|
HISTORICAL RIVERSIDE (Founded 1870):
The Evolution of a Desert Oasis Riverside, California has a rich and diverse cultural and economic history. The area was once inhabited by a number of Native American peoples, including Serranos, Luisenos, Cupenos, Chemehuevi, and Cahuillas. When Spain claimed California a series of missions were built in what was called Alta California. No missions were built in what became Riverside County, but the area played an essential role in the mission period, as lands were used for grazing large herds of cattle and sheep that belonged to the missions. In 1776 and 1778, Juan Bautista de Anza (an army captain searching for an overland route from the Mexican state of Sonora to San Gabriel and Los Angeles) passed through much of Riverside and described fertile valleys, lakes and sub-desert areas. Mexico revolted and took over California in 1822. The Mission Period lasted until 1832 when the missions were desecularized. The immense mission holdings were given to political favorites, wealthy families, and pals of the governors of California. These "grants" were called "ranchos." The first land grant in what is now Riverside County, Rancho Jurupa, was given to Juan Bandini in 1838. With the transcontinental railroad in 1869, developers, land speculators, and colonists swarmed Southern California. The first colony in what would become Riverside County, was the Colony of Riverside itself. Judge John Wesley North, brought a group of associates and co-investors, and founded The City Of Riverside in 1870, on part of the Jurupa Rancho. Investors from England and Canada transplanted traditions and activities adopted by wealthy citizens. The very first golf course and polo field in Southern California were both built in Riverside. By the late 1880's and early 1890's there were many political, spiritual, and economic differences between the cities of Riverside and San Bernardino (10 miles to the north). Several of Riverside's citizen's decided to research the possibility of a new county when charges claimed unfair use of tax funds that benefited only San Bernardino. Joined by San Diego County residents in the Temecula and San Jacinto Valleys, they petitioned the State legislature, held an election, and formed Riverside County on May 9, 1893.
Riverside has become famous for it's citrus industry. The first orange trees were planted in 1871. Two years later, Eliza Tibbets received two Brazilian navel orange trees sent by a friend at the Department of Agriculture in Washington. They thrived in the Southern California climate. Successful cultivation of this newly discovered navel orange led to another kind of "California Gold Rush." By 1882, there were more than half a million citrus trees in California, almost half of which were in Riverside. The creation of innovative irrigation systems and refrigerated railroad cars established Riverside as the wealthiest city per capita by 1895. As the city prospered, a small guest hotel designed in the popular Mission Revival style grew and became favored by presidents, royalty and movie stars. The Mission Inn was developed from the Glenwood Tavern (owned by Captain Christopher Columbus Miller, who moved to Riverside in 1874 to survey land for the Gage Canal to bring water to Riverside). His son Frank developed a lasting interest in culture and the arts and took over the expansion of the Inn. Over the years he expanded and embellished it. The Reagan's honeymooned here, and the Nixon's were married on its grounds. Teddy Roosevelt planted a tree in its courtyard, and a special chair was built for 300 pound William Howard Taft when he visited is still in the Inn's collection. It has played host to numerous movie stars, musicians and heads of state over its glittering history. There is a strong community support for historic preservation in Riverside. The city reveres its past and has built upon that admiration. Many architectural movements of the past century can be seen here in this desert oasis. Riverside's citizens are proud of the city's unique character born from the tradition of careful planning. The City's Office of Historic Preservation is committed to preserving the past as a firm foundation for the future. Over 100 City Landmarks, 20 National Register Sites and 2 National Landmarks have been designated. Riverside has a wealth of sites and buildings providing a link to the city's past. The city's Historic Preservation Program, created by the City Council in 1969, identifies and advances the preservation of Riverside's historic neighborhoods, and civic and commercial resources. Many of these landmarks are found in the Downtown's Mission Inn Historic District. The success of the citrus industry is commemorated in landscapes and exhibits of the California Citrus State Historic Park and the restored packing houses in the Downtown's Marketplace district. The landmark homes of Victoria Avenue serve as a reminder of those early European investors who settled here. Other sites of historical significance include Mile Square, 1924 Civic Center, the Chinatown site, the National Packing House, Citrus Experiment Station and engineering feats like the Gage Canal. California's Mission Revival style, born in Riverside, can be seen throughout Riverside, most notably in the Mission Inn, the Municipal Auditorium, First Church of Christ Scientist, and the Fox Theater (home of the Riverside Film Festival). Several of Riverside's historic buildings are open to the public. The Catherine Bettner home was restored and renamed the Heritage House. The Riverside Art Museum (designed by America's most successful woman architect, Julia Morgan, famous for William Randolph Hearst's Castle in San Simeon). Benedict Castle was built as a private residence by Henry Jekel, and is now occupied by Teen Challenge. |
Today, Riverside County is the fourth largest county in California...
Stretching nearly 200 miles across, it encompasses an area of nearly 7,200 square miles of fertile river valleys, low deserts, mountains, foothills and rolling plains. As of 1992 it boasts a population of 1.3 million people. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of residents grew by over 76%... making Riverside the fastest-growing County in California. As of the 2000 census, the City of Riverside had a total population of 255,166. RAINCROSS S Y M B O L The unique City Raincross Symbol is derived from combining a replica of the mass bell used by Father Junipero Serra, missionary priest and founder of the California Missions, and the cross to which the Navajo and Central American Indians prayed for rain. The "Raincross" is used extensively throughout Riverside in its architecture and is on the City flag. The Raincross Symbol was designed for the Mission Inn and given to the city by Miller. It has been identified with Riverside since 1907. Playing on the nostalgia for the state's Spanish heritage and the romanticized images of the missions and the Indians portrayed by Helen Hunt Jackson in her novels, Miller, Matthew Gage, the Sunkist Cooperative, the Santa Fe Railroad and other city boosters worked together to market Riverside as a Spanish Mediterranean Mecca. Riverside's climate and landscapes continue to evoke this Mediterranean paradise. Truly, an oasis in the desert. More Information On Historical Riverside, California @ Wikipedia I have developed quite a love for the city in which I reside... much to my (and many other's) surprise. Being a Pacific Northwest girl growing up in forests and mountains, I have learned to love the beauty of my desert home. The wealth and variety of things close by (the mountains are only an hour, the beach an hour and a half). I love the peace and quiet of being outside and away from the city (but still only an hour from LA). And great restaurants and shopping are mere minutes away. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
