An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 65

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038

USA > California > Los Angeles County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 65
USA > California > San Diego County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 65
USA > California > Orange County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 65
USA > California > San Bernardino County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 65

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

420

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

in confusion and disorder on perceiving that they were under the eyes and the guns of the foe. As a body they were demoralized, but certain individuals remained and cansed some disorder and bloodshed. Jim Greenwade, Frank Green and the Sea brothers were thus persistent, Green shooting David Coopwood in the thigh. The ruffian Green was bravely attacked in his turn by Taney Woodward, and the two men emptied their pistols at each other at short range.

This fracas took place Septe.nber 21, 1859 For days thereafter San Bernardino was a scene of lawless disorder. . There were United States troops encamped on the banks of the Santa Ana river, three miles from town, but they did not interfere, probably because they were not called upon by the civil authorities. The sheriff was powerless to quell the mob, until at last he made a general call for all citizens to unite and drive ont the intruders. This being done, peace and quiet, law and order, prevailed for a long time after.

Green subsequently met a violent death at El Monte, slain by a man whose father he had killed.

LAWLESSNE88.

1n 1859-'60, politics ran high in San Bernard- ino County. There was a strong secessionist element, to oppose which John Brown rode over the country convoking the Union men thereof to rally at the " old school-house " to form a political organization. There were present at the first meeting John Brown, Charles G. Hill, William Heap, Moses Martin, and one other man and two ladies, -- Mrs. Highmoor and Mrs. Blackburn. The meeting was inter- rupted by the advent of nineteen roughs, armed with various weapons, from clubs to cheese-knives and guns, who cursed the speaker and made other violent demonstrations, but who were finally persuaded to desist by the eloquence of John Brown, and their departure left the meeting free to continue. The Union League presently attained considerable power, and to its endeavors, in all probability, was due the local

result of the presidential election, which showed a plurality of eighty-three for Lincoln-the first success of the party in the county. " Uncle George" Lord, now a veteran eighty-seven years old, was the president of the league, and the Mrs. Higlimoor, mentioned as attending the first meeting, played the bass drumn at the rallies.

At this period a strict watch was kept in this county and in Arizona along the route to be pursued, in order to prevent from passing through the country armed bands in sympathy with, and going to the assistance of, the Con- federate forces. A regular organization for this purpose existed in Holcomb valley, being con- nected with similar leagues extending northward along the Sierra Nevada. The conditions of the section, largely populated by an immigra- tion attracted by the gold mines, were pecu- liarly fitted to protect and foster enterprises of this character.

From political differences also arose a due in 1861, between Mr. Shoalwater and C. W. Piercy, who had been elected the preceding year to represent San Bernardino County in the Assembly. Mr. Piercy was killed in this combat.

In 1861 there was so large a population gathered at the mines in Holcomb valley that the precinct, at the general election, polled a vote of 230, which was nearly as much as all the rest of the county.

The position of San Bernandino as a frontier county, and the heterogeneous elements attracted by the mines, contributed greatly to local law- lessness and disorder. Not a few of the county offices having been captured by representatives of a desperado class attracted thither by the op- portunity for crime and spoil, it became neces- sary to take proteetionary measures; and there- fore the best citizens united into a party pledged to support the law and maintain order. The county was almost bankrupted during the sea- son of misrule, which lasted about four years. In those days, and indeed, for about twelve years, no attention was paid to Whigs, Demo-

421

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

cratic or Republican proclivities in politics, men being nominated for office by their friends, ir- respective of party. As an instance of the little respect shown to " the majesty of the law" by the community at large, the following episode may be related: A man belonging to one clan or clique, stabbed to death a meinber of another clan, near Holcomb valley, and he was indicted and placed on trial at San Bernandino. Soon after the case opened fifteen men entered the court-room, heavily armed, and without remov- ing their hats, they seated themselves near the jury. Judge Boren recognized them as friends of the accused, and read their purpose in their demeanor, their hard, determined faces, and their resolution in having marclied forty iniles for the occasion. Not a word spoke the intrud- ers, paying the closest attention to the pro- ceedings. After a time, these somber visitors adjourned to a source of liquid refreshment, and the magistrate also adjourned court until the afternoon. During the recess, the authorities had time for deliberation, and the jury, under- standing that conviction of the prisoner would entail an outbreak and bloodshed, decided to acquit him, and did so.

About this time it was that J. M. Greenwade, who held the combined offices of County Clerk, Recorder and Auditor, beeaine dissatisfied with the mode of procedure of the board of supervis- ors in the transaction of county business, drew his six-shooter and cleared the room of all those functionaries. Shortly after this, the same mnan, while intoxicated, met Judge Boren unarined on the street, and, putting a pistol to the Judge's breast with one hand, with the other struck the Judge with a stick. Judge Boren retreated to where he could procure a gun, but was then prevented by the outsiders from shooting his county clerk, for which, as he has often expressed himself, he since feels profoundly content.

The winter of 1861-'62 was characterized by excessive rains, and in January, 1862, a heavy flood inundated the settlement of Agua Mansa, and the people barely escaped with their lives, fleeing homeless and beggared to the hills,

while the angry waters swept away their homes, their stock, their fields and orchards, leaving a waste of sand-beds in place of the fruitful colony.

In 1862 John Brown, Sr., established a ferry across the Colorado river.

In 1863 the census showed the county to contain 1,072 children of the age prescribed as eligible for attendance at the public schools.

In 1864-'65-'66 hydraulic gold mining was extensively carried on in the Lytle creek cañon.

During the civil war-1861-'65-there was no regular company innstered into service from San Bernardino County, although numerous in- dividuals departed from that section, to join one or the other of the combatants. For three months there was, moreover, an encampment near the timber, of two companies, which went to Texas.

The winter of 1867 is said to have been the rainiest season on record, the rain being almost continuous for six weeks, and the rainfall being twice to thrice that of the average years. The ground remained wet from this excess of mnoist- ure for some years thereafter.

In February, 1867, a company of rangers, fitted out by the citizens of San Bernardino, made an expedition to the Mohave desert, for the purpose of chastising Indians who had been committing depredations. On the 18th, this party, consisting of some fifteen men, had a battle with some 100 Indians, Chimnehuevas, Mohaves and Pah-utes, and four of the Indians were killed, one of the whites having his arm fractured by a ball.

In April, 1867, a small company on the way to Borax lake, found a rancheria of hostile In- diane, and killed its denizens, finding relies of some of the whites previously slain by these Indians.

These mauranders in this year massacred Parish, Bemis, and Whiteside, who at the time were herding their stock near the north base of the sierra; and indeed it is but of very late years that it has been safe to attempt to effect a set- tleinent or to pasture stoek near the verge of the desert.

422

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

At this period the cultivation of citrus fruits, which has since become the leading industry of the county, was practically unassayed. In all the county the only orange trees were a few- not to exceed two or three dozen-at Old San Bernardino, and three or four on Judge Boren's place at San Bernardino proper. The general idea was that at no place in the county save at Old San Bernardino was the winter elimate mild enough to spare these trees, and the sup- posed orange limit was therefore in that district; whereas present results show that the orange belt of San Bernardino County is at least forty miles long by thirty wide.

At this time, the leading industries were wheat, barley, corn, alfalfa, pumpkins, mission grapes, and deciduons fruits in inoderate quan- tity.

At this time the only mail communication was by stage-coach via Los Angeles.

San Bernardino was then the great entrepot and furnishing point for the desert mines, as well as for those of Arizona; and this coin- mercial importance continued to be hers until the traversal of the county by the Southern Pacific Railway, with its improved facilities for transportation.

In 1867, Henry Goodall, Sr., established the first brickyard in the county-still running in San Bernardino.

In 1870 " Uncle George " Lord, a pioneer in this as in many other directions, produced ab- solutely the first raisins grown and prepared in San Bernardino County. Other parties had already sold roughly-cured raisins from the Mission grapes; but Mr. Lord's raisins were from White Muscat grapes, which he raised on Lytle creek, on a farm four miles west of the town of San Bernardino. The scions of his White Muscat vines he had procured from El Monte, and he prepared the raisins after the approved regular process. On account of diffi- culties in obtaining the means of packing, he used empty cigar-boxes for that purpose, and put his goods, as a novelty, on the local market, where they sold readily at twenty-five cents per

pound. Certain parties shipped by mail a nntu- ber of boxes to the Eastern States, where, not- withstanding the flavor of tobacco with which the raisins were impregnated from the cigar- boxes, they were pronounced of superior quality.

The development of San Bernardino County has been comparatively slow, as contrasted with other portions of Southern California. The citizens here have been more conservative and less disposed to " boom " their section. The growth and development have been, however, remarkably steady and enduring. as will be seen in the divisions treating of the varions districts.

It is notable, too, as a special feature, that while San Diego and Los Angeles counties have been developed largely by capital from abroad, San Bernardino County has depended almost entirely upon home moneys and domestic re- sources. It would almost seem, indeed, as if something in the soil and atmosphere fostered and nurtured the spirit of local exploitation displayed by the early Mormon settlers, to win from the land itself the price of its improve- ment; colloquially speaking, to " make it pay its own way as it goes along."

The increase of population in the county up to 1870 was slow, it numbering in that year only 7,310 sonls. Then the era of fruit colo- nies began, and since that time the increase has been constant. The census ot 1880 gave a pop- ulation of 7,786, and in Jnly, 1888, it was deemed that 29,415 was a fair estimate, based upon the school census of that year.

The school census, including all children be- tween the ages of five and seventeen years, shows a steady increase each succeeding year, and, according to the accepted ratio between the census children and the whole number of inhab- itants, the population of the county is now about 33,000.

It is estimated that that portion of the San Bernardino valley situated south of the mount- ain range contains about 450,000 acres of arable land. Of this area, 64,410 acres are under cultivation, and the remainder either is used for

423

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

grazing purposes, or else lies as waste land, having no water available for irrigation. Of the 64,410 acres under cultivation, only 22,- 460 acres are planted to orchard and vine- yard, and from this portion the income, count- ing the citrus fruit crop harvested in the spring of 1889, and the other fruit crop harvested later in that season, amounted to $1,635,000, with an estimated income of about $2,000,000 if the citrus crop of 1889-'90 be counted with the other fruit crop of 1889.

THE OFFICIALS

of the county of San Bernardino are: State Senator, W. W. Bowers, of San Diego; Assem- blyman, E. W. Holmes, of Riverside; Judges of the Superior Court, C. W. C. Rowell and John L. Campbell; Sheriff, E. C. Seymour; County Clerk, George L. Hison; Recorder, A. S. Davidson; Auditor, W. L. G. Soule; Treas- urer, W. H. Beattie; Tax Collector, R. H. Stet- son; District Attorney, Henry Connor; School Superintendent, H. C. Brooke; Surveyor, W. C. Chamblin; Coroner, C. C. Wainwright; Pub- lic Administrator, James E. Mack; Court Com- missioner, J. C. Christy; Supervisors, J. A. Johnson, Thomas Holmes, G. W. Garcelon, George Cooley, W. H. Glass; Board of Educa- tion, J. E. Roberts, Lyman Evans, H. C. Brooke, E. P. Clarke.

THE INDIAN TRIBES

that inhabited San Bernardino County were not a few, and several of them have representatives at the present day. There are the Yumas, who dwell along the Colorado river, from its entrance into Arizona to its outlet, occupying only the river bottoms; the Yumas are so far removed from the settled districts as to belong practically to Arizona. The Serrano and Ca- huilla Indiaus have intermarried for so long a time that now the separate tribes can hardly be distinguished. They occupy divers fruitful val- leys in the vicinity of San Bernardino. The Chimehueras and Pah-utes inhabit the sterile desert country north of the San Bernardino val-

ley, rarely visiting the settlements. Already very few in number, they are rapidly becoming ex- tinct. In the early days of San Bernardino these two tribes were very troublesome to the settlers, miners, and particularly to the storkmen, owing to their predilection for stock stealing. Hence resulted contests in which no little blood was shed on both sides. During the civil war these tribes became thoroughly imbued with the spirit of outlawry, and, reinforced by renegade whites, their menaces caused serious fears of a regular attack upon the town of San Bernardino. . The Mission Indians, accustomed to whole- some restraints and guidance under the rule of the padres, found themselves homeless, helpless, and without resources or direction, on the car- rying into effect of the laws of secularization. No other influence or provision was substituted for those which they then lost, and they were left in the situation of grown-up and untrained children, so that they have for the most part lapsed into the lives of vagrants and outcasts.

The agency for the Mission Indians in this county was established in 1878, witlı Colonel S. S. Lawson as agent. In 1879-'80 there was great distress among them because of a failure of crops and scarcity of work. The agent rep. resented to the Government the imminent ap- proach of famine among them, and provision was accordingly made for feeding them until after the crisis.

Of the six or eight schools established nnder the agency one is in this county, at the Potrero near Banning. The teacher reports encouraging progress by the pupils.

The first census of the Indians in this county seems to have been taken about 1880, under the superintendence of Indian Agent Lawson, who ascertained as nearly as possible the number in each tribe. Of the Serranos, living chiefly at the Potrero, on the Colorado desert, he found only 212, all told; of the Cahnillas, living mostly in the valleys, he found 204. This is a very small proportion of the tribes, as they mostly live in San Diego County. About the only possession of value in the hands of the

424

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

Indians of San Bernardino at present is a lim- ited number of horses. Yet there has been a marked improvement in their condition since the establishment of the agency. The Indians of the varions tribes in these counties have mostly embraced Christianity, and they attend religious services at the mission chapel when they have an opportunity.

The Mission Indians' Consolidated Agency, a Federal institution, comprising some twelve Government employés, has its headquarters at Colton.

The only Indian reservation in the county is the one at Banning, which contains about 200 Indians, being known as the Morongo reserva- tion. The Government school here contains about twenty-two pupils, which is about the nsnal number belonging to these schools. The whole number of Mission Indians in the county at present is about 300.

The training in the Indian schools of this agency reach about that grade corresponding to the intermediate grade of the public schools. The division comprehended in San Diego, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties contains eight day schools tor Indians, averaging a daily attendance of eight pupils.

The remnant of the Cahnillas are mainly en- gaged in stock-raising, the other tribes in agri- culture, independently on their own lands, or as farm laborers. These Indians are almost self-sustaining. Once yearly the agency issues farming implements, distributed among the varions reservations, seventeen in number, the issne not exceeding a value of $6,000, and about $600 are expended annually in relieving the sick and indigent.

At Banning there is a training-school for In- dians, built by Miss Drexel, at a cost of $40,000. It is a three-story brick building, very complete in its appointments, built in the form of a hollow square with central courtyard. It is expected that the functions of this school will be exercised by the month of September, under the auspices of the Catholic Union Bureau at Washington, an incorporated organization. This

institution comprises sixty acres of land, set to various kinds of trees, and it is a beautiful and valuable property.

THE SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY

is the largest in the State in which the citrus and other snb-tropical fruits can be successfully raised to a perfect maturity. It is about sixty miles long east and west, with an average width north and south of fifteen miles. Within its boundaries are situated San Bernardino, Old San Bernardino, Colton, Riverside, Lugonia, Redlands, Highlands, Crafton, Ontario, Arling- ton, San Gorgonio, Rialto, Mentone, Cucamon- ga, Etiwanda and other flourishing towns and settlements. This beautiful valley embraces not less than 1,500 to 1,800 square miles of land, nearly all of which is arable, needing but the hand of industry to call into fruitful bearing its richness. These lands are of all grades, from the low, damp lands along the streamns to the high mesa lands in the foothills. The low lands as well as the damp higher lands which are found in many places, produce all kinds of crops withont irrigation. However, each product is found to be more particularly adapted to growth in certain localities, owing to the kind of soil and other peculiarities. In order to un- derstand the advantages of this valley, it is nec- cessary to know something of its formation and peculiar topographical features. On the north is the San Bernardino range of mountains, 5,000 to 7,000 feet high; on the east a low range of clay hills, whose summit is the divide of the San Gorgonio pass; on the south a low range of clay and granite hills and on the west a high mesa, forming the west bank of Lytle creek.

The natural drainage outlet of the val- ley is at the gap of the Santa Ana river's egress, in the most southern portion; thus this valley is formed into a large catchinent basin for the water-shed of a very large area of coun- try, the main drainage channel being the Santa Ana river. The soil of this wonderful valley is mainly a rich, deep loam, largely intermixed

425

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

with decomposed granite. Some of it is dark, same of a redish color, growing more and more sandy as it approaches the mountains, while the mesa lands and foothills are of a more gravelly nature. Thus it would seem that the soil is a fill or wash from the surrounding mountains, in which in many places is found a heavy black loam, growing potatoes and apples of excellence unsurpassed anywhere in the world.

The San Bernardino mountains are a barrier between fertility and sterility; on one side 1,800 square miles of the finest land on earth, on the other 23,000 square miles of desert.

San Bernardino valley produces in great per- fection, oranges, lemons, apples, pears, olives, apricots, cherries, prunes, figs, dates, quinces and grapes; vegetables, corn, wheat, oats, bar- ley, etc., grow to perfection in this high valley with its gentle slope to the southward sun. Alfalfa yields six crops per year. Flowers bloom every day in the year.

CLIMATE.

San Bernardino valley, by reason of its dis- tance from the seaboard (some seventy miles), and its position with respect to the Sierra Ne- vada and its contiguity to the great deserts on the east and north, has a climate differing in many regards from that of the coast towns, and even of places as far inland as Los Angeles. The most marked feature of difference is the greater dryness of the atmosphere, which ren- ders this climate more beneficial, than the more humid coast towns, to sufferers with pulmonary and bronchial affections.

The local peculiarities of sitnation cause the spring season here to open about a month later than in Los Angeles. Thus the trees and vines escape with less injury from the blights of occasional late frosts. The spring and fall months are the most enjoyable, the temperature being steady, the heats, even of midsummer, greatly modified by the sea breeze that every day, from eleven to two o'clock, and at sunset, blows up the valley. This breeze greatly modi. fics the effects of the heat, while not affecting 27

the record of the mercury. July, August and a part of September are the hot months, during which, from 10 A. M. to 2 P. M., the mercury ranges from 90° to 105°, and sometimes even rises to 110°. The heat, however, is dry and not oppressive, burning the skin rather than re- laxing the nervous system, as appears in the cases of parties whose business is in the desert regions, where they are exposed to a constant heat of from 110° to 125°. Sunstroke is never known in this valley. The nights are always cool, admitting almost unfailingly of a blanket for bed-covering.

Winter, or the "rain season" here, begins in November, with occasional heavy stormns of two or three days' duration, and extends over the months of December and January. During February, March and April the rainfall is much less, being of shorter duration. Excepting on the rainy days, which are few, the weather is warm enough to permit of active pursuits, clad in ordinary apparel. Frosts are of rare occur- rence, and, save the late ones, they are not de- structive if there be taken ordinary precantions for the protection of the more delicate semi- tropical fruit trees. Along the base of the hills are sections which enjoy entire immunity from frosts, so that the most sensitive plants may be raised there at all times without protection.

Here, as elsewhere in Southern California, barring the mountain districts, it rains con- siderably less in winter than it does in the East- ern States in summer. Witness the following record of rainfall in San Bernardino from July 1, 1887, to June 30, 1888:

Inches.

July

.11

January.

4.01

August.

.04

Feb. nary.

3.60

September

.09

Marcu ..

3.41

October

2.17

April.

.58

November

2,29

May.

December.

1.91

June

.03

Total,

17.76.

This is about one-half the rainfall of Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, and two-fifths that of Philadelphia. From a more complete weather record, kept at Riverside, is taken the following tabulation, comprehending the highest and low-

426

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

est temperature, the number of days in which rain fell, the rainfall in inches, the number of cloudy days, and number of clear days for each month of the year 1886:

1886

Highest Temp'ature

Lowest Av'rage Rainy Temp. Temp.

Days

The following is a table of the rainfall of each season in San Bernardino for the past twenty years, including the present season to date; and it will be interesting to note that more rain has fallen thins far this season than at any time during the twenty, except during the season of 1883-'84, when the total rainfall was 37.51 inches as against 24.23 this season. The different seasons have been kept by Sydney P. Waite, V. O.

timber and all else before them. In 1867 the rains were exceptionally heavy and continual, and the earth was saturated more deeply than had been known since the settlement of the valley, in 1852. A number of houses, hereto- fore considered on a solid basis, settled on their foundations, and fell in or were damaged.

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Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1038

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038