History of Riverside County, California, Part 8

Author: Holmes, Elmer Wallace, 1841-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 845


USA > California > Riverside County > History of Riverside County, California > Part 8


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).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74


The 6,000 carloads of oranges annually shipped from Riverside made it profitable for the Salt Lake line, when planning its over- land route, in 1893, to locate the road directly through Riverside, building a magnificent cement bridge across the Santa Ana to reach the city, and giving the citizens the best service yet secured. Thus, in spite of what in the early days seemed an unfortunate situa- tion, the valley has secured such railroad facilities as are enjoyed by few. And recent developments indicate that before this volume shall be on the library shelves, still further advantages in this direc- tion will have been secured.


The growth of the place during these years had tempted the investment of capital in other lines than those above referred to. Tracts adjacent to the city were subdivided, and to make these accessible several street car lines were projected, most of which were so premature as to involve loss to the promoters. An improve- ment company was organized by local capitalists, which secured the site for a grand hotel to be erected on a spur of Rubidoux mountain, overlooking the entire valley. Some $80,000 was ex- pended upon this undertaking, the rocky summit being blasted out 5


Digitized by Google


70


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


for a foundation and the first story framed and boarded, when the financial storm which brought ruin to so many swept over the country and swamped the undertaking. The building was torn down, and the city reservoir now occupies the spot where sanguine citizens had hoped to see a million-dollar hotel located.


An auxiliary undertaking connected with the above scheme was the securing of an artesian domestic water system, which was soon sold to the Riverside Water company for a nominal price, and has proved of incalculable value to the city from a health point of view. A. S. White, Dr. Joseph and J. T. Jarvis, O. T. Dyer, J. G. North and E. Rosenthal were the prominent members of these improvement companies, and were heavy losers through their connection with them.


These subdivision and hotel schemes tempted to other ven- tures called for as a result of their undertaking. The first street car line was built by W. A. Hayt, A. S. White, and others, to con- nect their east side lots with the business center, and the proposed hotel with the railroad station. It started from Fourth street and ran over Park avenue to Eighth, down Eighth to Main, along Main to Tenth, and down that street to a point near the proposed Rubi- doux hotel. J. A. Studebaker and his brother William secured a franchise for a car line to run up Eighth street, from Main to Grand View and Sedgwick streets. Thomas Bakewell was the first to undertake to build a car line down the valley, his road running down Main and Prospect streets and up a steep grade out of the arroyo, in front of where the Polytechnic High school now stands, by North street, Bandini and Brockton to Magnolia. Mules were the motive power for these lines, supplemented by human help in emergencies. A story is told that illustrates the accommodating spirit of the management at that time. It is alleged that a man who was in danger of missing a train prevailed upon the driver of the hourly car, as it jangled southerly on Main street without a passenger, to unhitch his mules, attach them to the other end of the car, and take him to the Santa Fe station. The historian doesn't vouch for the truth of the story, but he is tempted to accept it when he recalls having seen a Southern Pacific conductor stop and back up his train, after he had started from the Los Angeles station on his four-hour trip to the terminus at Colton, to accom- modate a belated passenger whom he saw coming down Commer-


Digitized by Google


71


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


cial street. But that train was advertised as an "accommodation train," while the passengers on the early Riverside cars had often patiently to accommodate themselves to the idiosyncrasies of often overworked and balky mules, or mulish drivers.


But all these various and unprofitable car lines were finally consolidated, when F. A. Miller and S. C. Evans took them in hand, and, eliminating the worthless, undertook to combine the remainder into a complete electric system. But for a long time the income did not meet the expenses of operation, and when the debt had grown to a dangerous sum, the system was practically given to H. E. Huntington, who gradually improved the service until he sold it to the Southern Pacific, who have made it a part of the great Pacific Electric system of Los Angeles, with which it will be shortly connected by way of Corona and the Santa Ana canyon. It is already one of the best local systems in the state, serving not only the business section of the city, but bringing into close relations Arlington, Highgrove, Victoria avenue, Fairmount Park and Bloomington, with a certainty of early extension to Col- ton, San Bernardino, Redlands and Rialto. The Bloomington and Rialto section is an independent line, owned by the stockholders of the Riverside Portland Cement company, whose works are at Crest- more, but is operated in connection with the Pacific Electric line. Few larger cities of the state have a more satisfactory service.


. The first fruit cannery was built and put in operation in 1882, employing, according to Mr. Roe, some 200 hands. It is certain that there was much more deciduous fruit grown here then than there is at present, since shortly after commencing operations it handled over thirty tons of fresh fruit daily. The average pack for a time amounted to about 8,000 cans a day. The growing of peaches, apricots, etc., being largely given up for orange growing, and the consequent absence of a sufficient quantity to warrant the cannery's operations, it was subsequently moved where such fruit was more abundantly grown or was within easier reach by rail. Recent conditions have shown that it was a serious mistake to plant oranges where deciduous fruit would yield more certain, if not larger, returns.


Riverside citizens were conspicuous among the political can- didates in the fall campaign. H. M. Streeter had served so accept- ably as assemblyman that the Republicans selected him as their


Digitized by Google


72


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


candidate for the state senate, but his Democratic opponent, Mr. Wolfskill of San Diego, defeated him at the November election. James Bettner was made the Democratic candidate for the assem- bly, but the Republicans succeeded in electing his opponent, Tru- man Reeves of San Bernardino. A. P. Johnson was chosen county supervisor over his Democratic neighbor, P. S. Russell. M. V. Wright was complimented by being named as the Prohibition can- didate for congress, and Dr. John Hall as their candidate for the assembly.


The population of the valley in January, 1883, had reached . fully 3,000, and the need of a local government was generally felt. The strongest influence impelling action regarding incor- poration as a city was the desire to make use of the power recently given municipal authorities to fix water rates, and another object which appealed to many was the desire to regulate the liquor traffic, regarding which the San Bernardino county officials were too conservative. Besides these reasons there was the desire to make better streets and other improvements which could not be so successfully carried forward by private effort. Because it was necessary to control the water question the entire valley was in- cluded in the corporate limits, and this caused bitter opposition on the part of many citizens in the lower part of the valley. The first meeting to discuss the advisability of securing a city govern- ment was held on the 12th of May. B. D. Burt presided and L. M. Holt acted as secretary. Messrs. William Finch, B. F. White, A. P. Johnson, J. E. Cutter, James Bettner, E. Caldwell, H. B. Everest, H. M. Beers and others were participants in the discussion, which resulted in the selection of a committee to secure the neces- sary petition. The county supervisors ordered the election held on the 25th of September, and the result was favorable by a vote of 228 to 147. At this election Hon. B. F. White, Capt. B. B. Handy, H. B. Haynes, A. J. Twogood and A. B. Derby were elected trus- tees; B. D. Burt, treasurer; and T. H. B. Chamberlin, city clerk. W. W. Noland was appointed city marshal; E. Conway, city re- corder; G. O. Newman, engineer. On the 27th of October the cer- tificate of the secretary of state was received, and Riverside was a "city of the sixth class." The trustees held their first meeting in the building on Eighth street, next to the Evans block.


No sooner had the organization of the city been effected than


Digitized by Google


73


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


Mr. Evans, president of the water company, instituted a suit against it, to determine the right to fix irrigating water rates. All of the 400 water users were made defendants. The company demanded 15 cents an inch, instead of the 71/2 cents previously charged, al- leging that that rate was required to cover running expenses and a fund to maintain the system. Mr. Evans refused to make neces- sary repairs; the orchardists were sometimes compelled to wait two months or more for water, to the detriment of their property; the system was endangered and prospective settlers were driven away in consequence. The citizens were disposed to buy the com- pany's property, but thought the price of $226,000 too high, and the suit dragged in the courts.


The second matter which came up for consideration at this first meeting was presented by Mrs. N. P. J. Button, who appeared in behalf of the women of the city, to request that the liquor saloons be compelled to pay a license fee of $100 a month. It is a matter of interest to note in this connection that there were other radical temperance people here in those days, for at a meet- ing in the following year, F. A. Miller and L. M. Holt appeared as spokesmen for citizens who asked that saloons be compelled to pay a license which would amount to some $6,000 a year.


For three years the rainfall had been extremely light, that of the last being less than three inches for the entire twelve months. But '84 was "the year of the flood," twenty-four inches falling. Frequent heavy rains during the winter destroyed the county and railroad bridges, shutting off all communication for weeks with the outside world. The irrigating canals and bridges were everywhere badly damaged, and the then unpaved streets a sea of mud. The orange crop was exceptionally fine in quality, but it either rotted upon the trees or spoiled in the packing-houses, even when packed, for the Santa Ana bridges as well as the Temecula Canyon rail- road were destroyed. The long-continued storms caused Lake Elsinore to overflow through the Temescal canyon. The strange conditions did not end with the winter, for in August there came a terrific "cloudburst" and hailstorm, during which four inches of rain fell in an hour or more. The water in the streets was so deep as to make them like rivers, the orchards everywhere badly washed, and probably fully 50 per cent of the next year's oranges so badly


Digitized by Google


74


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


cut and marked by the hail as to greatly reduce their quantity and value.


The conditions in March made it necessary to give up all thought of holding the annual citrus fair, and this was given up. L. M. Holt of the Press had interested the people of the entire state in the first irrigation convention, which was called to meet at the time of the fair. This was postponed until May, when there were present most of the prominent men of the state who were interested in horticulture and irrigation. Hon. J. W. North pre- sided, and the affair proved of great value because of the discus- sions participated in by scientific and practical men, and which were afterwards extensively published.


At the first regular city election, held April 14, 1884, Martin Hoover and A. J. Twogood were elected trustees for four years, and B. F. White, B. B. Handy and W. P. Russell for two years. On the opposing ticket were F. J. Hall, S. R. Magee, W. H. Ball, M. F. Bixler and H. A. Westbrook. In spite of the fact that the first city tax rate was only 50 cents on the $100, the opponents of the city incorporation immediately brought suit, in the name of James Bettner and F. J. Hall, to test the legality of the city organ- ization, but the court affirmed its legality.


The death of Hon. B. F. White, as the result of an accident while engaged in his official duties, created a vacancy on the city board which was filled by the choice of O. T. Johnson, who was also selected to fill Mr. White's position as acting mayor. Mr. White's standing in the community is shown by the fact that he was head of the city government, president of the Citrus Fair As- sociation, the Riverside Water Company, the school board, and trus- tee of the Riverside Fruit Company and of the Congregational church. His funeral was held in the fair pavilion. The resigna- tion of A. J. Twogood at this time led to the selection of E. W. Holmes as a city trustee. E. Conway was made recorder and Dr. E. H. Way selected as chairman of the board of health.


It was in the fall of 1884 that the first regular packing-houses were established. Before that time the growers generally packed their own fruit, or the commission men bought and packed it. This season Griffin & Skelley started a packing establishment, and were the most prominent dealers for years. H. C. Hemenway & Co. also started in the business, George H. Fullerton being the local


-


Digitized by Google


75


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


member of the firm. A. J. and D. C. Twogood opened a packing house on Market street the following season, J. G. Kyle being their house manager, and the Riverside Fruit Co., of which B. D. Burt was president, also did some packing.


Our annual citrus fair had already attracted an almost nation- wide interest, not only because of the beauty of the display and the quality of the fruit exhibited, but because of the practical study given to all questions of interest to the horticulturist, and espe- cially to the careful scientific study of the characteristics and qual- ity of the varieties shown, methods of cultivation, etc. This study was not confined to the citrus fruits, but to the raisin, olive and other products. The fair of 1885 was an unusually successful one in every respect, and attracted wide attention from fruit dealers everywhere, as well as of the general public.


There had always prevailed in the eastern fruit trade, centered in the great cities, an opinion that only in Florida and the Mediter- ranean country could there be grown a perfect orange, and this prejudice had been strengthened by the few specimens of the thick- skinned seedling oranges and lemons which were first sent from California to the Atlantic coast. Indeed, there were many here who shared this notion, and questioned the wisdom of contesting with Florida the matter of superiority. With many, the tender, juicy, acid-free product of the Indian river section was near perfec- tion. But there were others who believed that the more beautiful, fragrant, firmer-textured Riverside orange had no superior as a marketing fruit, and took the first good opportunity to test the matter.


This was afforded at the World's Fair at New Orleans, where handsome prizes were offered for an exhibit of fruit from all the orange-growing sections of the world. The judges appointed were none of them Californians, but they were expert and competent judges. H. J. Rudisill and James Bettner took the lead in secur- ing a suitable exhibit from Riverside, and went to New Orleans to arrange it. Some eighty Riverside growers contributed fruit and funds. The primitive railway accommodations of those times made it difficult to compete with Florida, so much nearer, but the result proved the exceptional keeping quality of our fruit. Flor- ida's proximity and larger variety enabled her to carry off the honor of the largest display, but where appearance and quality


Digitized by Google


76


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


counted she was, to her surprise, thoroughly outclassed. Riverside carried off the first prizes for appearance and quality, receiving a gold medal and $100 for best oranges against the world; a gold medal and $100 for best oranges grown in the United States; a gold medal and $100 for best oranges grown in California, and the first prize, a silver medal and $25, for best lemons grown in the world. The Riverside fruit covered sixteen tables and was con- tained in 2,500 plates, but so much was drawn from individual offerings to make up the main display that few personal prizes were won, those being awarded to James Bettner, H. J. Rudisill, W. N. Mann, P. D. Cover, Perley & Patee, G. W. Garcelon, D. H. Burnham, W. H. Backus and E. W. Holmes. This result was a surprise to the fruit dealers of the country and opened the way to enlarged markets.


The honors so splendidly won at the New Orleans World's Fair would prove of little practical benefit if not used as a means of advertising the possibilities and attractiveness of Riverside. There was also need of obtaining a larger market for our rapidly increasing orange crop. Appreciating this, that energetic boomer, L. M. Holt, at that time editor of the Press, secured the co-opera- tion of the citizens of Riverside, Pasadena, Alhambra and Santa Ana, and organized an association for the purpose of holding a great citrus fair at Chicago in the following 'spring. Los Angeles, which city reaped the larger benefit from this exposition, contrib- uted little or nothing toward it, and Redlands, Ontario, Pomona and the other towns since famous, hardly had existence. The general committee in charge consisted of H. N. Rust of Pasadena, L. M. Holt of Riverside, C. Z. Culver of Santa Ana, and J. E. Clark of Los Angeles. Riverside contributed about $1,000 in cash and several carloads of oranges and other fruit, besides many growing orange trees. The largest department of the fair was occu- pied by Riverside, and was in charge of G. W. Garcelon, L. C. Waite and E. W. Holmes, assisted by W. H. Backus, A. J. Two- good, W. T. Simms and T. E. Langley. Free transportation was given by the railroads, and the train arrived in Chicago on the 17th of March, 1886, and was installed in the large Battery D ar- mory. Here, for three weeks, immense crowds of interested vis- itors rushed to examine the novel and beautiful display and listen to the lectures on Southern California, delivered almost continu-


Digitized by Google


77


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


ously by Messrs. Rust, Garcelon, Waite and Holmes. There is no doubt that this work had a remarkable result in awakening the interest in Southern California, which created the "boom" of the succeeding years, and started Los Angeles and the other towns of the south on their phenomenal growth in population and wealth. The people of San Diego refused to share in this undertaking, but took an exhibit of their own to Boston, where they showed it in the Old South church.


.


The result achieved by these fairs led the citizens of San Ber- nardino to attempt to duplicate the Chicago Fair in New York, a few years later. J. P. Clum was at the head of this exclusively San Bernardino county fair. While he hoped to make it a source of profit he depended upon contributions from Riverside, Redlands, Ontario and Colton to provide the bulk of the material required. Riverside made her contribution, the larger share, only upon the condition that one of her own citizens should have charge of the hall exhibit, and E. W. Holmes was selected for this duty. A feature of this fair was to be the use of many large potted orange and lemon trees, loaded with ripe fruit, and also rare desert plants, minerals, etc. A severe cold spell, while the trees were en route, so injured them as to lessen their beauty, and made this feature of the exhibition less effective than was anticipated. The fair, held on Broadway, continued for several weeks, and was the means of making the fruit dealers of this great center of distribution acquainted with the excellence of our oranges and lemons, and open a way for their introduction, when the great Florida breeze com- pelled the trade to seek other source of supply, but the affair was not a success financially ..


Our local citrus fairs continued to be held until the burning of our fair pavilion, after which similar fairs were held in the neighboring cities of Colton and San Bernardino, and finally in Los Angeles, in all of which Riverside took a prominent part. As the years passed appeared the temptation to use them more largely as a means of booming the real estate interests of the various dis- tricts, and to subordinate the horticultural objects which were the original purpose of these exhibitions. But the beauty and mag- nitude of the displays made them attractive to the tourists, now in- creasingly in evidence.


In these great State Fairs, held for several years at Hazard's


Digitized by Google


-


:


:


78


HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY


pavilion in Los Angeles, where Riverside had few representatives upon the managing committee and therefore little to do with the selection of the judges, she was given the fairest opportunity to demonstrate her right to rank first among the fruit-growing sec- tions of the state. The list of Riverside citizens who contributed to the successes of those days is too long for use, and, indeed, only the prominent prizewinners can be mentioned here. These are: William H. Backus, J. S. Castleman, G. W. Garcelon, J. E. Cutter, D. W. McLeod, H. A. Puls, Seneca La Rue, M. B. Ogden and many others. Mr. Backus deserves to head the list for the reason that he alone never failed to represent Riverside, and invariably won the highest honors for the perfection of his fruit and the tasteful- ness of its arrangement. When the craze for immense decorative effects changed greatly the character of the fairs, he steadily depended for success upon a purely horticultural exhibit, and when in one season Riverside, Santa Ana and Orange declined to par- ticipate because of their dislike to' entering into contests where pagoda-like structures were substituted for legitimate fruit exhibi- tions, he took down fruit grown entirely upon his thirteen-acre ranch on Jurupa avenue, and won for the quality and appearance of his oranges and raisins six first, one second and two third prizes, aggregating $345 in money. This was a better showing than some entire counties were able to make. Considering his suc- cess during the entire period when these horticultural contests were in vogue, he seems to deserve being placed in the first rank among Riverside fruit-growers.


The last year in which Riverside was a part of San Bernardino county, her exhibit at the State Fair enabled that county to win the first prize of $400 for best county exhibit, and the locality and individual premiums of Riverside alone consisted of twenty-one first prizes, two second prizes and one third prize for superior quality and arrangement, which was three more than all the rest of the state obtained. Riverside received directly $865, while the county exhibits won $480. The entire county won $1,810 in prizes, while the total won by the rest of the state footed up but $1,120. Cer- tainly such a record justifies the claim that Riverside is the center of California's citrus industry. Many of her citizens hold among their treasures medals won later at the World's Fair at Chicago, and at the Mid-Winter Fair at San Francisco on the following year.


Digitized by Google


- - -


--- ---


CHAPTER V. THE DAWNING OF A NEW ERA (CONCLUDED) By E. W. Holmes


The early '80s saw a wonderful advance in all business and 2 horticultural activities, Riverside sharing in the common growth of the country, though never experiencing a merely speculative growth, such as led to a reaction in some sections. Her wealth was produced by her own orchards, and less than in most other towns were the improvements due to the use of outside capital. It was during these years that all the towns which are now in- cluded in Riverside county were laid out. Elsinore, with which William Collier of this city had most to do at its inception; San Jacinto, Perris, Beaumont and Banning, and lastly of those which were laid out at this stage of our growth, South Riverside, now known as Corona, which is rapidly becoming prominent among the best of the younger Southern California cities. In these times Riverside's thickly settled sections were enlarged by numerous subdivisions, among the first of these being that laid out on the East Side by White, Hayt and Sylvester. It was to make this and other tracts accessible that the various street car lines werc projected.


Riverside has been a prolific field for newspaper enterprise. Though many have been deserving only two survive the Press and the Enterprise. The first named has been successful throughout the thirty-seven years, both financially and in a journalistic way. The pioneer publisher was J. H. Roe, and the next owner was L. M. Holt, who made it conspicuous as an authority in horticulture as well as an excellent local weekly. Then M. V. Sweesey and Robert Hornbeck, each had possession of the establishment for a short time. But it was not until 1888 that it came to have the character and influence it has ever since maintained among the prominent journals of the state. J. A. and William Studebaker had, in 1883, started a weekly paper which was called the Valley Echo. This was consolidated with the Riverside Independent in 1884, and pur-




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.