The Inland Empire

I’ll admit I took a show-me (possibly cynical?) approach. A few years ago our company had a technical support contract with the U.S. Air Force at San Bernardino’s Norton AFB. I spent on average two days a week out of Los Angeles at Norton. My vision of San Bernardino was simple. Go east on Freeway I-10, take the Tippecanoe Avenue off-ramp. Go straight north on Tippecanoe until you come to the Norton gate. At day’s end reverse the process — south on Tippecanoe and west on I-10. That was San Bernardino. Although Norton, now closed, may be taking on a historical aura of its own, I wondered about all those "brochurisms" — historical sites, museums, art, culture. In a word — show me.

Well, they were right and they did! John Anicic and his array of Inland Empire historical societies put on the CCHS Spring Symposium, February 20-23, 2003 in San Bernardino. Well planned visits to historic sites were featured, we heard lectures from knowledgeable speakers and there were no delays. It was one of the best CCHS symposiums we have had in recent years.

Things got underway Thursday night with a buffet at the Bloomington Garage. The garage has come a long way since our last visit in February 2001 and now sports a quaint museum, a meeting area and a gift shop. In its day, the garage was the only gas station between Ontario and San Bernardino. Through the efforts of the Bloomington Historical Society and other groups, the garage which was scheduled for demolition was moved to its new location on a side street and has been undergoing restoration by these groups ever since.

The town of Colton has been home to members of the Earp family over the years. During dinner, actors in costume portrayed the various Earp brothers — Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan. Each introduced himself and gave a brief history of his life. Morgan wound up his biographical sketch by stating, "After I was killed they brought me back here and I am buried in the Colton cemetery."

Friday morning attendees boarded buses for the city of Redlands. The city was named for its colored soil which proved to be ideal for the growing of citrus fruits and other crops. Late in the 19th and early 20th centuries it became a favorite winter resort for wealthy easterners. Many of the fine old Victorians which they built have been beautifully restored. These along with the University of Redlands, an outdoor bowl for concerts, fine museums and libraries have made the city a cultural center. Symposium attendees were divided into two groups and boarded two buses. Tours were then conducted of the A.K. Smiley Library, the Lincoln Memorial Shrine and the Kimberly Crest mansion, the order depending on the bus being taken.

A. K. Smiley Memorial Library

The A.K. Smiley Library is supported by an endowment from the Smiley family and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The library was donated to the citizens of Redlands in 1898 by Albert K. Smiley. Through his generosity, Redlands was given one of California’s few privately funded libraries of that era. During its lifetime, four wings have been added. The building is architecturally classified as Late Victorian, Mission/Spanish Revival style. Constructed of red brick, the building was painted a light color at one time during its life in order that it would harmonize with the Lincoln Memorial Library which is situated adjacent to it. In 2001, funds were obtained, the paint was laboriously removed and the building was restored to its original designed appearance.

The library houses more than 100,000 books, a collection of 20,000 heritage photographs and thousands of U.S. Government and California State publications. Its special collections division operates the library’s extensive holdings in local and regional history, as well as the Lincoln and Civil War collections of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, the Carnegie Indian collection and the Library’s art collection. It recently acquired the McDonald Citrus Label Collection consisting of more than 1800 pieces and one of the largest of such collections in existence today.

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine is located in a small parklike area adjacent to the A.K. Smiley Library. The Shrine was built by Robert Watchorn. Watchorn’s career ran from Welsh coal miner to labor leader, government official and finally oil man and former president of the Union Oil Co. He was also a lifelong admirer of Abraham Lincoln and in 1932 donated his substantial Lincoln and Civil War collections, along with an endowment to support it, to the citizens of Redlands.

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine was originally designed in an octagon shape by southern California architect Elmer Grey in 1932. Watchorn died in 1944. After a lengthy fund raising campaign, two wings were added to the octagon in 1998. Individual donations and purchases from endowments and gift funds have enlarged the original collection to the extent that today the Lincoln Memorial Shrine houses the largest collection of Lincoln artifacts and Civil War material west of the Mississippi. All material at the shrine is available for use by scholars, students and researchers.

The Kimberly Crest Mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a three-story French chateau style home that was built in 1897 on the crest of a hill looking north over the San Bernardino Valley to the mountains. Terraced Italian gardens designed in 1908 stretch almost a thousand yards from the entrance of the residence down to the entrance of the grounds. The mansion retains its period furnishings and has been kept in beautiful condition. It became the permanent residence of Mr. and Mrs. John Alfred Kimberly in 1906, Mr. Kimberly being one of the founders of Kimberly, Clark and Company. In 1920 their daughter, Mary Kimberly Shirk, came to live with them at Kimberly Crest. Her husband, a World War I naval officer, had died of injuries in 1919 and she never remarried. After the passing of her parents, Mary became the matriarch and considered herself to be the caretaker of the family home and its traditions. She passed away at age 99 in 1979, willed the home to the city of Redlands and created an endowment for its support and maintenance. Tours of the mansion and grounds are conducted by docents on a regular basis.

Friday afternoon was spent at the San Bernardino County Archives Facility which houses the county’s recorded legal documents, photos and maps. Attendees were given a tour of the facility and many examples of old deeds, maps, photographs and other data were on display for attendees to examine. Box lunches were served in the facility’s large theater/meeting room and it was in this room that the afternoon’s lectures were given.

The first settlement of any size that was to become the city of San Bernardino was established in 1851 by a group of Mormon settlers. They had been sent by Brigham Young, head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to establish a way station on the trail from Salt Lake City to San Pedro. The station was to be in an area with agricultural potential and after much searching and negotiations with the Lugo family, they purchased a site on the abandoned Lugo Rancho.

The first speaker of the afternoon was Marilyn Mills who described the ardors of the passage from Salt Lake City over what many described as the worst of all the frontier trails. She spoke from experience as she was the organizer of the 2001 "Heritage Trails Event," a reenactment of the 1851 Mormon wagon train trek which brought the settlers from Salt Lake City, Utah to San Bernardino. The 2001 party was made up of interested persons from all over the country with ages ranging from four to 83 years. After establishing the location of the old trail, many problems over rights of passage and other legalities had to be worked out before the trek could get underway. Equipment used and supplies carried were built to 1851 standards. Ms. Mill’s presentation was augmented by slide photos taken as the trek progressed and her interesting presentation was an excellent depiction of what early mobile pioneers experienced.

"The Mormon Wagon Train" presentation was followed by Floyd McDonald’s slide show of selections from his extensive collection of labels from citrus fruit packing boxes. During the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century, San Bernardino was the center of the huge southern California citrus industry. Crates of the fruit were packed in San Bernardino and shipped by rail to markets all over the United States and Canada. Shipping labels not only had to give an indication of what type fruit was in the packing box and its rating as to quality, but also a plug for southern California which was competing with producers from upstate California, Florida, Arizona and other citrus growing areas. Because this information had to be readable at a glance and only one end of each crate carried a label, graphic depictions were resorted to. Many labels even became colorful works of art. Orange groves with snowcapped peaks in the background were among the more popular labels. Mr. McDonald’s collection numbers over 1800 labels and is one of the most extensive. It has now been donated to the A.K. Smiley Library in Redlands.

Speakers Dr. Larry Burgess and Floyd McDonald

The Friday night banquet was held in the banquet room of the San Bernardino Elks Club. Musical entertainment was provided by Chicken Charlie’s California Minstrels, a four-piece guitar ensemble. Speaker of the evening was Dr. Larry E. Burgess, Director of A.K. Smiley Public Library in Redlands where our tour had taken us earlier in the day. The title of his talk was "The Inconvenience of History." In it he pointed out that historical facts and commonly accepted so-called "facts" often differed, resulting in arguments, sometimes heavy monetary expenditures and inconvenience at least. As an example, on some official stationery, plaques and other documents, 1810 was displayed as the founding date of the City of San Bernardino. Actually the city was incorporated in 1853 and later this year its sesquicentennial anniversary will be celebrated. Though the city supports the celebration, the 1810 date is still very much in evidence. Will it be changed at considerable cost? Dr. Burgess went on to cite other instances of such "inconveniences" and his amusing talk was enjoyed by all.

Saturday morning was devoted to several business meetings which are part of all CCHS symposia and annual meetings. The afternoon was devoted again to bus tours, this time in and around the city of San Bernardino itself. First off, we had a run by the San Bernardino County courthouse which was two blocks from the Radisson Hotel and a historic site in itself. It was on this site that José del Carmen Lugo built the first house in what was later to become the city of San Bernardino. In 1851 a stockade of logs was built at the site as a protection against the Indians. In it more than 100 families lived for nearly a year.

The tour continued on to the north side of town to a point which affords a view of "The Arrowhead" in the nearby mountains. The Arrowhead is a natural formation that is 1115 feet long and 396 feet wide. Its light-colored quartz face supporting a growth of white sage is in sharp contrast to the surrounding chaparral, making the arrowhead visible as a historic landmark throughout the San Bernardino Valley. Unfortunately, recent fires had burned off most of the vegetation and the arrowhead was barely visible.

After viewing the arrowhead, the tour then stopped at the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Passenger and Freight Depot, also known as the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot. The depot is no longer in use, however it is now undergoing a complete restoration. This Mission/Spanish Revival style railroad depot is one of the last of these imposing structures on what is now the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway system. Its heyday was the 1900-1924 period after which the advent of new forms of passenger transportation gradually brought about its demise. The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The tour then took us to the California Theater in downtown San Bernardino. The theater was built in 1928 in the typical "cathedral of the motion picture" style of its day. With a seating capacity of 1700, it entered the world at a time when talking pictures were just coming on the scene. It retains its original two-tier theater organ intact and in operating condition. At its console we were treated to a program of music by organist Alan Mitchell. The theater has been completely renovated and today is home to the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera, the San Bernardino Symphony and other organizations. It also features a regular subscription program of stage plays. On the exterior wall of the curtain loft is a full color painting of humorist Will Rogers who did his last theater performance here just a few days before the fatal plane crash with aviator Wiley Post at Point Barrow, Alaska.

Next stop was the San Bernardino Route 66 Museum billed as "The Site of the First McDonald’s Restaurant, 1948." The present owners classify the museum as an unofficial McDonald’s museum, however the site contains many features of bygone days — 15 cent hamburger signs, models of hamburgers, McDonald’s signs in various sizes and inside a fine collection of early restaurant and Highway 66 memorabilia. The McDonald’s corporation avoided the dedication of the museum in 1998, the 50th anniversary of the original San Bernardino McDonald’s stand. The corporation has claimed for years that a store in Des Plaines, Illinois was the original and it is now the official McDonald’s museum. However, after much consideration the California corporate headquarters saw the public relations possibilities of the San Bernardino enterprise and allowed it to go ahead.

The Saturday night banquet was held at the meeting hall of The Native Sons of the Golden West. CCHS members shared in the witnessing of the dedication of an 1878 stone horse trough as a historic item by the Native Sons organization. Known as the John McCall Horse Trough, after its original owner, it is currently installed at the entrance to the hall. The trough bears the inscription carved in its side, "John McCall, Feb. 22 A.D. 1878." After dinner, speaker Nick Cataldo presented an interesting and amusing talk on San Bernardino history which was enjoyed by all.