The W.A. Dodrill family, originally from England, settled in 1916 in Mint Canyon, along
Sierra Highway, just north of the small community of Sleepy Valley. They built a roadside
service station they called the "Oaks Garage" and sold Standard brand gasoline.
Initially the garage was a wooden building that included a snack counter. The family lived behind
it in a tent-covered home, a common form of temporary shelter at the time.
In the early 1920s the Dodrills trucked in boulders from a quarry in Quartz Hill. They
expanded on the structure, building a diner that ajoined the garage, and walled in both of them
with the rocks — creating what would be known colloquially as the "rock house.".
By the 1960s the building was functioning as a roadside diner with a counter/bar and tables
inside. In 1971 the diner featured prominently in the the first film Steven Spielberg would produce,
"Duel." Nominated for an Academy Award, it starred Dennis Weaver.
In 1980 the derelict building and ajoining property was purchased by Juan Alonso, who
transformed the rock house into Le Chene French Cuisine, a prominent, upscale and successful
restaurant. Alonso's holdings included the Sierra Pelona Motel, north of the restaurant, and
property he planted as vineyards.
