The herald., 1897-02-28
SAN BERNARDINo COUNTY

mingt0n and trains on tnaL rOau raj
very light except on steamer day, which
occurred about once week.
The Concord coach or some other less
pretentious vehicle was In use exclusive
ly for reaching the interior.
San Bernardino was one of those in
terror towns thus reached-eixty miles
distant-requiring an all-day ride
through a country that was very sparse
ly settled-a country that also gave few
evidences of future improvement. The
route lay through Ell Monte across the
Puente ranch up San Jose creek to
Spadra, thence across the arid waste to
Cucamonga, little settlement around
the only wine vineyard in that section
Of the country. and then across another
arid waste to Lytle creek. across which
was found to Mormon Mexican town of
San Bernardino. This was the only
town at that time in San Bernardino
county.
Cucamonga was not town. 1t con-
sisted of vineyard, winery, store,
saloon, postoff1ce and hotel combina-
tion, all under one roof; and a few fam
lilies.
Ontario was not yet thought Of, Eth
wanda was an after consideration. The
Rialto country had been tried years be-
fore for wheat and abandoned, and the
only sign Of a town outside of San
Bernardino was the Mexican settlement
of Aqua Manser on the Santa Ana river,
Just below where Cotton is now located.
San Bernardino county at that time
contained less than 1000 population. The
agricultural developments of the
county were confined to the little
moist and semi land in the valley
surrounding the town itself and the bot
tom lands along the Santa Ana river ex-
tending down to the Rincon.
Irrigation was carried on to limited
extent and was applied only to those
lands most easily and cheaply reached
by the water.
Fruit culture was in it's infancy. An
son Van Leuven had small orange
orchard at old San Bernardino, and this
one orchard had monopoly of the busi-
ness in that county.
Raisin vineyards were unknown in
the state at that time. Deciduous
fruits were grown only for home con-
sumption. San Bernardino was known
as an alfalfa county and this crop was
grown for home consumption and was
fed to hogs and cattle.
Gradually improvements began to be
made. Riverside was the first one of
any magnitude started. At first it was
known as the Silk Center associat ton,
and the promoters of that enterprise
proposed to raise silk worms and man
ufacture silk. Tom Cover. who was af-
forwards lost on the desert while hunt
ing for the celebrated Peg-leg mine was
one of the promoters of the silk busi-
ness. Later Judge North. E. G. Brown.
A. ]. Twogood, DR.. Graves and DR.. K. d.
Shugart tablished Riverside in 1871
OF this number Twogood and Shugart
are the only ones now alive.
In 1875 the Southern Pacif1fic was ex-
tended eastward fraSn Los Angeles
through San Bernardino county towards
Arizona and this railroad building stim-
ulated further Improvement and de-
velopment.
The town of Cotton was thus brought
into existence as a railroad town, owned
by the railroad company and encour-
aged by railroad influences. Unfortun-
ately the Southern Pacific was SO To-
Gated that no settlements Of any conse-
quence could grow up along the line
of the road, except Cotton, for many
years.
The next important move in the way Of
development in San Bernardino county
was made by Judson & Brown, men pos
bGSoSo Va iiOAC CACA8y thdA S6Pittt. 2hd
who lived in the LuEonia valley on the
mesa between the Mill creek zanja and
the Santa Ana river. This was in 1851.
Land with a good water right was then
selling in that valley for about S25 an
acre and was not considered a very
good purchase at lhat price.
Just south of the Mill creek zanja
was a magnificent slope of land, mostly
If a reddish clayey formation, some of
which was being homesteaded and 9TH
er portions of which were still open to
pre-emption. Judson & Brown concelv-
ed the idea of carrying some of the water
then used and wasted in Lugonia over
to this land, and there formed settle
ment, believing that the soil there was
better adapted to fruit culture than it
was on the loose, sandy soil of the Lu-
gonia section.
With them to think was to act. They
purchased quantity of Lugonia water
rights, started in and developed other
waters, constructed a canal to the land
of promise, secured title to several hund-
red acres on the south side of the zanja,
homesteaded one quarter section that
could not be otherwise obtained, laid out
streets, surveyed the tract into ten
acre lots, formed q water company on
basis Of giving the stock of the water
company to those who purchased the
land, and seemingly laid solid founda-
ton for a future prosperous settlement.
For weeks the subject of name for
the new settlement bothered the pro-
moters more than all other questions.
One night Mr.. E. G. Judson became in
spired, and as result the next day he
announced the magical name of Red
lands-and Redlands it was and Red
lands it is.
Lands in Redlands were readily sold
at $50 an acre in the fall of 1881, after
wards advancing to SIS, 800, $3.50. $3.50,
an acre.
And even at that time the town of
Redlands-now the city of Redlands--
had not been conceived. Another year,
1888, the town was laid out and built
A newspaper-the Citrograph-was es-
tablished by that prince of newspaper
men, Scipio Craig. In nine years time
that town has become a city with two
banks, magnificent church edifices, fine
school buildings and thrifty business
houses.
Redlands produces oranges too. The
crop this year will aggregate about ZOO
carloads, worth on board the cars about
5000 per car, or total of $3.50, 0,00c.
The Redlands oranges are recognized
in the markets as among the very best
sent there from anyportion of the
habitahle globe, and they command a
tri1e more per box than oranges from
almost any other locality.
During the past few years when cold
waves have occasionally swept over
the semi-tropical regions of almost all
portions of the world, doing great dam
age along the shores of the Mediterran-
can and practically wiping Florida out
of existence as q citrus fruit producing