San Bernardino County history: Giant Rock – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Giant Rock, located near Landers, is approximately seven stories high and covers almost 6,000 square feet.

For thousands of years, the towering boulder served as a landmark and gathering place where Native American tribes from across the desert convened to celebrate the changing seasons.

Giant Rock stood for millions of years without alteration until the 1920s. Frank Critzer acquired squatter’s rights to the rock and used dynamite to carve out a small home beneath the boulder. He built roads near his home, constructed an airplane landing strip, and even attached a radio antenna to the top of Giant Rock.

During World War II, Critzer was suspected of being a German spy. According to local news reports at the time, U.S. Customs officials investigated Critzer in 1938 and found hangars camouflaged by a giant canvas cover, but never found anything illegal.

Although the exact details remain unclear, on July 24, 1942, three sheriff’s deputies came to question Critzer. Reportedly, Critzer barricaded himself in his home and the deputies lobbed a tear gas canister inside and accidentally ignited Critzer’s explosives, which killed him.

In the end, Critzer was not a spy, but someone who wanted to be left alone to live under a rock. Three years after Critzer’s death, his friend George Van Tassel requested a homestead on the property. Van Tassel opened the airfield and built a small café.

In 1953, Van Tassel claimed that he encountered extraterrestrials at Giant Rock when an alien woke him up and took him aboard a spacecraft. He wrote six books about his experience, including “I Rode a Flying Saucer.” He also held an annual UFO convention at Giant Rock, which attracted 11,000 attendees.

Today, Giant Rock remains empty with a chunk of rock split off from the bottom to reveal a white granite interior.

The information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.

Additional County Update News – March 20, 2025