corona to Arrowhead Springs. At the end of the war, in November 1945, when the Hospital closed over 5800 troops had been cared for at the Hospital. After the war it returned to a resort hotel.
Esther Williams made a movie, Thrill of a Romance in 1945. In 1946, the resort was purchased by the Hull group of Chicago. Then in 1946, sold to Conrad Hilton for $2 million. In 1950 Elizabeth Taylor and Conrad Hilton Jr. honeymooned at the resort. Sold again in 1951 to Hilton Hotel, then to Campus Crusade for Christ in 1961. Campus Crusade for Christ moved to Orlando, Florida in 1991. In March of 1992, the resort went for sale with no buyers.
The resort was vacant till sold to San Manuel in 2017.[2][3][4]
Gallery
First Arrowhead Springs Hotel, opened in 1864 and burnt down in 1886
Second Arrowhead Springs Hotel, opened in 1886 and burned in 1895
Third Arrowhead Springs Hotel, opened in 1905 and burned in 1939
Arrowhead Springs Hotel, circa 1907
Arrowhead Springs Resort Archway. circa 1929
Natural Arrowhead shape near Arrowhead Springs Hotel
Panorama of the Arrowhead Springs site showing the Arrowhead Hot Springs Hotel, 1908.