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 57
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
In 1877, Dr. Godfrey and Mr. Franklin began publishing the Colton Advocate. In 1878, Sccipio Craig purchased the paper and changed the name to the "Semi-Tropic." This paper was an important factor in building up Colton and in doing battle for her rights. That its editor had entire faith in the future of the town is evidenced by this clipping which recalls some of the earlier hopes entertained by Colton :
"Speaking of side-tracking, it seems a little odd now to recall the fact that in 1878 or 1879 the people of this city were much concerned over a report that Los Angeles was to be cut off the main transcontinental line of the Southern Pacific and its place taken by Colton. The theory was that the railroad proposed to construct a line from Mojave to Colton, thus saving a few miles, and run an occasional local to Los Angeles as it does now to Cala- basas. It is to be feared an ocean of ink was shed in denouncing this perfid- ious project which for a time elevated Scipio Craig, the Colton editor, at the time into the seventh heaven of delight. A few years later the boom came
554
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
along and the absurdity of a possible rival in Colton was as plain to the alarmists as it had been to the wise ones from the start."-Los Angeles Capital.
Colton, although the railway point and receiving the support of the Southern Pacific Company, had many difficulties to contend with. The idea that a town could grow up at Colton was at first treated with scorn by. San Bernardino. The Guardian in an editorial of February 10, 1875, declares :
"Gentlemen, the idea of an opposition town to San Bernardino is simply absurd. Here is the center of business, and here business by commercial laws must remain. Let outside collateral villages spring up, and welcome. All the better for San Bernardino, as it will be the central point of business for the lot. Again, fears are entertained that if the depot is located at Old San Bernardino, this town will be injured. As there is no location for anything larger than a respectable village in that delightful orange country, the fears are ridiculous. Let the company locate its depot where it pleases. God made San Bernardino a site for the central town of the county : and the railway, even if inclined- which we have no reason to believe it to be-cannot change His fiat.
Is not the majority of the pop- ulation of the county in and clus- tered immediately around this town? Are the people who own property here going to abandon it? Whence MILO GILBERT will the 'new town' derive its sup- port? Will the population of this town and the immediately surrounding country abandon our stores here and rush down to Mathew's mill for their beefsteaks and groceries, before breakfast; or will they abandon their artesian wells, elegant homes and improved homesteads for waterless sandy flats, even if a depot is located there? This 'new town' talk, gentlemen, is simply nau- seating nonsense. It is possible a village may grow up around the depot."
For several years there was some bitterness of feeling and Colton re- ceived little encouragement from her neighbors. Yet she steadily increased in population and in business. As the railroad center and shipping point for San Bernardino, Riverside and the entire valley, business naturally gathered about Colton. It was found that the "terrace," which comprised a part of
555
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
the original colony holdings was excellent fruit land and many orchards were set out.
In June, 1877, the Colton Land and Water Company was organized and absorbed the original association. This company acquired the rights to Raynor's springs and also put down a number of artesian wells. It piped water both for domestic purposes and for irrigation into Colton. About 1879 the Colton Terrace Company was organized and by securing water from Garner's springs and from the old Rancheria ditch, and also by sinking artesian wells, was able to put water upon a considerable tract of the higher lands.
By 1880 the village contained some three hundred inhabitants. This year the San Jose Packing Co. put up a cannery at Colton and began handling fruits, both fresh and dried, in large quantities. In 1881 the Colton Marble and Lime Co. was formed and began the erection of a plant at Slover Moun- tain. The coming of the Santa Fe system into California gave a new start to the entire southern section of the state. Work was begun on the California Southern, which was to extend from National City to San Bernardino, in 1881. There was much discussion of the routes by which it might reach San Bernardino. At one time it seemed probable that it would not enter Colton, but the citizens secured a right of way through the town and also donated land, with the understanding that the railroad shops might be lo- cated there, and August 21, 1882, the Southern California road was com- pleted into Colton and regular train service began between Colton and San Diego. But for nearly a year a legal battle between the Southern Pacific and the California Southern prevented the completion of the line to San Bernardino. The Southern Pacific refused to permit the new road to cross its tracks, and when the construction crew were ready to put in the cross- ing, placed locomotives and freight cars across the track, and even placed an injunction on the crossing itself. It was not until September, 1883, that the crossing was effected. Colton as the junction of two transcontinental lines, of course, enjoyed increased railroad facilities.
In common with all California towns, Colton grew rapidly during the "boom" years. In 1886, P. A. Raynor subdivided 300 acres lying just north of the original town site and put it upon the market. The streets were graded and water brought to the tract. In the same year the Daily Semi-Tropic made its appearance and added to the metropolitan claims of the place. In 1887, the Southern Pacific purchased the unsold lots of the original town site of Colton, and the Colton Land and Water Company practically passed out of existence. In July, 1887, the town of Colton was incorporated as a city of the sixth class. The first trustees were: John M. White, A. B. Hotch- kiss, O. T. Royce, J. C. Baugus, G. W. Tyler ; clerk, Farnk F. Oster, treas- urer, S. M. Goddard; marshal, W. N. Earp.
In November, 1887, the city trustees granted a franchise for the motor
M. A. MURPHY
557
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
road to R. W. Button and associates. This road was operated between San Bernardino and Colton and Riverside by the Southern California Motor Com- pany and afterward by a receiver, until July 25, 1896, when it was sold to the Southern Pacific Co., who made some changes and have since operated it. In 1888, the first street pavements were put down and a franchise was granted the Electric Light and Power Co. of San Bernardino. This company secured their power from the Riverside canal near Colton. In 1889 the Fire Com- pany was formed and a fire engine purchased. October 16, 1889, the town voted $12,000 in bonds for the erection of the City Hall, which was put up the next year.
The business interests of the town had kept pace with its growth. The canning establishment of the San Jose Company had not proved a success. In 1886, the Colton Fruit Packing Co. was organized with Alfred B. Miner as presi- dent and Wilson Hayes as secre- tary and treasurer. They erected an extensive plant and began canning and drying fruit.
JOHN W. DAVIS, Sr.
The first brick block in the town, a two-story edifice, with stores and offices, well fitted and arranged, was built by Jacob Pol- hemus in 1886 on the lot where he had located his residence and shop in 1877. The same year the First National Bank was estab- lished, a business growing out of a private banking business which had been carried on for several years by S. M. Goddard and James Lee, who were at the time doing a large business as
wholesale dealers in flour, provisions, etc.
The First National Bank was formed with a capital stock of $50,000. J. W. Davis, Sr., being president. A two-story brick building, still occupied by the bank, was erected by Mr. Davis as a home for the institution. Upon his death his son, J. W. Davis, Jr., became president, and was followed by his father-in-law, J. W. Roberts, who also became president of the San Ber- nardino National Bank. E. D. Roberts succeeded his father upon the death of the latter in 1903. The present officers are: E. D. Roberts, president ;
558
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
S. M. Goddard, vice-president; H. B. Smith, cashier ; directors, S. M. God- dard, E. D. Roberts, W. W. Wilcox, J. E. Davis, H. B. Smith.
In 1889, Colton shipped more citrus fruit than any other point in the state, 581 cars being billed out of Colton by the Southern Pacific alone. In 1890 the same company sent out 811 cars of citrus fruit. During the season of 1889 the Colton Canning Co. put up 1,000,000 cans of fruit and packed 40 tons of dried fruit and 40,000 boxes of raisins. A rolling and planing mill was doing a thriving business at this time.
In 1889, R. M. McKie, the present proprietor, purchased the Colton Semi- Tropic and changed its name to the Chronicle. About the same time the Colton Enterprise was started-then the Colton News.
The growth of Colton through the nineties was slow but steady. When the question of a new Court House came up, the citizens of Colton made
strenuous efforts to secure the county seat for their town. Meetings were held and great enthusiasm aroused.
The town offered to donate a block of land and build a suitable Court House, to cost not less than $200,000, and donate it to the county free of all cost. But for the fact that the town was within the prohibited distance from the county line after the division of the county, this generous proposal might have been accepted.
A number of substantial business blocks, a new hotel, the Marlborough, and the Baptist church were erected during these years. The streets werc graded and macadamized; the railroad park, which had been set aside in the R. M. McKIE early days of the town, was improved and became a real beauty spot. In 1902 the electric service between Colton and San Bernardino added greatly to the transportation facilities of the town.
For several years now Colton has experienced something of a building boom. Many cottages and pretty homes have been put up and the demand continues. The town now has a population of some 2500.
Portland Cement Works. Three-fourths of a mile southwest of Colton rises Slover mountain-a great mass of forbidding rock, one-fourth of a mile in diameter, and rising from six to seven hundred feet above the plain, yet within this unsightly pile is hidden untold wealth. At an early date it
559
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
was known that limestone, marble and other valuable materials were to be found here. In 1881 a company of Riverside men, with O. T. Dyer as presi- dent, W. S. Wilson, superintendent of mining department, and L. L. Dyer, superintendent of the marble department, began to quarry marble from the mountain. This was known as the Colton Marble and Lime Co. In 1887 this company was succeeded by the "California Marble Company," which is exploited thus: "The California Marble Co. on March 1, 1887, began oper- ations, employing about 45 men and working three quarries, yielding differ- ent kinds of marble, one of which is used principally in the production of lime. The waste rock is converted into crushed marble and shipped to Los Angeles, San Francisco and other points for street paving. In these quarries white marble is abundant ; light variegated and dark variegated, light gray. sea green, brown and light blue are also found. A black marble is in abund- ance, although it is very rare, being found only in a few other spots. This black marble is being used for mantels, wainscoting, tiling, gravestones, etc. The staircases, columns, paneling and wainscoting of the new Academy of Sciences in San Francisco will be constructed of this marble."
In December, 1891, the California Portland Cement Co. was organized in Los Angeles, with C. W. Smith, president; S. W. Little, vice-president, and J. R. Toberman, secretary.' Work was at once begun on an extensive plant at Slover Mountain for the manufacture of Portland cement. At this time all of this material used on the coast had to be imported. The neces- sary combination of rock and clay is not common and the manufacture of this cement must always be limited by the difficulty in finding the necessary materials within working distance. The plant was completed and began turning out cement in April, 1894, at first with a capacity of 150 barrels per day, which has been increased until now the company is turning out 500 bar- rels per day. With the exception of one year, 1897, the plant has been stead- üy at work, and its output steadily increasing since the opening up of the works. Clay from Perris, or Reche canon, is used with crushed lime rock from the mountain to make the cement. Other products are marble, marble dust, rubble and macadam. According to the report of the state mineral- ogist the products of this company footed up to about $400,000 for 1902, and according to their own published statement, the profits of the year were above $50,000.
Beside owning Slover mountain, the company has 1,100 acres of clay beds. It leases the marble works to San Francisco parties. There is also a plaster mill where plaster of Paris is manufactured. Four large kilns pro- ‹luce great quantities of lime. The rock crusher is of solid cement structure and has a capacity of 20 carloads per day. This is used for ballast and for concrete work.
A town site has been laid out and a boarding house erected. From 80 to 100 men are regularly employed. The town and the plant are supplied
560
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
with water from a well with a pumping plant that raises it to a reservoir high enough for distribution. A substantial power house has been erected and the Edison Electric Company now furnishes power. The value of the ce- ment plant is put at $400,000, and of the entire plant at about one million.
Other Industries.
Colton, as the junction of three great transcontinental lines, is an im- portant railroad center. Here are located roundhouses and tanks, and side tracks without end. The Southern Pacific has over twenty-three miles of track here. The Santa Fe also has many miles of trackage, and it is ex- pected that the Salt Lake will eventually need a large trackage of its own. The repair shops of the Transconti- nental Fruit Line are located here and constantly keep a number of men en- ployed. The large number of freight cars handled here and the large amount of freight loaded gives employment to many men. Many men employed on the train service also make their . homes at Colton, and the railroad yards and repair departments require a large and constantly increasing force.
W. W. WILCOX
The Globe Flour Mills are one of the most important industries of Col- ton. The company in 1902 put up one of the largest milling establishments in the state. It is well equipped with modern machinery and has a capacity of 200 barrels of flour, 100 barrels of meal and 100 tons of rolled barley per day. It is located at the junction of the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe tracks and has unsurpassed shipping facilities.
A planing mill has lately been equipped with the latest machinery, and :s handling a large business. It is owned by P. H. Reed and manufactures fixtures, special furniture, patterns, etc.
The M. A. Hebberd Co., which is the successor to the old firm of James Lee & Co. that began business in Colton in the early eighties, does a large wholesale and retail business in provisions and has one of the largest storage warehouses in the county. The Wilcox-Rose Mercantile Co. does a large business in hardware, agricultural implements, etc.
561
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
THE COLTON FRUIT EXCHANGE.
The Colton Fruit Exchange was organized in 1892. It is an association of fruit growers for the purpose of packing and shipping their own fruit at actual cost. There are at present about 125 members, and the corporation is controlled by a board of nine directors, elected annually. The board of lirectors elects its own officers. The present board consists of James Barn- hill, Earl Van Luven, W. M. Wilcox, E. D. Roberts, E. A. Pettijohn, L. C. Newcome, E. C. Merrifield, W. S. Bullis, J. B. Hanna. James Barnhill is president ; Earl Van Luven, vice-president; First National Bank of Colton, treasurer, and I. N. Brink, secretary and manager.
This exchange uses the old pavilion, which was erected for the State Fair, as a packing house. This gives them a floor space of 200 square feet- the largest building used for this purpose in Southern California. They are using the most modern and complete equipment and the fruit is handled with the utmost care ; indeed, with the many modern appliances now in use, the fruit is handled very little. After being dumped from the orchard boxes into ,a canvas receiver it is rolled o: lifted carefully from one process to another until it is laid into the shipping boxes, and there can be no possibility of bruising or injur- ing the fruit in the packing process.
EARL F. VAN LUVEN
The Colton Exchange has five brands of oranges-"Colton Ter- race," "Tiger," which is their first grade; "Floral," second; "Gem," and "Rancho," third grade. This packing house has a capacity of from eight to ten cars per day.
The growers in this corporation receive all money over and above the actual cost of packing and selling their product, there being no profits paid to any one whatever. This exchange is a member of the San Bernardino Fruit Exchange.
There are four other packing houses in Colton, and a large amount of fruit is handled every year.
562
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
In 1886, Colton held her first Citrus Fair in the old cannery building. A second fair was held at Colton in 1891 and proved a brilliant success. That year steps were taken toward providing Colton with a pavilion for fairs and public meetings. The citizens raised $12,000 for the purpose, a committee composed of Milo Gilbert, president ; S. M. Goddard, secretary; W. W. Wil- cox, treasurer ; Wilson Hayes, H. B. Smith, M. A. Murphy, Dr. Hutchinson, George Cooley and R. W. Button, having charge of the matter. The South- ern Pacific offered to donate lots, provided that the pavilion were built before January 1, 1893. The gentlemen having the matter in hand built a hand- some structure, 180 by 192 feet, then the most complete and convenient pub- lic building of the kind in Southern California.
March 16, the State Fair was opened in the pavilion with the finest ex- hibit of fruit ever seen in the state. The Colton exhibit was in the form of the Eiffel tower, 35 feet high and 14 feet at the base, composed of oranges and lemons. The first premium of $250 for the best exhibit of citrus fruits went to San Bernardino county.
WATER SUPPLY.
The first water used in Colton was obtained from Mathew's or Meek's Mill, which had been established for many years about one-fourth mile southeast of the City Hall. Water was brought from this point by the railway company for their tanks and for town pur- poses. Next the Colton Land and Water Co. piped water from Raynor's Springs and from arte- sian wells in the vicinity of the springs.
July 2, 1888, an election was held in Colton and $60,000 in bonds was voted to purchase land, "with water now or here- after to be developed, and for constructing a system of reser- voirs and pipes." The bonds were carried with only two dis- enting votes, and subsequently A. D. SPRING the water supply of the Col- ton Terrace Co. was purchased. In 1897 the Colton Chronicle says of the water system: "The supply of water owned and available by the city is abundant and of the finest quality. In addition to 88 inches purchased from
563
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
the old water company, the city paid John Barnhill for 81 inches, making 169 inches, to which should be added 17 inches purchased from E. D. Rob- erts, 31 inches from James Lamb and 52 inches of the Colton Water Co., making a total of 267 inches. The Meeks and Daley ditch has 825 inches of which 400 are owned by citizens of Colton. There are 600 acres in and around Colton for which this water is used, exclusive of that consumed by domestic users, and for fire pressure, street sprinkling, parks, etc."
During the dry season of 1899-1900 Colton put in four pumping plants, operated by electricity. In 1902 two of these plants were in operation and yielding 175 inches of water, and other wells were to be sunk.
The first electric light and power was furnished by a San Bernardino company, power being obtained from the Riverside canal. Later a contract was made with the Redlands Electric Light and Power Co. who furnished the town with 50 horse power, 12 arc lights and over 800 domestic lights. The Edison Company is now furnishing the town with 100 horse power and with about 1400 domestic and commercial lights and 100 incandescent lights. The system is under the charge of Mr. A. D. Spring.
SCHOOLS.
Colton School District was organized in 1876 and a small frame school house erected. This now stands on Eighth street between F and G and is occupied as a dwelling. In 1883 a two-story brick building containing four rooms was put up. A school bell was donated for this by Mrs. D. R. Colton, in memory of her husband for whom the town had been named. This building is no longer used for school purposes. The district voted bonds for $10,000 in 1886 and the next year put up the present Northside Grammar School, a brick building of eight rooms. In 1903 the 1 Southside primary building was put up at a cost of $4000 and the same year bonds were voted for a High School building and a hand- some brick and cement building, containing large assembly hall, recitation rooms, labora- tories, and full equipment for an up-to-date High School has just been completed and occupied. The Colton High School was or- D R. COLTON ganized in 1896 with Professor W. F. Bliss,
as principal. It has already taken high rank as a school and is duly accred- ited by both Univer sities.
The Colton schools are now under the supervision of Professor George
564
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
M. Green, assisted by an able corps of fourteen teachers. So rapidly is the town growing that in spite of the two new buildings erected so recently, there is demand for more room and already additional buildings are under contem- plation. The average attendance last year was 394 and the attendance in the High School was 67.
CHURCHES.
The Presbyterian church, as we have seen, was organized in 1876, and its building was the first church erected in Colton. It has always remained a strong factor in the religious life of the town. Its present pastor is Rev. H. W. Harbaugh.
The first Methodist service was held in June, 1884, when the Rev. Wright preached from the platform of the S. P. Ry. depot. A class was organized consisting of Messrs. J. W. Rice and wife, A. S. Fox and wife, E. H. Howard and wife, Wilson Hays and wife, W. H. Wright and wife and Walker Fox. Services were then held in Kelting Hall. The conference next year sent Rev. I. G. Sigler, as pastor for 1886-87. During these years a church was organ- ized, lot purchased, and a church and parsonage erected at a cost of more than $4,000. A sunday school was organized when the church was formed in 1886, with Walker Fox as superintendent. The school now has a member- ship of 120; the church has 77 members, owns a neat and comfortable church and parsonage and is entirely out of debt. The present pastor is the Rev. E. Hoskyn.
The Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was built about 1893, a neat frame structure located in South Colton. In its belfry hangs the old bell made in the sixties at Agua Mansa, for use in the "little church." The old "campo santo" at Agua Mansa, is still used in connection with this church. The pastor of the San Bernardino Catholic church, holds services here at regular intervals.
565
HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
CHAPTER XIX.
HISTORY OF ONTARIO.
By Eleanor Freeman.
Early History of Ontario Colony. Today the traveler who journeys westward from the "red hills" of Cucamonga will see in the distance, stretch- ing away to the northward a long avenue of stately trees-giant eucalypti, graceful grevillae and tropical palms. As he comes nearer, he finds groves to the east and west of this avenue which reveal that he-more fortunate than Mignon -is already in the land where "the citron blooms, and where, through leafy boughs, the golden orange glows." He will find beau- tiful homes and vinewreathed cottages scat- tered through a valley that vies with his dreams of an ideal world. Bordered on the north by the Sierra Madres, gently sloping and dotted by fragrant groves and beautiful vineyards, by fields of cool green alfalfa and yellow grain, the plains of the Ontario and Cucamonga settlements are a garden-spot of the earth. Near the center of the Ontario colony lies the town, the spires of its churches, the belfries of its school houses and the brick ELEANOR FREEMAN buildings of its business streets standing out against the greenness of the trees that embower the place. Wide avenues lead out from the town through the surrounding colony and an electric line, with convenient and comfortable cars carries one from the southern limit of the settlement to the foothills at the mouth of the San Antonio canon-nearly seven miles. From the upper end of this line turning westward at sunset, "The Orient is purpled with an amethystine hue and the western heavens slumber in a hyacinthine blue." Or, if the moon is risen, a flood of silver light will gild with a radiance unknown in a colder clime every shrub and flower, while the stars will shine with an added brilliance. And if the night be dark or misty uncounted electric lights will sparkle as guides to the traveler.
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.