Norconian Resort – California’s Gold (9009)

In the mid 1920’s, Rex B. Clark, an unmatched visionary of his time, accomplished the near impossible by constructing the world-class Norconian Resort in a remote area of Southern California.

The Norconian was an immediate success and frequented by the rich elite and Hollywood’s finest. Unfortunately, the Club never made a nickel as the Stock Market crash and subsequent economic depression forced Clark to give up his dream after a ten year fight.

The story didn’t end there. The fabulous resort was converted into one of the pre-eminent Naval Hospitals in the United States; a facility that treated survivors of Pearl Harbor and pioneered the use of Penicillin, the polio vaccine and state of the art rehabilitation techniques.

Subsequently, one of the finest Naval Weapons Testing sites in the Nation and the California Rehabilitation Center, the first state funded addict treatment center in the country, called the old resort home; adding to the Norconian’s rich and fabulous history.

Huell travels to the site with Kevin Bash who is a filmmaker and historian to see this faded but beautiful structure in all its glory.