California Genealogy

The city of San Bernardino lies some six miles south of the mountain range, about four miles north of the Santa Ana River, and three miles from the railway station at Colton. It is 531 miles south of San Francisco, lying on the great thoroughfares that run southeastward, and those which penetrate the desert region of the interior basin. Here converge the roads leading through the Cajon pass to the mining districts of Panamint, Death Valley, Hualapa and the upper Colorado; and those from the other mineral regions of Holcomb Valley, and, through the San Gorgonio Pass, from La Paz, … Read more

The new hall of records is to have a frontage of sixty-six feet on Court Street. Its exterior finish will be of Colton marble and sandstone from Sespe or Mentone. The style of the architecture is termed “modern Moorish.” The interior finish, filings, paneling, columns, etc., will be of Colton marble, oak wood, iron, beveled plate glass, and cathedral glass. The main entrance will be ten feet wide, with an arch height of sixteen feet; the main entrance hall, twelve by eighteen feet; the treasurer’s room, fifteen by thirty feet, with a time-lock, steel-lined vault, 4 x 6 x 10 … Read more

Among the notorious characters who contributed to the disorder in this section in the early, days, were Bill Marshall and Juan Verdugo. It is said that Bill Marshall was from Providence, Rhode Island, and that he came to this country in 1844, in a whale-ship, from which he deserted. He married a daughter of an Indian chieftain, and was instrumental in binding the tribes together for hostilities against the whites. The trial of these men took place by court-martial, at “Old town,” San Diego, in December 1851. They were convicted of inciting the Indians to an outbreak, to burning the … Read more

If it is the proud boast of San Bernardino County that she possesses more school property in proportion to assessed valuation than does any other county of the State, Riverside may claim double eminence in this regard, since she leads by a great deal the rest of the county in the value and class of school property. The new High and Grammar school building at Riverside is justly ranked among the very best schoolhouses in California. It is a magnificent structure, massive, substantial, and admirably arranged for school uses, combining the greatest solidity and the best arrangement of rooms with … Read more

In 1870 Southern California was just beginning to attract attention as a resort for invalids, and also to call the interest of investors, struck by the large returns yielded by orchards and vineyards. In the spring of that year a party came to Los Angeles to select lands suitable for the settlement of a colony to engage in the culture of grapes and semitropical fruits. Among other objective points they visited in San Bernardino County the tract which had been chosen by the Sericultural Association, and were convinced that it possessed every essential requisite for the success of the proposed … Read more

Railroads And Horse-Car Lines Riverside is located on the main line of the Santa Fe between San Diego and the East, by which road all points on their system in Southern California, as well as those in the Eastern states, are readily accessible. The city is also connected with the county seat and other principal towns of the county, by a standard-gauge steam motor line which starts from the heart of the city. It makes close connection with the Southern Pacific at Colton, whence the traveler can reach Los Angeles, San Francisco, or all points at the East. This motor … Read more

With plenty of water and good cultivation the doubt as to the value of the land was soon removed and the success of the colony enterprise was assured. Thus encouraged the projectors enlarged their possessions by additional purchases, until they had between 3,000 and 4,000 acres in their colony, which, on account of the peculiar color of the soil, they named Redlands. In 1886 commissioners sent out to Southern California by an association formed in Chicago for the purpose of finding the best place in this State for a colony, after looking the state all over, purchased 440 acres of … Read more

The Rubidoux Rancho was patented in December 1876, to the Rubidoux heirs, and by them to the Riverside Company. That portion of the Riverside colony north of the Government land strip is situated on the Jurupa Rancho, being held under the original grant and patents from the United States Government, based upon a final confirmation of title by the United States Supreme Court. That portion reaching from south of the Jurupa line to the south line of present improvements is United States Government land, entered by Benjamin Hartshorn, who sold it to the River-side Land and Irrigation Company. South of … Read more

San Bernardino County enjoys the distinction of possessing the main lines of two transcontinental railroads the Southern Pacific, and the Atlantic & Pacific, more popularly known as the Santa Fe. The Southern Pacific was the pioneer road, completing its bed through these parts in 1876. This road crosses the extreme southwest corner of the county, running east and west. It affords shipping facilities to numerous prosperous towns and settlements, the centers of wide areas of rich fruit and agricultural lands. It has some forty-eight miles of track operating within the confines of the county, which, together with 206 miles of … Read more

San Bernardino County was segregated from Los Angeles County, of which it originally formed a part, by an act of the, Legislature, passed April 26, 1853; and the earliest history recorded of a concerted systematic effort to establish public schools in the territory comprised in San Bernardino County are of that year. T. 1. Herring was the first County Superintendent of common schools, and from the report of the school commissioners signed by him, and bearing date of November 17, 1853, the following is extracted: Report Of School Commissioners, San Bernardino, November 17, 1853 Theodore Turley, David Seeley, James H. … Read more