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 22

Author: Ingersoll, Luther A., 1851-
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Los Angeles : L. A. Ingersoll
Number of Pages: 940

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 22

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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

aside this reservation was discussed for several years before action was taken and was strongly favored by many-and met with strong opposition from other-interests. Numerous petitions and resolutions for and against the action were sent to the authorities at Washington, but President Harrison signed the act creating the Reserve, February 25, 1893.

The Forest Reserves.

"The first real step in the establishment of a system of forest reserves on the mountains and high plateaus-the headwaters of rivers- in what is known as the arid and semi-arid regions of the United States was the passage, on March 3, 1891, of an act of Congress authorizing the President to set aside areas of forest lands under a permanent national plan whereby the forests might be preserved, thereby securing and increasing the water supply of the streams below and also by holding back, by soil absorption, heavy winter and spring rains and melting snows, thus preventing or mitigating the damage arising from spring floods on the lands lying below. Thus the forest reserves serve a double purpose, they hold back the precious waters in times of rain, giving out the water in more continuous flow, through springs and seepage, and underground channels and also prevent flood damage.

"President Harrison and his Secretary of the Interior, John W. Noble, at once designated sixteen reservations, with an area of more than 13,000,000 acres. These first named reservations included large tracts adjoining the Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks. This wise policy of forest re- serves has been continued, President Cleveland setting aside other large tracts of forest area. At present there have been created some thirty forest reservations, having a total area of 40,000,000 acres, or more than 60,000 square miles, an area almost equal to half that of the state of California. These reservations are in eleven states and territories-California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Wvon- ing and South Dakota. In the boundaries of these reservations are included the high mountain ranges and the highest peaks, nearly all of the unsecured forests of the Big trees-the sequoias, both semper virens and gigantea -- and great expanses of pines and cedars. The preservation of these great forests on the high mountains preserves the water supply of fully half the United States.

"In South California the principal forest reservations are the San Gabriel, the San Bernardino and the San Jacinto. The latter was set aside by President Cleveland, and the two former by President Harrison. They might almost be called one reservation, as they form a continuous chain, reaching over a hundred miles."-Citrograph.

The San Bernardino reserve comprises 737,280 acres, of which 249,000 is classed as timber land and 90,000 of this is graded as "first-class." Thirty- five thousand acres of the best timber land is located in the Santa Ana basin. The best of the timber lands had been appropriated by lumber companies

189

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

and settlers before the reserve was made and are not controlled by the gov- ernment. The timber is mostly yellow pine; fir, cedar, piñon and juniper also offer some timber. Among the forest growth is found mountain mahog- any, live oak, mountain alder, ash, sycamore, cottonwood, black oak, black willow and yucca. Bear Valley drains about 35,000 acres of the area and the reservoirs proposed by the Arrowhead system will drain about 100,000 acres. Nearly 50 per cent of the forest reserve is classed as grazing land. Extend- ing from the Cajon Pass eastward to the county line is a portion of the San Gabriel reserve, some 150,000 acres. This also contains considerable timber.

In 1898, the patrol system was established. Forest Supervisor Thomas, has general oversight of both the San Gabriel and San Bernardino reserves. From five to twelve rangers are employed in the San Bernardino reserve, whose duty it is to patrol their districts, guard against fires, prevent trespass of all kinds, measure timber, cut trails and use every effort to protect and preserve our forest water sheds. An effort is now being made to re-timber burnt districts and to introduce new species which are suited to the en- vironment.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTAL STATION.

This station was established in 1891, through the efforts of Richard Gird, who donated thirty acres of light and loamy soil on the northern bound- aries of the Chino Rancho, together with the necessary water and also ten acres of damp land one mile west of the Sugar Factory. The citizens of Pomona raised $4,000 which was used for implements, buildings, equipment and teams. The station was established under the auspices of the California State University and was at first under the charge of Kenneth McLennen. Experiments were at first devoted principally to fruit-citrus, deciduous, olives and small fruits, many varieties being set and a study made of their adaptability to this section and of their diseases and drawbacks.

In 1893, J. W. Mills took charge of the station-a position which he still fills. About 1895 attention was largely turned to experiments to green manuring for fertilizing purposes and also to suitable growths for semi- alkali lands.

The station is now regarded as one of the most important in the state. It is the only one in Southern California, and owing to the variety of soil and conditions, is fairly typical of the entire state. There is one other agricultural station in the state at Tulare, Tulare county. The government keeps a num- ber of experts in the field all over the world, and the seeds, plants and infor- mation collected by these are distributed from Washington to the various stations according to their presumed adaptability to the conditions of each.

Some $25,000 has been spent in improving and equipping this station.

190

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Some very valuable experiments have been made here, and the superin- tendent, Mr. Mills, is considered an authority on agricultural and horticul- tural matters. In 1903 he was placed in charge of co-operative experimental work in Southern California, including experiments at Riverside, Redlands and on the Colorado desert.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRIC POWER.

The marvelous development of electric power and the use of electricity for manifold purposes has been one of the greatest sources of wealth and of progress in this county during the past ten years. The first attempt at developing electricity in the county was made by the Electric Light and Power Company of San Bernardino, organized in 1888, making use of the water power obtained by a fall in the Riverside canal near Colton to generate power, which was used to light San Bernardino and Riverside. But the power was insufficient for the purpose.

The next company in the field was the San Antonio Company, employ- ing power obtained from the San Antonio creek.

The waters were first appropriated for irrigating purposes in '82 by the Chaffey Brothers. In '92, ten years later, the company was organized and their power house built. They developed and used about 250 horse power, furnishing power to the Ontario electric car line, a number of small pumping stations and lights to the surrounding towns. This company had the honor of constructing the first high potential long distance plant in the United States, transmitting at the start electricity to the city of San Bernardino, a distance of twenty-eight miles from the power house.

The Redlands Electric Light and Power Company, composed of Messrs. George H. Craft, George B. Ellis, F. G. Feraud and H. H. Sinclair, was organized in the spring of 1892, "for the purpose of supplying electric light and heat for both public and private use, power for manufacturing purposes, and for operation of street railroads in the city of Redlands and the country round about within a radius of ten miles. Such power to be developed from a transmission plant to be built at the mouth of Mill Creek canon, some eight miles from Redlands." The first reality which gave assurance of the sound- ness of the views which had led these enterprising men to enter upon a project which at the time seemed far in advance of the needs of Redlands, was the fact that the Union Ice Company, one of the largest handlers of ice in the western part of the country at once entered into a contract with the Red- lands Company to furnish electric power, under a twenty-five year contract, at a price that was so much cheaper than could be obtained elsewhere that the ice company could afford to pay $2.00 per ton freight on 7,000 tons of ice per year and still deliver it in Los Angeles at a rate of fifty cents per ton less than it could be manufactured there.

191

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Mr. A. W. Decker, who had installed the plant of the San Antonio Elec- tric Company and also of the Mount Lowe Electric Railway, was engaged, and under his direction, the plant now known as Mill Creek Station No. I, was constructed. Mr. Decker's plans for this plant were original and intro- duced some new features which the electrical manufacturing companies at first said could not be carried out ; but in the end, he succeeded in proving the feasibility of his ideas which have since been generally applied. This plant at first supplied light for Redlands and power for the Union Ice Company and for some light purposes in the town. By 1896, the business had so extended that it became necessary to increase the amount of power, the trans- mission system having been extended to Riverside and to Colton. In 1899 Mill Creek Station No. 2 was erected to further increase the supply of the plant. In 1903 the Edison Company had completed Mill Creek Station No. 3, 600-horse power, at a cost of $200,000.

In December, 1896, the people comprising the Redlands Company or- ganized the Southern California Power Company, making service of the water rights of the Santa Ana Cañon, and having appropriated and perfected them, entered into contract in the spring of 1897 for the apparatus which has since been installed as the Santa Ana Cañon-Los Angeles transmission plant. In April, 1898, when the plant was partially completed the entire property of the Southern California Power Company was sold to the Edison Electric Company and the owners of the California Southern stock-Messrs. H. H. Sinclair and Henry Fisher-accepted in payment thereof stock of the Edison Electric Company. The Santa Ana plant was completed in December, 1898, when the water was turned into the canal. The whole construction was under the general management of Mr. H. H. Sinclair, and the plant cost approximately, $625,000.

A sub-station at Redlands was constructed in 1901. This is supplied with a steam plant also. The power for supplying the city of Redlands and vicinity, the Redlands street railway and also the San Bernardino Traction Company is furnished from this sub-station. Another sub-station furnishes power for the Colton Cement works, which are one of the largest users of power.

From the power house in the Santa Ana Canon, the great artery of the system, carrying 33,000 volts, extends eighty-three miles to Los Angeles- at the time of its completion the longest "long distance transmission line" in existence. A scorpion shaped 10,000 volt system distributes power in the San Bernardino and Riverside valleys, which is supplied by the Mill Creek power houses. The San Bernardino Traction Company, now operating lines between San Bernardino, Colton, Redlands and Highland, is supplied through a sub-station located at San Bernardino, and having a 10,000 volt motor generator.

The largest consumers of power are the pumping plants, and of these,

192

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

the most extensive user is the pumping plant of the Riverside Trust Com- pany, whose wells are located in the bed of the Santa Ana River, about two miles southeast of San Bernardino. This company uses fifty horse power and thirty horse power motors, which are located in neat and substantially constructed plants. The plants work under very small headway and pump very large quantities of water into the Gage canal, which furnishes water to Riverside and adjoining tracts.

The capacity of the Edison Company's plants in San Bernardino county is as follows :

Southern California Power Company's water plant in Santa Ana Canon. 4.coo horse power ;

Redlands Electric Light and Power Company's water power plants in Mill Creek cañon, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, 1,250 horse-power, 625 and 3,000 horse- power, respectively ;

Redlands sub-station and steam driven plant, 834 horse-power.

The expenditure for these plants with the fluines, pipe lines, transmission lines, etc., necessary, has been over one million dollars-probably a million and a half dollars would be a conservative estimate. The building of these extensive works has given employment to large forces of men, and the keep- ing up of the 'plants and the necessary improvements require a large force. The use of cheap electrical power has greatly facilitated the building of street and traction roads, and in consequence of her cheap power, the San Bernar- dino valley now has a more complete equipment of suburban and city electric roads than any other section of the country.

THE ELEMENTS. FLOODS.

The first flood which did serious damage in San Bernardino county so far as we have records, was that of 1850-51, which did much damage through- out the State. The New Mexican settlers of Agua Mansa and El Placita de Trujillos had begun the erection of an adobe church which was completely destroyed by the rains of this season. These good people took care to build their next church on higher ground and so built the church of San Salvador on a hill and it was the only building, except the residence of Cornelius Jansen, in the two settlements which was not swept away by the flood of 1862. During the winter of 1861-2, fifty inches of rain flooded the entire state. The prosperous colonies along the Santa Ana were completely de- stroyed and a barren waste of sand took the place of fields, orchards and vineyards.

Mrs. Crafts describes the flood of January in San Bernardino, thus:

"The fall of 1861 was sunny, dry and warm until Christmas which proved to be a rainy day. All through the holidays a gentle rain continued to fall.

193

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

This much needed moisture lasted until the 18th of January, 1862, when there was a down-pour for twenty-four hours, or longer. All the flat from the Santa Ana River to Pine's Hotel was under water-a perfect sea of water inundating the valley for miles up and down the stream. Lytle Creek came rushing down D street, across Third and found an outlet through an open space into Warm Creek. Many families were compelled to flee in the night to higher ground and leave their homes to the flood. There were so many families homeless that every house in San Bernardino had two families and some three or four under shelter. The constant rain on the adobe houses turned them to mud and they fell in. Men were out in the drenching rain all day, trying to cover the adobe walls with lumber and thus save them. Every one was ready to help his neighbor in their trouble-in fact there was true brotherhood among those old pioneers of San Bernardino."

1867-8 was another rainy winter; the rains were continuous but not so heavy as in '62 and less damage resulted.

1884 was the great flood year of later times. 37.50 inches are reported this season for San Bernardino, while over forty inches were registered in Los Angeles and more in other places. This year was particularly disastrous to the railroad companies, the newly completed California Southern track be- tween San Diego and National City, being completely disabled, some fifteen or twenty miles of the Temecula canon division carried away. The Southern Pacific also suffered many washouts and much delay of traffic.

In July '84 occurred a remarkable cloud burst in the Cajon Pass. The Times says:

"A most terrific cloud burst occurred in the Cajon yesterday afternoon. It commenced about two o'clock and for a short time the waters came down in solid masses. In a narrow gorge called the railroad cañon, the waters rose fifty feet in height in a short time. The torrent carried everything before it and the whole canon was inundated. At the narrows in the Cajon the waters stood above the railroad grade. An orchard above Tay & Law- rence's was swept away with the buildings and other property that was on the ground. The water rose nearly to Tay & Lawrence's house and swept away a large portion of their property. The road in some places was cut out as much as ten feet in depth and will be impassable for a week or more. The entire flat from here to the mouth of the Cajon was one vast sheet of water, and the crossing between this town and Colton, ordinarily only a few inches in depth, was raised six feet and spread for a long distance on either side of its usual channel, while a number of farms along its course were in- undated. All this vast body of water fell in the course of two or three hours and in a comparatively limited area, only a few drops reaching to town. It is said to have been the severest storm ever known in the cañon and to have done more damage in a few minutes than all the heavy rains of last winter, severe as they were."

194

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Much inconvenience was also caused by the exceedingly heavy rains of 1886-7. The Times thus announces the situation in San Bernardino, in December, '86: "The people west of town are nearly drowned out. A cul- vert through the railroad grade on I street at the head of Fifth, pours the whole drainage of the surrounding country into town and has swamped the blocks west of G street, so that people there are unable to leave their homes."

In January, eleven inches of rain fell in a single night in the Cajon Pass and the California Southern tracks were buried in mud. This was the "boom year" and the travel was very heavy. At one time hundreds of people were detained at San Bernardino-even standing room at the depot was at a premium, and many came up into the town.

1888-9 was another wet winter, but since that time, rainfall has caused but little loss or inconvenience in the southern part of the state.

DROUTHS.

The flood year of 1862 was succeeded by three dry years, the most dis- astrous drouth on record in the history of California. Hundreds of head of stock perished by starvation and thousands were slaughtered for their hides, or sold for almost nothing in order to preserve pasturage for any at all. For three years the rainfall was insufficient to produce grain crops or start vegeta- tion on the ranges. The orchards and vineyards which were already begin- ning to be an important feature in the industries of the state were almost annihilated by the drouth. From this period dated the beginnings of irriga- tion on a large scale. The farmers, who were now settling up the country found that they could not depend upon the natural conditions for a crop, and the stock men ceased to depend entirely upon the natural range for grazing.

The dry seasons of 1898-99 and 1900, which are still fresh in our memor- ies, marked the great change from the old to the new-from dependence upon natural conditions to the present great irrigating systems. While the "dry ranches" which in ordinary seasons raise fair crops suffered, the agri- cultural and horticultural interests of the county as a whole, suffered little. There was fear that the storage supplies might fail, but they did not, and much water previously undeveloped, or unavailable was brought into use. Indeed. in the long run, the drouth was a benefit to the country because so large a quantity of water was developed that a much larger acreage than for- merly may now be put under cultivation. And yet the rainfall was even less than that of the drouth of the sixties.

EARTHQUAKES.

The first "temblor" of record in this country is of the year 1812, which is known as the "earthquake year," when the church of San Juan Capistrano was shaken down and thirty worshippers crushed to death. The internal

195

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

disturbances of this season, it is said, caused the appearance of the springs known as Urbita. The Gauchama Indians, who lived in this vicinity, were so alarmed by this phenomena and by the succession of "quakes" that they feared they had offended their higher powers, and after due consideration came to the conclusion that their Gods didn't approve of the Mission of Politana, established by the Franciscans of San Gabriel a year or two prev- ious. Therefore they destroyed the buildings and massacred most of the converts. At least this is the account given by Father Caballeria in his His- tory of San Bernardino Valley.

In 1855 a severe shock jolted the town of San Bernardino but did no serious harm, and again in 1882 a heavy earthquake is recorded, but with no serious consequences.

The "shake" of Christmas day, 1900, caused no damage in the immediate vicinity of San Bernardino, but created a good deal of havoc in the San Jacinto mountains. There a considerable area, took a drop and the con- figuration was materially changed. Two or three Indian women were killed at San Jacinto by the falling of an adobe house at that time.

WIND.

Hurricanes and cyclones are unknown in this country, but in 1887 oc- curred a very unusual wind-a "norther" which did great damage, as this extract will show.

"Although the wind had blown severely here for several days, and con- siderable damage had been done, happily it was attended, so far as known, with no personal injury or loss of life. Los Angeles county, however, was not so fortunate. At Crescenta Canyada the large hotel erected hardly more than a month ago was razed to the ground by the fierce gale, and Mrs. Edwin G. Arnold and her eleven-year-old daughter Claudie were instantly killed. A number of other guests of the hotel were badly bruised and escaped with their lives by a miracle. The disaster took place about midnight. A coro- ner's jury found that in their belief the building had been insufficiently braced and the foundations were not secure.

"At Rialto, three houses were destroyed.

"At Cucamonga, the depot was almost totally destroyed; also the new hotel and several stores and buildings ; loss, $50,000.

"Between Cucamonga and Colton the cab was blown off the engine of an east-bound freight train.

"The fine large hotel at North Cucamonga, costing $20,000, was com- pletely demolished, the sleeping guests being awakened just in time to escape with their lives. A Chinaman is reported to have been killed, and another one missing-probably took to the brush. The bank building at Ontario was partially blown down. Several houses on the south side were also blown

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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

down. It was reported that Rose's store was burned down."-San Bernar- dino Times, July, 1887.

RAINFALL TABLE.

Since July 1, 1870, a Rainfall Table for the city of San Bernardino has been kept. The record was made by Sydney P. Waite up to 1891, and since that date has been kept by Dr. A. K. Johnson. Careful study of this table presents some very interesting facts. It will be seen that the greatest rain- fall was in the season of 1883-84 and the least fall, 7.49 inches, came in 1897-98.

SEASONAL RAINFALL FOR SAN BERARDINO, CALIFORNIA

Elevation 1054 feet above sea level

Latitude 34° 06' 05"

Longitude 117º 17' 30''

SYDEEY P. WAITE, Observer 1870 to 1891

DR. A. K. JOHNSON, Observer 1891 to 1904

SEASONS.

July.

August.

September.

October.

November.

December.

January.

February.

March.

April.

May.

June.

Total.

1870-71

.00

.02

.09

3.11

.89

6.91

2 21

.19

.34

.11

.07

13.94

1871-72

.00

.04

.13

.60

.88

3.91

.00

2.20

.37

.79

.06

.00

8 98

1872-73

.00

.18

.04

.00

1.17

4 40

6.50

1.25

.51

.84

.21

.00

15 10

1873-74

.00

1.06

.02

.01

.74

5.73

5.51

8.76

1.08

.48

.42

.00

23.81

1874-75

.00

.06

1.82

1.88

2.20

7.20

.15

.22

.07

.05

.00

13.65

1875-76

.00

7.50

.02

6.55

1.92

3.41

.44

.03

19.90 9.52

1876-77

.00

.20

.40

.00

3.50

4.03

.83

.26

.30

.00

20.33

1878-79

.07

.00

.02

.14

.05

4.70

3.50

1.00

.50

1.20

.24

.03

11.54

1879-80

.11

.02

.01

.94

3.40

6.50

1.56

1.33

1.45

5.00

.04

.00

20.36

1880-81

.00

.14

.67

8.80

1.40

.36

1.66

.46

.01

.00

13.50

1881-82

.00

.80

.27

.45

1.60

1.10

1.63 12.20

9.95

5.68

3.17

.59

37.51

1884-85

.00

.11

3,75

2.79

.11

.28.

1,89

1.69

.19

10,81

1885-86

.00

.39

4.36

1,20

6.34

2,52

1.50

6.55

2.05

1.13

.00

20.97 25.45

1889-90

.17

.63

.11

2.30

2.23 10.85

1,27

3.02

.00

7.78

.06

.53

1.67

.00

.08

14.35

1892-93

.00

.16

1.02

2.23

4.53

3.37

8.00

.48

.03

19.82

1893-94

.20

.00

.05

1.05

.15

.00

7 25

7.39

1.14

3.44

.64

.44

20.98

1895-96

.00

. 0

1.14

.66

2.02

.00

2.92

.37

1.00

.00

8 11

1896-97

.17

.00

22.10

.98

1.09

3.40

5.40

3.41

.08

.11

.00

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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 22

Author: Ingersoll, Luther A., 1851- Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Los Angeles : L. A. Ingersoll Number of Pages: 940

Author: Ingersoll, Luther A., 1851-
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Los Angeles : L. A. Ingersoll
Number of Pages: 940