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 50
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Domestic Water Company.
The Redlands, Lugonia and Crafton Domestic Water Co. was organized in January, 1887, when Redlands was in embryo and the business of the East San Bernardino valley was still carried on in one store. It was in- corporated with a stock of $150,000, which was increased to $500,000 on
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
March 27th, 1888. J. W. Drake was the first president, succeeded by G. A. Cook and the directors were, G. H. Crafts, J. F. Rayner, E. G. Judson, F. E. Brown, I. N. Hoag, G. E. Otis and S. J. Hayes. Water was secured from Bear Valley reservoir, the Santa Ana river, Mill Creek, Sunnyside, Crafton and other sources. Over $100,000 was spent in securing water rights.
Two reservoirs were at once constructed in East Redlands, high enough to carry water to any part of the settlement or to the top of any building. Work was pushed rapidly, the mains were dug and the pipe brought from tthe east and rolled in San Bernardino, was laid by January 1, 1888. The first connection was made for Mr. A. A. Roe of Eureka street, October 5, 1887, and regular water service began February 1, 1888. In 1893 the company had laid be- tween thirty and forty miles of mains, distributing water over at least five square miles of territory. An additional reservoir was con- structed which increased the ca- pacity of the system.
The first rates of this company were fixed at $1.50 per month for an ordinary house, including two hours of sprinkling. Later this rate was raised. When the town was incorporated the Board of Trustees fixed the minimum rate at $2.00 per month for any house and lot, with no limit up to a quarter of an acre. Later the trustees fixed a meter rate of six cents per thousand gallons. The SAMUEL J. HAYES Water Company after protest began suit against the trustees in 1895 to compel them to raise the meter rates as the company was carrying on the enterprise at a loss. The first suit was decided adversely to the Water Company, but a second suit resulted in a victory.
In 1899 the Domestic Water Company put down three wells on Reser- voir street and put in a pumping plant. These wells yield about 125 inches of water.
East Redlands Water Company.
The East Redlands Water Company was organized in September, 1886,
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
to supply water from Bear Valley reservoir to a tract of 450 acres of land in East Redlands, which became the Chicago colony tract. This company was organized in Chicago and the land was originally purchased by settlers from Chicago. Now the residents are from all parts of the United States and Europe. Twenty-five of the forty land owners live on their holdings, ten others are residents of California. The present officers of the company are Orin Porter, president; W. L. Olmstead, vice president; F. A. C. Mitchell, secretary ; C. F. Works, Charles Nelson, and Union Bank, treasurer. The original directors of the East Redlands Co. were H. L. Drew, H. M. Barton. F. E. Brown, Lewis Jacobs and E. G. Judson.
West Redlands Water Company.
The West Redlands Water Company was organized June 14, 1887, with Isaac Ford, president ; E. G. Judson, vice president ; G. L. Holton, secretary, and Union Bank, treasurer. It supplies the section known as West Red- lands with water for irrigation purposes, the chief source of supply being Bear Valley reservoir. The present officers are C. E. Davis, president : H. W. Nason; vice president; A. B. Howard, secretary, and First National Bank, treasurer.
Redlands Heights Water Company.
The Redlands Heights Water Company was organized May 12, 1891. with R. J. Waters, E. G. Judson, E. W. Wilmot, A. E. Sterling, C. J. Munson, directors, $500,000 capital stock, of which $64,000 was paid up. The object was to secure water for the Redlands Heights tract and for this purpose stock was obtained from the Crafton Water Company and Mill Creek water furnishes part of the supply. The present officers of the company are: E. G. Judson, president ; R. E. Archer, secretary ; A. E. Sterling, vice president.
South Mountain Water Company. This company was formed May 29, 1899, with T. Y. England, president ; A. Gregory, vice president ; K. C. Wells, secretary ; Union Bank of Redlands, treasurer. It obtained its supply of water from Birch canon, from four tunnels put in on Birch ranch and from wells in the Yucaipe valley, five miles above Redlands. This water was piped to the portion of Redlands Heights south of and above the territory of the Redlands Heights Water Company. These lands overlook the entire val- ley and are most desirable as residence property and also fine orange lands. The present officers of the company are : T. Y. England, president ; Charles Putnam, vice president ; John F. Richardson, secretary ; A. P. Kitch- ing, manager ; Redlands National Bank, treasurer.
REDLANDS WATER PROBLEM.
As we have seen, the territory now comprising Redlands was originally supplied with water from various sources and delivered by different com- panies, the Crafton lands having been first irrigated from Mill Creek waters,
K C. WELLS
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Lugonia, by the Sunnyside or South Fork ditches drawn from the Santa Ana, and the colony of Redlands having its own water system also drawn from Santa Ana waters.
After the construction of the Bear Valley dam, by an arrangement with the North and South Fork owners, these canals were used to carry Bear Val- ley water and each ditch was assured of a supply of 500 inches from the reser- voir. The Domestic Water Company when organized drew the greater part of its supply from the Bear Valley system and the various smaller companies which were formed about 1887 and 1888, were all dependent upon the reser- voir. The Redlands canal was turned over to the Bear Valley Company and four pipe lines were put in from Reservoir street-one supplying Redlands, one of West Redlands and Terracina, one for Gladysta and the Drew tract, and one for Mound City tract.
Although the involved condition of Bear Valley affairs after the system passed into the hands of a receiver, created much uncertainty and dissatis- faction, water has continued to be delivered to the holders of rights and of Class A certificates and has been sufficient for the needs of East San Ber- nardino valley claimants until the continued dry seasons of later years.
About 1898 efforts for the development of water from other sources be- gan to be pushed. F. E. Brown began pumping water from Bear Valley lake, thus securing two or three hundred additional inches; the South Moun- tain Water Company was formed to develop water in the upper Yucaipe val- ley; the Domestic Water Company began to put down wells and succeeded in producing 130 inches of water from this source; various individuals and companies put down wells in the vicinity of Redlands and several hundred inches of water were thus added to the supply. But as most of the wells must be pumped this method of furnishing water is expensive-aside from the uncertainty as to the permanence of the supply.
In 1900 a proposition to bond the city for $408,000 to supply an adequate water system was submitted to the people, the intention being to purchase the Dunlap property in Yucaipe valley, which was supposed to afford sev- eral hundred inches of water. After a vigorous campaign of education and enlightenment, led by the Citrograph and the Board of Trade, the proposi- tion was defeated September 10, 1901.
The question of an adequate water supply for the city and the adjacent lands was still unsettled. Many people believed that the only possible an- swer to the problem lay in the Bear Valley system. It was proposed that the holders of this stock, the land owners, and the various companies, should form one corporation, secure control of the entire plant, build a new dam which would greatly increase the storage capacity, and reconstruct the en- tire system, thus furnishing Redlands and the surrounding country an ample and certain source of water. After much discussion and agitation, a com- mittee consisting of J. B. Glover, G. C. Thaxter, C. S. Lombard, C. M. Bax-
CURTIS WELLS
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
ter, M. M. Phinney, B. W. Cave and their attorney, H. Goodcell, was ap- pointed and made an exhaustive report advocating the formation of a com- pany to be known as the Bear Valley Mutual Water Company and outlining a plan of procedure. As a result the new company was organized in July, 1903, and elected H. H. Garstin, president; F. P. Morrison, vice-president, and F. E. Hotchkiss, secretary. It was proposed that the old stock in the Bear Valley Company be exchanged for stock in the new company and it was provided that unless 70,000 shares of such stock were exchanged before No- vember Ist, 1903, the matter would be considered ended. Seventy thou- sand two hundred and forty-seven shares out of a total of 83,487 shares had been subscribed within the required time and consequently negotiations with the Cleveland Trust Company, representing the holders of the bonds and other creditors, are now under way.
That ultimately the control of this great water system will pass into the hands of the land owners is now practically certain, and thus Redlands will be assured for all time of water in abundance.
MILL CREEK ZANJA.
Charles R. Paine.
If one should go down Orange street in Redlands from Casa Loma and then ascend, still going south, Cajon street to the summit, and look up and down the valley he had just crossed and along its sides, he would form in one view a fair conception of the depression in which Mill Creek zanja flows. He would see the Redlands Heights with Crafton hills extending northeasterly nearly to the mouth of Mill Creek canon, and westerly, sweeping in a curve to the north to the Old Mission ruins and Barton ranch.
All the storm water from the northern face of these elevations flows northwesterly to the zanja. Before the settlement of the city this water ran in irregular gulches; now it is carried in walled and paved channels and the zanja itself through the business portion of the city has been treated in the same way. The principal streets are so bridged over it, however, that the stranger would scarcely recognize the existence of such a stream. Had he been here in the early days of the town, he would have seen streets flooded, cellars filled and damage done in the occasional violent summer storms that visit the locality.
The southern face of this long depression is well marked by a ridge, more or less broad, of reddish soil, from a point as far west as the Redlands gas works, thence east along Colton avenue, beyond the eastern limits of the city to a point in Crafton between the properties of Craig and Paine; this point used to be called "the little Red Hill" in old deeds. The length of this part of the zanja is about three and a half miles. From here onward easterly,
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
with many windings of the stream, to a bend at the eastern end of Colton ave- nue, beyond the station of the Southern Pacific Company in Crafton, for a distance of about two miles the land on the north of the zanja spreads out in a stony plain, having quite a pitch to the west, but always sloping toward the stream bed.
From this bend, where overflows in sudden heavy storms sometimes oc- cur, the course of the stream comes more from the north, its channel is deeper in the ground, it runs closer to the Crafton Hills on the left, its right banks have a sharper slope and the current is very swift like that of a mountain stream. Like such streams it is bordered both here and lower down, with growth of underbrush and trees, sycamore, alder and cottonwood. When these decay or are removed, young trees of like sorts spring up to take their places.
Such a combination of clear water, running swiftly over a pebbly bot- tom, in random courses, by wild woods and grassy nooks, through rich culti- vated areas on either side, as is the case in part, forms a scene rare in South- ern California, where art is often added to nature to produce the charms with which the country abounds.
The head of the zanja, where it passes from the main torrent of Mill Creek, coming from the cañon, is a short distance below Power House No. I of the Edison Electric Light and Power Company. Here its waters, after they have been shredded into spray, for the third time in their passage over Pelton water wheels, come against the bluffs which the Crafton hills present, they may run among the boulders-for no soil is there-either more directly toward the river, or in the bed of the zanja, according to obstacles they meet ; these need not be great to cause a diversion either way.
A little way further down a wash from the high mesa on the south in times of flood carries masses of mingled soil and rock across the zanja bed and diverts the stream westerly along one or more of the many channels be- tween the ridges of water-worn boulders.
Because this deposit must be removed to let the water down its channel, this beautiful stream is called a zanja, in Spanish, a ditch in English ; other- wise its winding, irregular way, by banks that could be taken for nothing else than natural, following the long depression described, shows it to be a ver- itable torrential stream of Nature's carving that will not be stayed in its course.
Very early, some time prior to 1823, the Mexicans and Indians, using for shovels the scapulas, or shoulder-blades, of their slaughtered cattle-for so runs the tradition-diverted its course here and there, doing the real ditch digging at the lower end, and using the waters to irrigate the plain below the Barton villa. Above the villa, in the vicinity of the gas works, the turn in the hill line and its slopes sent the storm waters across the zanja line. At the present day a flume traverses the wash connecting the broken ends.
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Within memory banks of earth of less length served the same purpose. Below this cross wash the country on both sides slopes streamwards, either towards the wash or the zanja, on the north it broadens well out over the Lugonia region, in contrast with the narrow terrace above; on the south the grades are greater towards the zanja, which carries the water more quietly along the foot of the hills.
In 1856 the Cram brothers moved from Cottonwood row to what is called the Carpenter ranch in Crafton and began irrigation there. The stream was very low at that time. About two-fifths of the zanja waters are used here and on the hills to the south, including Canon Crest Park, and three-fifths goes to Cottonwod row. It forms one of the most valuable and regular water supplies in this part of the state.
Its main channel in Mill Creek cañon, the Falls creek, comes from the north between Mounts San Bernardino and San Gorgonio. The east stream and many others from the southern slopes of these high peaks are great feed- ers ; for, although they may not reach the cañon stream on the surface in the summer time, they contribute their water through pervious rocks to rise at natural submerged dams. The water in Mill Creek is taken up in pipes at three points by the Edison Company and falls 1,900 feet down a declivity at the mouth of the cañon to produce the electric current.
Both in the cañon and along the zanja are many attractive spots. A few of these along the zanja have been utilized in home-making, where Nature and the landscape artist, working in harmony, have achieved results that are in contrast with the many lovely grounds on the slopes and heights. In other places in the city proper the zanja vicinity has been put to rougher and unsightly uses. Mill Creek zanja is indeed a unique feature of the Redlands country, and much more might have been made of it, especially if the Sylvan Boulevard had been improved as planned.
It is interesting to picture, as plainly appears to the eye of the geologist, the ancient order of things before the earth's surface here was laid down as known to men.
The foot of the lofty Sierras which rise to the north was not as now, on the northern bank of the Santa Ana, but must have reached well on toward the zanja. Perhaps the current of that river, before erosion filled the trough between the ancient mountains and the hills, was in Metnone avenue or past the ice factory. Probably the water that rushed down these declivities made a lake at the base of the Crafton hills, where Sand canon from Yucaipe valley comes out. When, in the past, Mill Creek detritus covered the earlier de- posits of both the river and itself, a shallow lake remained, doubtless, for a long time until the wash from Crafton hills laid down the soils that now nourish great areas of citrus orchards. The western border of the ancient lake could have been no further west than a granite rim found in boring near
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
where Redland's Bear Valley canal intersects Colton avenue, and near the surface at the base of the hills further south on Citrus avenue in Crafton.
The surface rocks in Mentone and Crafton are all of Mill Creek origin, different in character from those of the Santa Ana wash. The solid rock at the base of the curve in the heights from Canon Crest to the old Mission ruins, turned the waters northerly in the part below the city, and there term- inated the drainage channel that skirted the hills, which began between the high peaks to the east.
FRUIT GROWING.
The Redlands Citrus District includes Redlands, Lugonia, Crafton, Men- tone and West Redlands. The first orange grove in this section was that of M. H. Crafts, who put out a few seedling orange trees in 1870. This was followed by Colonel Tolles' Lugonia orchard, the seed of which was planted in 1874. In 1877 Dr. Craig and Prof. Paine began their planting, setting partly seedling and partly Washington Navel trees.
The first orange tree in the colony of Redlands was set February 22nd, 1882, on the lot where Theodore Clark's house now stands. The first or- chard, two and one-half acres, was put out by E. J. Waite for Judson and Brown, on the corner of Center street and Olive avenue. The trees were nursery stock brought from San Diego to the end of the California Southern road, then-in the spring of 1882-at Temecula canon, and hauled the rest of the way by team. About the same time F. P. Morrison put out five acres of oranges and T. W. Ladd set out 240 Navel trees. Several other orchards were started the same year.
In 1885 a careful estimate, published in a pamphlet, "San Bernardino County Illustrated and Described," gave Lugonia 11,210 orange trees of which number some five or six thousand were in bearing. The Citrograph of 1887, estimates the acreage of the district as 966.4 acres of citrus fruit. In 1889 this area had increased to 1238.5 acres. The United States census re- port of 1890 gives Redlands District 2,178 acres of oranges. Of this acreage 1,370 was in Washington Navels, 871 acres of which had been planted in 1889. In 1903 a careful census made by the Citrus Union show 7.500 acres in citrus fruits in Redlands District.
Prof. Charles R. Paine gives some very interesting facts as to early pack- ing and shipments from Redlands.
"The first oranges shipped from the Redlands orange district were shipped by M. H. Crafts from what is now known as Crafton. He had a small seedling orchard (planted out in 1870) and his crop was at first mostly used at home and for visitors. As the crop increased he sold locally and shipped in flat boxes to commission merchants of San Francisco. I do not know in what year he shipped first, but it was only a short time before Dr.
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
William Craig and myself began shipping from our orchard of Tahiti seed- lings, planted in 1877. I packed and sold sixteen boxes in the spring of 1883. twenty three boxes in 1884. I have no record of the place of shipment, but remember it as San Francisco.
My portion of this seedling orchard on Colton avenue, Crafton, consisted of 129 trees, 95 of which were bearing in the year of 1885, when I shipped 321 boxes, partly to Hixon Justi & Co., of San Francisco, and partly to the same firm in Chicago. I hanled them to Colton across unbridged streams, being sometimes obliged by high water to go around by the San Bernardino bridge. We, in Crafton, united with Lewis Cram of Highland and Dr. W. R. Fox of Colton Terrace in filling a car at Colton which Twogood and Edwards of Riverside had partly filled, for there was not a carload at a time in either region.
I used flat boxes for a time, then when boxes of the present shape came into use, I learned from a former pupil of mine, Mrs. Flora Swain, then a resi- dent of Florida, the methods of packing there. I find a copy of the plan of packing there in my record book for Nos. 250, 236, 176, 146, 128 and 96 in box. I made a grader with slats the required distance apart to obtain these sizes and so established the first uniform style of packing for this locality.
The average gross price for the 1885 shipments of seedlings was $1.95 per box ; net price for same was $1.24. Some boxes sold in Chicago for $2.75 and in San Francisco for $2.00. Three boxes sold for $1.00-the lowest price for others was $1.25.
In the year 1886. in the spring, I sold 300 boxes, sending them to Chi- cago, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Of these 22 were Washington Navels. My net returns were $721.41-nearly $2.40 per box."
The earliest marketing was done by the growers, each consigning his fruit where and as best he could. For the first few years shipments were made almost entirely through Riverside packers, or in connection with Riv- erside growers. (For further particulars of early orange marketing see Chapter IX.
Packing Houses, Dryers, Etc.
In 1886, Messrs. Cook & Langley, then among the heaviest dealers in fruit in the country, put up a dryer in Lugonia and in 1887 they erected the first packing house in Redlands and began buying. packing and shipping de- cidnous fruit-fresh and dried-raisins, and also oranges, shipping the latter as Riverside fruit.
As the product increased all of the prominent firms, such as Porter Bros .. Earl Company and others, established packing houses in Redlands and sev- eral Redlands firms developed and took an active hand in the business of packing and shipping oranges. The first "association" was the Redlands Fruit Growers' Association, formed January 2, 1889, wtih a capital stock of
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
$300,000, to handle the fruit grown by its incorporators. The first officers were: C. R. Paine, president ; H. H. Sinclair, secretary, and F. P. Morrison, treasurer.
The Haight Fruit Company began business in the season of 1889-90. They were the first to send out Redlands oranges under the name "Redlands," the first brand being the "Rose," which has become widely known and stands for the choicest fruit.
In 1893 the Redlands Orange Growers' Association was formed as a mutual company and erected its packing house. This company has since done a commission busi- ness also and has handled a large amount of fruit. Its present of -. ficers are: F. P. Morrison, presi- dent; C. R. Paine, vice president ; H. H. Garstin, secretary and man- ager, and the other directors are A. E. Sterling, E. J. Judson, T. Y. England and George L. Gay. From the first, Redlands fruit es- tablished a name and it was L. G. HAIGHT not long before "Redlands" or- anges were given the preference over all others and commanded a higher price than even Riverside fruit. For appearance and flavor the best Redlands Navels are unexcelled. The peculiar soil qualities seemed to produce a higher color; the freedom from scale and insect pests and from fog gave them clean, bright fruit. The orchardists of Redlands, like all others, have had difficulties to contend with, but they have always escaped damaging frosts and have never been set back by lack of water-although only the prompt action and enterprise of her citizens in developing new source of water supply-saved her from injury during the "dry years" 1898-99 and 1900. The freedom from scale has been gained by constant watchful- ness and prompt action when danger appeared.
The banner year of production thus far was the fruitful season of 1903- 04, when Redlands sent out 3,076 cars, or 1,113,512 boxes of fruit. The hand- ling of such a quantity of fruit has become an intricate, highly specialized business, requiring capital, extensive knowledge-both of fruit and of the markets, and the best modern methods and appliances-all the way from the
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
grower to the consumer. This has led to various combinations of the ship- pers and growers which in recent years have been mostly united in the form of "Exchanges," or in the Citrus Union. In 1903 these two organizations combined to ship their fruit through the California Fruit Agency, but the re- sults were not satisfactory and independent shipping is again the rule.
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