Summit Inn supporters rally for Route 66 diner destroyed by Blue Cut fire

Sept. 11--OAK HILLS -- Hours after the fiery monster that would become the Blue Cut fire ignited, a piece of American history -- The Summit Inn -- was lost to the fast-moving flames.

Across the region, and the country, peopled watched as news cameras captured the landmark Route 66 restaurant's scorched fate.

"I saw it on television and I just couldn't believe it," said Len Nordmann, a classic car and Route 66 artist, who was at home in Joplin, Missouri, when he heard the blaze had destroyed the diner. "History was just lost and it was terrible."

Nordmann, and a crowd of fellow lovers of the diner -- known for its ostrich egg omelets, ostrich burgers and buffalo steaks -- held a memorial and fundraiser on Saturday at its burnt-out footprint.

About three dozen classic cars and motorcycles were on display as well as several food trucks willing to give up a portion of their proceeds to help come up with the money to rebuild the historic building.

Jim Conkle, a fan and historian of the Mother Road and its history, was on hand.

He was in Phelan when he heard the news of the diner's demise.

"At first I didn't believe it because the fire was in the southern part of the (Cajon) Pass," Conkle said Saturday morning. "I kept getting calls and I kept telling people the Inn was safe. Then I saw the pictures on television and I cried."

Conkle was so moved, he immediately took to his computer and created an obituary for the restaurant that sat at the top of the pass on the east side of the northbound 15 Freeway.

Over the years celebrities were among the highway travelers to eat at the Summit Inn, including John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Pierce Brosnan, Clint Eastwood, Pearl Bailey, George Strait and Roy Rogers.

The community reaction to the loss of the restaurant was so visceral that it caught new owners, Katherine Recinos-Juarez, 23, and her brother Otto Recinos, 41, off guard.

"I knew this was a close-knit community, and even before the fire, people would come to meet me because they wanted to say hello to the new owners of the Summit Inn, but all the support we received has been amazing," Recinos-Juarez said Saturday morning.

Recinos sat with former owner, Cecil Stevens, 84, of Apple Valley, under a canopy, speaking with attendees and signing a special limited edition print Nordmann created for the event.

"Right now we're dealing with the insurance company, but we're fighting," Recinos said. "Were fighting and all of these people helping us out, they're our gloves. We aren't in this fight alone."

The siblings vowed to rebuild and hired crews to begin cleaning debris as soon as they were able to get onto the property.

However, they hit some snags, according to Joel Colombo, the architect tasked with bringing the Summit Inn back from the ashes.

The site had been contaminated, so an extensive cleaning had to be done to the property.

"And we did that," Colombo, of Wrightwood, said proudly. "Unfortunately, it's taken the lion's share of the proposed budget."

Colombo was hopeful, though, that the money necessary to complete the project will be raised. He added that he's already had a lot of input from people about what they would like to see done to the property.

"We've had people in the community express how they'd like to see it rebuilt, the City of Hesperia, the owners -- of course -- members of Route 66 associations from across the country, because it is such a historic location," Colombo said. "And we want to honor that."

The original Summit Inn opened in 1928, taking its name from the summit of the Cajon Pass between the westbound and eastbound lanes of US 66. The present site had been in operation since 1952.

"I'm so overwhelmed and grateful," said Recinos-Juarez. "And I'm glad we will be back."

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