USA > California > San Bernardino County > Ingersoll's century annals of San Bernadino County, 1769-1904 : prefaced with a brief history of the state of California : supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and portraits of many of its representative people > Part 14
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 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102
Williams was naturalized as a citizen of Mexico and about 1842 married Señorita Maria de Lugo. As a wealthy ranch owner and an influential citi-
106
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
zen, he did not forget his frontier experience. Chino was a stopping place on the overland route between Yuma and the northern gold fields and when the migration to the gold mines began, Col. Williams welcomed every Ameri- can who passed that way. Many an old frontiersman was received as a brother and went on his way with replenished purse and stomach. Frequently Isaac Williams "grubstaked" miners who were hard up and provided them with horses. Several times he sent out men and supplies to meet immigrant trains who were reported by their scouts as being in want. In later years Chino was a station on the Butterfield stage route and Richard Gird still has in his possession a book which contains many signatures and autobiographies of the passers-by
Col. Isaac Williams was a fine type of the American pioneer. In ap- pearance he is said to have been tall, fine looking, courtly and yet genial in manner. Many stories are related among the "old timers" of his great generosity and kindness to all who were in need. He was an energetic busi- ness man and accumulated a large amount of property. Davis says of him :
"Isaac Williams was one of those Americans who first came to the De- partment of California, and was known by the name of Don 'Julian' from the similarity in sound of William to Julian in the ears of the Californians. He gave as one reason for his coming here that he wanted to see the setting sun in the farthest west. In June, 1846, Don Julian came on board my vessel and bought a large quantity of goods, the payment for which was to be made in the following, 1847, matanza (killing). One exceedingly hot day in August, 1847, I visited Don Julian, who was busy slaughtering cattle for hides and tallow, to meet his engagements to different supercargoes on the coast. Don Julian's home was built in the heart of a fertile valley in which were thirty thousand horned cattle, sheep and horses. It seemed to me like a young Mission with American ideas added to the ancient notions of im- provements. I found the enterprising man in the midst of the matanza, with more than a thousand head of steers slaughtered, the work to be con- tinued until two thousand or more were killed. I observed with great in- terest the 'try-pots' bubbling with the melted tallow and the manteca, the latter the delicate fat that lies between the hide and meat of the animal. He was preparing this to add to the exports of the hacienda. His income from, say two thousand five hundred steers killed, would be from the tallow and manteca, at six arrobas to the animal, 15,000 arrobas, or $25,000; add to this $5000 for the hides. This is an illustration of the income of the hacendados (ranchers), proportionate to the number of cattle they slaught- ered at the matanzas season, exclusive of the sales of cattle, horses, wool and sheep."
D. Tyler, in his "History of the Mormon Battalion," furnishes this de- scription of soap making on the Chino Rancho:
"Mr. Williams had a soap factory conducted about as follows :
1
IO7
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
"'Over a furnace was placed a boiler about ten feet deep and the same in diameter, the upper part being of wood. This was filled with tallow and the fattest of the meat. A little water was also poured into it and the whole tried out, after which the grease was dipped into a box ten or twelve feet square. The meat was then thrown away. Mineral earth was then leached like ashes, the lye obtained from it and the grease put together and boiled into soap. The best quality of soap when made was almost as white as snow. Indians usually did the work.'"
BATTLE OF CHINO.
In September, 1846, Chino rancho house was besieged by a body of Californians under Barelas, the leader of the revolt that resulted in the evacuation of Los Angeles by Gillespie. B. D. Wilson had been sent out with about twenty Americans to protect the San Bernardino frontier. He was at Jurupa, but when Williams learned of the proposed attack, he asked Wilson to come to his aid. Wilson complied, but they found on joining forces that they were very short of ammunition. Barelas, with about fifty Californians, was joined by the Lugos from San Bernardino with twenty men. They surrounded the house in the evening and a few shots were ex- changed. The next morning the attack was renewed and a sharp fusilade followed. Several horses fell, one Californian was killed and two or three Americans wounded. The besiegers closed up and set fire to the roof of the house. Then Williams, taking his children with him, went out and appealed to their uncles, the Lugos. Barelas demanded the surrender of the party and promised protection as prisoners of war. The terms were finally ac- cepted and Wilson and his party, Williams, D. W. Alexander, John Rowland, Louis Robidoux, Joseph Perdue, William Skene, Isaac and Evan Callaghan, Michael White, Mat Hardin and George Walters, were taken to Los An- geles. It is said that some of the capturers wished to attack the prisoners in revenge for the Mexican who had been slain, but Barelas, at some risk, in- sisted upon the party being turned over to the authorities unharmed. Later they were exchanged and released. Colonel Williams, after California had become one of the United States, put in a claim for damages sustained to his property through this affair and was awarded some $80,000.
Col. Williams died in 1856. He was buried in the old Catholic cemetery on Buena Vista street, Los Angeles, where his tomb may still be seen. The bulk of his large estate was left to his two daughters, Maria Merced, who married John Rains and afterwards lived on the Cucamonga Rancho and Francesca, who married another American, Robert S. Carlisle, and resided for a number of years at the Chino Rancho.
A correspondent of the Sacramento Union thus describes the Chino rancho in 1862:
108
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
ROBERT CARLISLE
"Chino rancho, which is considered one of the finest in the country, is situated in a level valley with mountain scenery on every side. Here we see cattle in such herds as would defy human calculation to arrive at an accurate idea of the number. The residence of Carlisle, the proprietor, is one of the first-class adobes, exceedingly plain but comfortable and fur- nished with taste and an eye to elegance. A beautiful garden surrounds the house enclosed by large trees which seem to bear the impress of antiquity. Some distance from the house are the quarters for the Indian servants, about one hundred in number. They are exceedingly quiet, inoffensive and obedient, and are used to herd the stock and indeed in any depart- ment of the ranch necessary."
Robert Carlisle was a Southern man by birth and sentiment. He was well educated, energetic, instinctively a good business man and while in control of the Chino ranch he conducted its affairs wisely. He was of fine appearance, genial disposition, was widely known and socially popular. As a brother-in-law of John Rains of Cucamonga, who had been murdered, he was somewhat involved in the settlement of the Rains estate, which developed strenuous difficulty with the King brothers in Los Angeles and he was shot in cold blood at the Bella Union hotel in that city, July 5. 1865, which brutal affair constitutes one of the darkest pages in the Criminal Annals of Los Angeles City. Mrs. Carlisle became the wife of Dr. F. A. McDougal, who, to the time of his death, was one of the wealthy and influential citizens of Los Angeles and its able and conscientious mayor in 1877 and 1878. By her more recent marriage she is well known in Los Angeles as Mrs. Francesca Jesurum, a lady of wealth, social prominence and unostentatious charity.
SAN BERNARDINO GRANT.
In 1842, a grant known as "Rancho de San Bernardino" was made by Governor Alvarado to Jose Maria Lugo, Jose del Carmen Lugo, Vi- cente Lugo-all sons of Antonio Maria Lugo and Diego Sepulveda. This grant, which included some nine square leagues, or 37,700 acres of land, comprised the best part of the San Bernardino valley and later gave its name to the county. Antonio Maria Lugo was one of the most prominent of the native Californians. He owned a large grant, San Antonio, near Los Angeles. This was one of the finest stock ranges in the country and H. D. Barrows says that his stock increased so wonderfully that he had
109
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
more than he knew what to do with. So he secured the San Bernardino grant for his sons and stocked it with cattle from his other ranches. Señor Lugo was a fine example of the old Spanish Don, a magnificent horseman, a man of his word, who never knew fear, and who, while somewhat stern and commanding in bearing, was generous and kindhearted. Señor Lugo had ten children by his first wife, Dolores Ruis, and several children by the sec- ond wife, Maria Antonia German. These children married into the leading families of California ; one daughter became the wife of Isaac Williams, another of Stephen C. Foster, and the descendants, down to the fifth genera- tion, are now widely scattered and many of them are well known citizens. The Lugo brothers settled on the San Bernardino property ; one of them, Jose M., built a house, which was known as Homolla, about two miles south of the present city. Here about twenty acres of land was put under cultivation. Jose C. lived at Old San Bernardino Mission and probably occupied the old mission building itself as a residence : Vicente lived at Politana, and Sepulveda lived in Yucaipe valley, in an old adobe previously erected.
"In the time intervening between the pass. ing of the friars and the coming of the Lugos there seems to have been an occupant of the rancho de San Bernardino in the person of José Bermudas, who, with his family, came from Los Angeles about 1836 and "squatted" on the property afterward granted to the Lugos. DIEGO SEPULVEDA He built the historic "old adobe" dwelling. afterwards the site of the "Mormon fort," and now the property of Wozen- craft on C street. Bermudas occupied the property until dispossessed by the Lugos. It is doubtful if he ever made any regular claim co or application for the property. At all events the matter of his relinquishment was amicably settled and he removed to the Yucaipe valley, having been promised a grant in that locality. This promise was never fulfilled. Later land was promised him in Cañada de San Timoteo and he removed from Yucaipe to the land now occupied by his son. This son, Miguel Bermudas, was born at San Gabriel and was a child of five years of age when his father moved into the valley. He claims to be the oldest settler in point of residence of San Bernardino valley."
"History of S. B. Valley."-Father Juan Caballeria.
IIO
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
INDIAN TROUBLES.
The Lugos lost much stock by the raids of the desert Indians and about 1843 they offered to give a half league of land just south of the Rancheria, or Politana, near what is now known as Bunker Hill, to Lorenzo Trujillo and several other families of New Mexicans, who had lately come into the country. In exchange, the newcomers were to help protect the stock and when necessary join the Lugos in fighting Indians. Several interesting skirmishes were engaged in by these New Mexicans under this arrangement. They were armed with their own guns and were used to Indian warfare, having had many battles with the Utes and other Indians in their expeditions before settling here. On one occasion three of the Trujillos were wounded by arrows, while pursuing a band of marauders through the mountains near the present site of Riverside. Early in 1851, a party of Utes made a raid into the San Bernardino valley and stole a number of horses, including a large band of the Lugos' horses. A party of twenty followed them and in an ambuscade on the Mojave one of them was killed.
THE "IRVING AFFAIR."
On the return of the party of Californians from pursuit of this band of Indians, they passed two men with a camping outfit. These men had given some directions as to the whereabouts of the Indian marauders, which the Lugo party believed were intentionally false and which had led them into the ambuscade in which they lost a comrade. Four men, including two of the Lugos, lingered behind the rest of the party. When the two men were found murdered, suspicion fell on these: they were arrested, and one of them con- fessed that they had done the deed. The other three were held in jail in Los Angeles, charged with murder.
In April, 1851, a band of some thirty outlaws under the leadership of one Irving appeared in Los Angeles, coming from the north. Irving made a proposal to Don Maria Lugo, offering to deliver his grandsons from jail on the payment of $5000. Señor Lugo declined. Irving swore then that if the court admitted the Lugos to bail, he and his party would seize the boys and hang them. The sheriff, getting wind of threatened trouble, secured the presence in court of a troop of United States dragoons which had just arrived in the vicinity. Irving and his men, armed to the teeth, were present when court opened, but when the dragoons, also armed, appeared, the trial was permitted to proceed without disturbance, and after the young men had
III
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
been released they were escorted out of town by the troops and returned to San Bernardino.
About the last of May, Irving left Los Angeles with a party ostensibly for Mexico. It soon became known that he proposed to go to San Bernardino, raid the Lugos' stock and seize one or more of the Lugos-to be held for ransom. Only sixteen of his men were willing to undertake this affair. The Lugos were warned of his coming and a party accompanied by some of the New Mexicans and Juan Antonio's band of Coahuillas prepared to resist. Irving, after breaking into one of the Lugo houses, found that the stock was guarded and started for the San Jacinto mountains. His party was pursued by the Indians and after a long skirmish was driven into the "cañada of Doña Maria Armenta," on the south side of San Timoteo cañon. Here the party of twelve were surrounded and all but one of them killed. The one who escaped afterwards told the story. A posse from Los Angeles arrived just as the fight was over. The officials went to San Bernardino, where an investigation and inquest was held. The testimony given before Coroner A. P. Hodges and County Attorney Benjamin Hayes, resulted in a verdict that Edward Irving and ten other white men, names unknown, came to their death at the hands of the Coahuilla Indians and that the killing was justifiable. The Indians had divided among themselves the spoils of the dead men, but out of twelve horses and saddles, nine were claimed by their owners, having been stolen by the band of Irving. B. D. Wilson states that Juan Antonio was voted a hundred dollars' worth of supplies by the County Supervisors as a reward for the part he and his tribe took in this affair.
SALE OF SAN BERNARDINO RANCHO.
In September, 1851, the San Bernardino Rancho was sold to the Mormons and the Lugos returned to Los Angeles and vicinity, taking most of their stock with them.
EL CAJON DE MUSCUPIABE.
In 1843 a grant consisting of one league of land lying within certain boundaries was made to Miguel White on condition that he occupy the land and prevent the Indians from coming through the Cajon Pass to the coast country.
Michael White, or Miguel Blanco, as he was known among the Spanish- speaking people, was an Englishman who had come to this coast about 1817. He engaged in the coasting trade and in trade with the Sandwich Islands
I12
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
until 1828, when he settled at Santa Barbara. In 1830 he came to Los An- geles and in 1831 married Rosalia, the daughter of the famous Eulalie Perez, who was so long matron in charge of the San Gabriel mission. He secured a grant, after his marriage, to a valuable tract of land near San Gabriel and later the Muscupiabe Grant, which he occupied for a number of years.
In 1856 he sold a half interest in the grant to Isabel Granger and Charles Crittenden and the following year the other half to Henry Hancock, the surveyor, who later acquired the balance of the grant. The Mexican gov- ernment had offered White as much land as he chose to take in the Cajon Pass, but he had desired only one league at first. Before the grant was con- firmed to him, however, he had it changed from a grant of quantity to one of boundaries, the boundaries, like those of all Mexican grants being in- definite. In 1867, Hancock, as deputy United States surveyor, surveyed and located the grant of El Cajon de Muscupiabe, which now included nearly eight leagues of land. The grant thus surveyed was confirmed and a patent issued by the United States government, the patent bearing date of 1872. Many people in this vicinity and among them a number who had settled on lands included within the grant boundaries, believing that it was, or ought to be, government land, were greatly dissatisfied with the decision of the government, and the patent was only issued after considerable opposition and a re-survey. But the question of the validity of the grant so made was still agitated and in 1886, the United States Attorney began suit to set aside the patent issued by the government on the ground that it was obtained by fraudulent acts. This suit was, however, denied and the original patent fully confirmed. Since that time other suits have been instituted to secure the setting aside of the patent-at one time the White heirs began suit on the ground that the Hancock deed to the property was a forgery; but the title has remained unshaken and the purchasers who received their title through the Hancock survey are now secured in their rights.
Considerable litigation has also arisen over the water rights connected with this grant. A suit was begun in 1877 by the settlers located on the grant against the large number of settlers in the valley below who were using water from Lytle Creek, the entire flow of this stream being claimed by the grant occupants. In 1879 this case was decided by the Supreme Court in favor of the grant owners. This decision had an important bearing upon later irrigation litigation as it established the supremacy of riparian rights against appropriation, and decided that "the statute of limitations" does not hold when the land title is in question and held in abeyance by the United States authorities.
After this decision the Lytle Creek Water Company, which included nearly all of the water users, was organized with a capital stock of $75,000. "Its purpose was to unify the interest of appropriators on the stream and to fight the grant owners. These latter had the law on their side, but the
I13
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
settlers had the water and were holding and using it. An injunction was issued in favor of the grant owners but was never enforced. The conflict was a long and bitter one. In the meantime the grant-owners and others operating with them, quietly bought up the stock of the Lytle Creek Water Company, until enough to control it was secured and then sold out these rights to the Semi-Tropic Land and Water Company, with the riparian lands, which seems to have quieted the conflict. This practically ended the litigation con- cerning Muscupiabe grant."
(Irrigation in Southern California. )
OTHER GRANTS.
A number of other ranchos were granted in the county, among them San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero, 48,861 acres, which was confirmed in 1872 to T. W. Sutherland, guardian of the minor children of Miguel Pedrodeno. This was located in the extreme southern end of the county and ran into San Diego county.
There was another grant known as San Jacinto Viejo in the northern part of San Diego county and extreme south end of this county. Between these two, in 1846, Governor Pico granted to Señora Don Maria del Rosario Estudillo de Aguirre a tract of land which had been left out of the former grants as worthless. This was known as "Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante," and was afterwards surveyed to include the Temescal tin mines, thus giving rise to endless litigation.
"El Rincon," lying in the Santa Ana valley below Jurupa was granted to Don Bernardo Yorba, one of the famous Yorba brothers, descendants of Antonio Yorba, to whom the King of Spain had made a grant of 60,000 acres in 1801, located in what is now Orange county, and known as Santiago de Santa Ana. El Rincon contained one league and B. D. Wilson says : "While Anaheim was still unconceived of, Santa Ana at Teodosio Yorba's gave the earliest grapes in the county and up the river at Don Bernardo Yorba's, El Rincon presented a settlement of Californians, contented and happy. Their loss was great when the head and front of everything useful, or elegant among them, Don Bernardo, died. He died November 20, 1858, a very large num- ber of children and grandchildren surviving him. His estate, in part, con- sisted of 7,000 head of cattle, valued at $84,000, and his landed property was valued at $30,625, May 1, 1859."
"Rancho La Sierra" was also granted to Bernardo Yorba. This tract, lying between Jurupa and Rincon, contained 17,774 acres. This grant was confirmed to Vicente Sepulveda in 1872. In 1876 this grant was sold by Jose Ramon Carrillo and his wife, Vicenta Sepulveda, to Abel Stearns, and was afterwards known as the "Stearn's Rancho."
II4
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
RANCHO SAN GORGONIO.
One of the earliest American settlers in the San Bernardino valley was Pauline or Powell Weaver, who had long been employed on the frontier as a pioneer, scout and trapper and as an Indian fighter. He frequently served as scout for the United States Army and was the guide who met Col. Cooke and the Mormon Battalion at the Colorado and guided them across the desert to San Diego.
For services rendered the Californians he was given a grant of three leagnes in the San Gorgonio Pass by Gov. Pio Pico, the last of the Mexican governors ; but this grant was never confirmed by the United States. Ac- cording to B. D. Wilson, a small outpost of San Gabriel was located also in the pass. Weaver settled here probably as early as 1846. Lieutenant Blake gives a picture of the ranch house of San Gorgonio as it appeared in Novem- ber, 1852, and his journal reads as follows :
"November 12, 1852. After procuring several thousand pounds of barley (at Old San Bernardino Mission) we again traveled eastward. We encamped in a wide grassy valley, without trees, within sight of a solitary house on a slight eminence, known as 'Young Weaver's." November 13 .- Leaving the camp near the house of Mr. Weaver, Jr., we ascended the valley of a stream which has cut its way downwards below the general level of the slope. The ascent continued very gradual, at length a short hill brought us to the edge of a broad and gently sloping plain, upon which an adobe house is built. This, although partly in ruins, was occupied by Mr. Weaver, well known as an experienced mountaineer. He is the claimant of a large rancho at this place. The presence of fruit trees and other evidences of cultivation showed that the rancho had been in use for many years and it is said that the in- habitants have been driven away several times by Indians. The situation of this rancho and of the house is such as one would least expect, being at the summit of the pass."
In 1859 the place was sold to Dr. William F. Edgar, a United States Army surgeon, who had seen extensive service. He owned the place for many years, it being under the management of his brother, F. M. Edgar, who was well known in San Bernardino.
LOS DIAS ALEGRES.
The life of the Spanish-speaking Californians has been told and retold, and yet it never loses its charm and interest. To the descendants of the Puritans and of the sturdy pioneers of the Middle West, it is like the story of some long-forgotten time and some far-distant land; we can hardly be- lieve that such a care-free, irresponsible existence was ever possible in our century and in our America.
We have no account of the social life of the Lugos in their San Ber- nardino homes-probably that still centered in the Los Angeles and San
115
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Antonio homes of the head of the house-Señor Don Antonio Lugo. Their San Bernardino homes were unpretentious adobes, long, low buildings, with walls sometimes three feet thick-proof against heat and cold, earthquake and Indians. The houses of this period were usually built on three sides of an open court, with a low veranda running around the outer side; the roofs of brea (asphaltum) ; the floors were of earth, light and air admitted by the doors opening upon court and veranda. The only heat for the brief winter days and the chilly evenings was supplied by a fireplace in one of the rooms, and this was often wanting. The cooking was done by an open fire, or in an adobe oven in an outside building. The furniture was of the crudest kind-for beds a rude frame over which was stretched a bull hide- and this perhaps covered with a satin spread and adorned with sheets and pillow-cases elaborately trimmed with drawn work that had taken weeks of patient labor to accomplish ; chairs and table were mostly home made, al- though some of the houses in the later part of the period were furnished with the most elaborate and expensive articles imported from the United States and China. A feature of every house was its shrine, decorated with elabo- rate embroideries and drawn work, a figure of a patron saint, perhaps of the Christ upon the cross, or of the Virgin, some sacred pictures, a rosary-often of pearl and gold, and silver candlesticks. The images, mere dolls, were often clothed in the richest of silks and the finest of linens, and sometimes had a complete wardrobe for their adornment.
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.