Corona, CA

The city of Corona is home to many significant events. Corona was founded in 1886, at the height of the citrus boom by the  South Riverside Land and Water Company. Founded by Robert Taylor, the South Riverside Land and Water Company raised approximately $110,000 to purchase approximately 12,000 acres of good agricultural land. Taylor hired Anaheim engineer H. C. Kellogg to design a circular Grand Boulevard three miles round. This Grand Boulevard gave Corona the nickname,  The Circle City. This Grand Boulevard is an essential part of history, as early residents used to parade their fancy buggies on this circular street that enclosed the main functions of the community. On July 13, 1896 residents voted to incorporate and change the name of the community to Corona, which is Spanish for “crown,” in honor of the City’s circular Grand Boulevard. By 1912 There were 5,000 acres of established lemon and orange groves. By 1915 the production of lemons was exceeding national demand, and local businessmen worked together to form the first Lemon Exchange By-Products Company in the US. In 1954 they employed over 700 people and marketed a variety of lemon products for worldwide disbursement. The plant produced citric acid, lemon oil, lemon juice and pectin which helped Corona gain the nickname “Lemon Capital of the world.”.  

  Historical Society: http://www.yucaipahistory.org/  

The modern history of the city of Calimesa began with the establishment of the Spanish Missions in Southern California, and the need for a land route to travel to these missions inspired an expedition party that eventually led to the discovery of the region in the 1800s. From even before the 1850s, evidence can be found for the messenger foot path between the missions to travel through Calimesa. Calimesa slowly developed into a small rural town, mostly occupied by single-family homes and independent ranches. However, with the completion of the U.S. Route 99, the modern-day I-10 freeway, more businesses were able to open and develop Calimesa’s independent identity, distinct from the greater Yucaipa Valley Region. In June of 1929, nearly 100 residents came together to apply for the establishment of their own post office, and held a naming contest that successfully named the city to be Calimesa: “cali” taken from “California”, and “mesa” from the Spanish word meaning “table” or “table-lands”. The post office reinforced the unique identity of Calimesa separate from the Yucaipa Valley, and Calimesa developed into the city it is in the modern day 

The city of Murrieta is an astonishing city  full of verdant open spaces and natural hot springs. City founder, Ezequiel Murrieta, found it reminiscent of his native Spain. Murrieta went on to purchase 52,000 acres of the land, with the intention of moving his sheep ranching operation to the new land. He later passed this land on to his younger brother Juan, who in 1873 brought a flock of 100,000 sheep to the valley. The expansion of the city started soon after, In 1882 the Southern California Railroad laid tracks linking the valley to its southern transcontinental route. With these tracks, came an influx of settlers to the land. By 1890, Murrieta had experienced its first population boom. During the 1900’s the natural hot springs flourished, bringing in international settlers.  

The city of Hemet was first inhabited by the Cahuilla Indian tribe. In the early 1800s, it became a cattle ranch for Mission San Luis Rey and was called Rancho San Jacinto. When the missions were broken up by the Mexican government, the land was given to Jose Antonio Estudillo in 1842.

The City of Hemet owes its growth to the dedication of two wealthy men. The first event was the visit that Ramona author Helen Hunt Jackson made to the San Jacinto Valley in 1883 in order to gather material on the Sobobas, a group of Mission Indians living on the east side of the San Jacinto River. 

During their visit, Jackson stayed at various ranches and met numerous valley and mountain residents, notably Charles Thomas and Hancock McClung Johnston. Thomas and Johnston owned ranches in the San Jacinto Mountains where they raised race horses in what was then called Hemet Valley.

Text Courtesy of https://www.hemetca.gov/120/History-of-Hemet

To learn more about the Cahuilla Tribe, go to http://www.aguacaliente.org/content/history%20and%20culture/.

The city of Menifee was inhabited by the Luiseno and Pechanga Indian tribes. However, in the 1700s, the Spanish Empire ruled the area. It was eventually annexed into the United States from Mexico in 1850 under California.

Farming activity was mainly concentrated in the Menifee area. Mining began in the early 1880s with the discovery of quartz lodes by Luther Menifee Wilson. The city of Menifee received its name from that mining discovery.

Early development of Menifee began with Sun City in the early 1960s as an active retirement community that was created by Del Webb, a contractor from Phoenix, Arizona. Sun City is located within the City of Menifee with both residential and commercial activity.

The Menifee area grew further in 1989 with the Menifee Lakes and is still one of the fastest growing communities in California. Quail Valley is a residential community in the northwestern section of the city, and Romoland is a residential and commercial community located in the northeastern section of the city.

Text Courtesy of https://cityofmenifee.us/85/History

To learn more about the Pechanga Indian Tribe, go to https://www.pechanga-nsn.gov/

Lake Elsinore is a fast growing suburban city located in Riverside County. The city encompasses more than half of Lake Elsinore, a giant freshwater lake with which it shares its name. In 1858, Don Agustin Machado acquired and settled the 12,832 acre California Rancho. The adobe home Machado settled became a part of the historic Butterfield stage route. It acted as a relay station for mail and passengers, and is still standing today. In 1883 the Machado Rancho was sold to City founder Franklin Heald for $24,000. Heald had a plan for this rancho that would soon evolve into the city we know today. The name, “Elsinore”, originated from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. City founder, Margaret Collier Graham, enjoyed the sound of the name.In 1893, Lake Elsinore became part of riverside county, as previously it was located in San Diego county. The city gained popularity through the years as it had many benefits to offer residents. Lake Elsinore was home to a variety of stores, a lumberyard, daily mail services, and good water, soil, and climate for agriculture. In the 1920’s Lake Elsinore was established as a city for the glamorous. From the beginning, Lake Elsinores mineral springs attracted visitors seeking therapeutic treatments. Lake Elsinore also hosted Olympic teams for training in the 1920’s. 

City of Beaumont, Riverside County

Text courtesy of the Beaumont Library District website (https://bld.lib.ca.us/35/Local-History), video courtesy of The Press-Enterprise

In 1845, the first settlers of the region, Pauline (Paulino, Powell) Weaver and Isaac “Julian” Williams¹, took possession of the Johnson and San Gorgonio Ranch lands. Multiple others would purchase portions of the lands from 1853 to 1868. By 1875, a railroad depot and telegraph office were set up. In 1884, George C. Egan purchased land and founded the town of San Gorgonio, and became the first postmaster. In 1886, the Southern California Investment Company purchased San Gorgonio from Egan and renamed the city Beaumont, French for “beautiful mountain”. The name was officially adopted in 1887. In 1907, wealthy businessmen by the names of Kenneth Smoot and Claredon B. Eyer purchased a large portion of Beaumont’s land and worked to develop it. By 1909, the Beaumont’s Gateway Gazette, Beaumont Women’s Club and First Bank of Beaumont had all been founded, and the Beaumont Library District was informally opened in 1911. By 1912, Beaumont was officially incorporated.

¹ Learn more about the lives of Weaver and Williams and their role as settlers here: https://www.pe.com/2011/11/19/pass-1840s-settler-took-liberties-to-get-land/ 

City of Banning, Riverside County

Text courtesy of the City of Banning Government Website (http://banning.ca.us/314/City-of-Banning-History)

The city of Banning takes its name in honor of General Phineas T. Banning, an American businessman, financier and entrepreneur who freighted¹ over the Mormon trail from Salt Lake to San Bernardino and Los Angeles². 

In 1853, the first white man known to reach the area, Issac Smith, purchased an undivided 1-third interest of the land from Paulino Weaver, who had been the first to settle in the San Gorgonio region. Smith brought his family to the ranch and built their home on the land, known as Smith’s Station and later as Highland Springs. The next year, the Gilman Ranch adobe, Banning’s first permanent landmark, was built and used as a stage stop on the Colorado Stage & Express Line, a route to the gold mining district by the Colorado River. A railroad would later replace the stagecoach, but Banning is still known as America’s Stagecoach Town even today, and is famous for the annual Stagecoach Days Celebration.

¹ The term “freight” refers to the transportation of goods in bulk by truck, train, ship, or aircraft. Learn more about the history of freight shipping here: https://www.freightquote.com/blog/freight-shipping-history-then-and-now/#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20freight%20shipping%20timeline.,transportation%20by%20horse%20more%20efficient. 

² The Mormon trail to southern California was opened by former Mormon Battalion soldiers in 1847 and used by two sets of settlers. Learn more about the trail here: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Mormon_Trail_to_Southern_California 

  The city of Riverside was founded in 1870, named after its location beside the Santa Ana River. The most populous city in Riverside County, Riverside is home to many architectural sites. As well as the birthplace of the California Citrus Industry. City founder John North, wished to establish a colony dedicated to furthering education and culture. The former Spanish rancho was the perfect site for this. Many investors  from England and Canada transplanted traditions and activities adopted by prosperous citizens. This new found city was called Riverside and its original square, called “Mile Square,” remains the heart of the city. Home to the citrus industry, in 1871 the first orange trees were planted in Riverside. Two years later, Eliza Tibbets planted two Brazilian navel orange trees in the city. These trees thrived in the Southern California climate and the navel orange industry grew rapidly.  By 1887 the navel orange had become the dominant crop in Riverside and other California cities. The successful cultivation of these newly discovered oranges, resulted in the population of Riverside growing substantially. There were more than half a million citrus trees in California, almost half of which were in Riverside by 1882.