Our History
The history of Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins begins in the early 1900′s in a place soon discovered for its natural beauty in a forest setting atop the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. Back then Twin Peaks was known as “Strawberry Flats”, one of the few places in the hilly Lake Arrowhead communities that had level ground. This wooded area happened to be centrally located between the nearby burgeoning mountain towns. The U.S. Forest Service chose this flat land as an ideal spot for the department to build its headquarters which included housing for the Forest Rangers and summer staff.
Soon there was a need for a year-round General Store and Post Office, so these additional cabins were built on the grounds near the current site of Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabin’s Swimming Pool. Close to that location, the Indian Outpost Cabin was built in the 1930′s by the Conservation Corps to house summer staff. The former site of the first Forest Ranger’s house later became The Winter Ski Chalet Cabin but, unfortunately, the log cabin was destroyed in a fire in the early 1960′s. Today you’ll find a few of the original antiques in some of our cabins.
Sadly in 1948, the General Store and Post Office burned down due to a devastating electrical fire. It was then when a couple, Fred and Helen Dowd negotiated with the U.S. Forest Service to take over the lease for the cabins and lodges. Deciding to make it a destination mountain resort, the Dowds named it Arrowhead Road Resort because it was located on California State Hwy-189, the only road at the time to drive to Lake Arrowhead. By the 1960′s, the Dowds purchased the land from the U.S. Forest Service and soon built more cabins to expand the resort. For years the Dowds hosted guests worldwide, but in 1989 Fred passed away. Helen, through the prompting of her children, decided to sell the resort to David and Tricia Dufour, and then Helen retired to Arizona.
Our current history starts with David and Tricia Dufour moving to Twin Peaks in 1979. David was working as a General Contractor when the Arrowhead Road Resort became available for sale. While visiting a friend in one of the resort’s cabins, Tricia met Helen who happily offered to show her the grounds. Tricia and David had been living down the road for 13 years, yet they had no idea that the property was so expansive. The Dufours instantly fell in love with the property with its historic cabins and lodges built of knotty pine interiors and rustic charm, and in 1993 they purchased Arrowhead Road Resort.
So how did Arrowhead Road Resort become Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins? While on vacation in northern California several years earlier, Tricia found a pine cone that to her resembled a Rose. She affectionately called the tree it fell from a Pine Rose Tree and kept the Rose Pine Cone as a memento. Ironically, when the Dufours purchased the resort, Tricia was amazed when she discovered her very own “Pine Rose” tree on the corner of the property just outside of the front office. The tree is a Deodar Cedar Tree, but to Tricia, it’s a Pine Rose Tree; thus lovingly she renamed the resort to Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins.
For 20+ years, Tricia and David Dufour have poured their hearts into the historical mountain resort that is now Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins. Tricia, a creative interior designer, and David a talented builder are constantly improving and updating the property. David incorporated a beautiful Koi Pond and added lovely streams throughout the resort. In 2007 he added more ponds and streams to create a unique setting for their daughter’s wedding. Our ponds and streams are what makes us a unique cabin resort in the Lake Arrowhead communities. We are a pet-friendly resort, so you can bring the whole family on your next family vacation. Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins is the ideal mountain resort that offers a fun atmosphere for friends and families to enjoy and make memories, just as it has done for the past 60 years. We hope you have enjoyed our history and we hope you’ll be a part of our Pine Rose family that call us their home away from home.
We hope you enjoy your stay!
Tricia and David Dufour