Angelus Oaks was initially called Camp Angelus. In 1849 there was a big gold strike in Holcomb Valley, north of Bear Valley and near the town that was later to become Big Bear. The only way to get supplies in and the gold out was by mule trains. The mule train traveled up the Santa Ana River Canyon, stopping overnight in Seven Oaks and then took a switch back trail (Clark's Grade...still visible on the mountain across from the Angelus Oaks Lodge) up to the gold fields. Eventually, a wagon road was built to replace the mule skinner trail. But, the Santa Ana River kept washing out the wagon road within the rugged canyon, and so another, better road, known as a 'Control Road', (because traffic was allowed to proceed one-way in each direction only, with controls stationed at each end) was built in nearby Mill Creek Canyon. The "Lower Control Road" started at Mountain Home Village, in Mill Creek Canyon, and ended in Camp Angelus, at the Lodge. (The Lower Control Road later became known as Mountain Home Creek Road.) "Middle Control Road" started just east of the Lodge and meandered down to Seven Oaks. The final control road, 'Clark's Grade', went up and over the north side of the Santa Ana Canyon and into Bear Valley. The Clark Brothers, based at Clark's Ranch north and west of Seven Oaks, scratched out their control road by hand, and collected fees for its use.