Former Apple Valley Buffalo Trading Post building could be demolished for new development
After nearly 70 years, the iconic Buffalo Trading Post building in Apple Valley will be demolished once a developer begins construction on a shopping center that has yet to be approved.
The building that once housed the former trading post on the southeast corner of Rancherias Road and Highway 18 was best known for its large buffalo sign and totem poles, which were removed years ago.
A map of the proposed development, created by Avant Real Estate, shows the project including the town’s first Aldi grocery store, and its second Chipotle, Dutch Bros. Coffee and car wash.
The town’s first standalone express car wash, Mister Car Wash, is under construction on the northeast corner of Dale Evans Parkway and Highway 18. In July, the iconic Apple Valley Ranchos Development Company complex, built and opened in 1951 by developer Newton T. Bass, was demolished to make way for the car wash.
The office complex was Bass’ fourth office since 1946 when he and partner Bernard "Bud" Westlund formed the company.
Getting a new buffalo sign?
A private developer submitted plans to the town to entitle and develop a shopping center with various components including quick-service restaurants, a grocery store, and more, according to the Town of Apple Valley.
Town spokeswoman Sarah Krieg told the Daily Press that the project calls for the demolition of the existing building and the widening of the southeast corner of Highway 18 and Rancherias Road.
Krieg added that the project is not yet approved and is expected to be reviewed during a public hearing before the Planning Commission sometime this year.
“The private developer has indicated his desire to name the center after the former Buffalo Trading Post and to install a replicate buffalo sign as we are all familiar with,” Kreig said. “It is too early to speculate on the names of the tenants as those can change during the pre-development phase of a project.”
Both Clara’s Needless Things high-end antique store and Dave’s Carpet occupy a portion of the trading post building.
“I haven’t been told that the building will be demolished, but I’m already making plans to vacate,” said Susan Fields, owner of the antique store. “You can’t stand in the way of progress, tearing the building down is inevitable.”
Field, who has leased the unit for nearly two years, said she spent about $60,000 in tenant improvements before opening the store that features a selection of items from the U.S. and around the world.
New center Information
An information map prepared by Avant Real Estate shows several businesses at the proposed center, which includes seven stand-alone buildings, equaling nearly 45,000 square feet of retail space.
The map also includes an unmarked rectangular building at the center where the former trading post building now sits.
The new development will also sit adjacent and west of an existing shopping center, which includes Walmart, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and O’Reilly Auto Parts.
The owner of the new development is listed as HWY 18 RANCHERIAS LLC out of Orange in Southern California.
The town, who purchased the Hilltop House property, said the building’s condition was caused by previous owners and was subsequently condemned because it posed serious safety concerns.
Town leaders said they have plans to build a public structure on Bass Hill that will pay homage to its history and original iconic architectural aesthetic.
Buffalo Trading Post
The new shopping center will sit just west of the former Hilltop House, which was built by Bass in 1957 and razed last year because it had fallen into a state of disrepair.
The original Buffalo Trading Post business was established in July 1955 by Zeke and Frances Cornia, who sold Western arts and authentic Native American rugs, jewelry, pottery, and other items.
It was reported that Zeke Cornia was related to a full-blooded Algonquin, the reason he often wore Native American regalia, the Daily Press reported.
After owning an automotive reconstruction business in Long Beach, the Cornias moved to Apple Valley in 1947 and built the Black Horse Motel, while planning the trading post.
Douglas McFarland, of the famed Los Angeles architectural firm of McFarland-Bonsall, built the Southwest adobe, wood and brick building, which served as the trading post and the Cornia’s home.
Buffalo sign, totem poles
In 1960, a sign depicting a galloping buffalo, or more accurately, an American bison, was erected to advertise the business.
Over time, the sign and colorful totem poles became local landmarks and part of Apple Valley’s identity, residents said.
"It is a very identifiable, iconic piece of Apple Valley history, much like the Apple Valley Inn, the Hilltop House, or Bell Mountain," Former town spokeswoman Charlene Engeron told the Daily Press in 2019.
During Thanksgiving 1973, jewelry thieves stole $28,000 worth of turquoise from a safe at the trading post.
In 1976, Ed and Beverly Wurtele bought the trading post when the Cornias decided to retire.
During his time in Apple Valley, Zeke Cornia served as president of the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Lions Club of Apple Valley.
The Cornias were selected as honorary co-grand marshals of the 1977 Apple Valley Pow Wow Days Parade.
After the trading post transferred hands, the building was expanded for tenant space and was occupied by a bank, dental offices, a call center, and several other businesses.
In 1988, the trading post announced they had expanded to a second location at the newly opened Stater Bros. shopping center at the corner of Navajo and Bear Valley roads.
Residents outraged
In 1988, news of a San Francisco developer wanting to build a shopping center on 12 acres behind the trading post angered many residents, who said they preferred upscale stores be built. The proposed shopping center would also mean the removal of a golf driving range, the Daily Press reported.
Residents said they feared the nearby neighborhood of nice homes and the Apple Valley Country Club would be incompatible with a grocery store shopping center.
At that time, a community leader said they were not sure what could be done to a shopping center so that it would not be an “insult” to the scenic area.
Developers also considered realigning the outer highway and pulling it into the “Country Club Village” shopping center to alleviate potential traffic issues.
Shutting down the trading post
In June 1994, trading post owners David and Connie Roth shuttered the business, citing a 60% slump in revenue due to developers creating more shopping opportunities along Bear Valley Road and in Victorville.
The Roths, who were shop owners for nine years, added that their South Lake Tahoe shop with a similar theme remained busy.
The trading post was revived in 1995 by Rita Stewart-Lynum and her then-fiance DeVaughn La Bon.
The trading post also hosted book signings and fundraisers hosted by celebrities such as the late NBC weatherman Christopher Nance. Western music and movie stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evan also visited the store.
In 1997, the town’s Historical Advisory Committee considered listing the trading post building as a non-government-sanctioned historic point of interest along with the now-razed Waffle Iron building and Hilltop House.
In September 2018, realtor Kari Leon, who serves on the Town Council, and Chris Hitt, owner of Hitt Plumbing, took possession of the buffalo sign and totem poles when they heard that the new owner did not want them, according to Marcy Taylor, director of the Apple Valley Legacy Museum.
“Thanks to Kari and Chris, they saved a piece of our history,” Taylor said. “The totem poles and buffalo sign are displayed outside of Hitt Plumbing.”
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Former Apple Valley Buffalo Trading Post building could be demolished
