At the top of Black Star canyon, which got its name from coal mining, is what's left of a couple of one room stone cabins built by Joseph A. Beek back in the 1930s.  Beek and his family left the Newport Beach area where they ran the Balboa ferry to spend quiet weekends at the top of the world, looking down on the Santa Ana Valley to the west and Corona and mighty San Gorgonio and San Jacinto mountains to the east.   It is crumbling and vandalized now but even in the cold mist you can still feel the warmth that once was there. 

These ruins are what's left of a weekend getaway place of a Mr. Joseph A. Beek, who served as the Newport Harbor Master for a short time. In 1919 he obtained the franchise for the Balboa Island Ferry which remains in the family to this day. He also served as secretary of the CA State Senate for a few years, until his death in 1968. 

The main cabin was built during the 30's, and the smaller one shortly thereafter. They were one room each. The smaller one was built for a caretaker. Although the family only used it on weekends, sometimes a caretaker would live there for up to a few months at a time. The family still goes up there occasionally, but due to constant vandalism and theft, it became impossible to maintain. 

All the coniferous trees were planted by the family. A system of cisterns can be seen around the area for water storage which made it possible to grow the trees. One cistern a little ways down from the main cabin was used as a swimming pool.