Santa Fe & Salt Lake Trail Monument

About

The Santa Fe and Salt Lake Trail Monument stands near historic Cajon Pass, where generations of travelers crossed the mountains between the Mojave Desert and the San Bernardino Valley. Built in 1917 by the Pioneer Society of San Bernardino, the monument honors early pioneers who traveled through the pass during the 19th century.

The marker commemorates figures including Sheldon Stoddard and Sydney P. Waite, who crossed the region during the California Gold Rush era, along with several other San Bernardino pioneers remembered by the society. The monument was later relocated when the canyon roadway changed, but it remains near the historic corridor used by wagon travelers, emigrants and later motorists.

Despite its name, historians note that the “Santa Fe and Salt Lake Trail” was not a single formally established trail under that exact name. The monument reflects the overlapping routes and pioneer traditions that passed through Cajon Pass, including portions associated with the Old Spanish Trail, Mormon Road and other westward travel routes.

Today, it serves as a small but important reminder of the long transportation history of Cajon Pass, a place that connected Indigenous travel routes, pioneer wagon roads, railroads and eventually Route 66.

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