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Getting its start exactly as its name implies, Rancho Cucamonga was part of a 13,000 acre Mexican Land Grant awarded
to Tubercio Tapia, a Mexican soldier and politician, in 1839. Tapia soon built an adobe home on Red Hill, raised large herds of
cattle and began a successful winery, portions of which still exist
today as part of the Thomas Winery Plaza. The name "Cucamonga” is thought to have been derived from a Shoshone word
meaning "sandy place.”
In 1858, Tapia’s
daughter sold the rancho to John Rains and his wife Maria Merced
Williams, a wealthy heiress. Two years later the couple hired Ohio brick masons to build them a new home, which today is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a museum.
In 1861, the
couple, along with their three children moved into the home that was
strategically-located at the confluence of the Mojave Trail, the Old
Spanish Trail, the El Camino Real, and the Butterfield Stage Route. By this time, Rains was well recognized as a rich and politically
influential man. He was also well-liked and quick to open his
home to travelers along the trails. However, the rich and
powerful also had enemies and in November, 1862 while Rains was
driving his wagon to
Los
Angeles,
he was ambushed near
San Dimas. The 33-year old land owner’s body was found 11
days later riddled with bullet holes and hidden in the bushes. His murder was never solved.
After Rains death,
the rancho began to fail and disputes over water rights became
prevalent. By 1870, the Rancho fell into foreclosure and was
sold the following year to a banker named Isaias Hellman and other San
Francisco businessmen, who formed the Cucamonga Company. Dona
Merced, having remarried, moved with her nearly penniless family to
Los
Angeles.
Though Hellman formed
the Cucamonga Homestead Association to develop the new community, his
plans were curtailed because of lack of water. In 1881 a man
named Adoph Petch, along with four other investors, opened another
track for development just outside of the Rancho lands. Spurred
by the competition, Hellman brought in water for his community via
water ways dug by Chinese laborers. Irrigation tunnels were
continually improved and before long the area was cultivated with
citrus, olive, peach, and grape crops. In 1887, the two communities
combined to form the city of Loamosa. However, in 1913, when the
Pacific Electric Railway came through, the town was once again renamed
to Alta Loma. In the meantime, yet another community called Etiwanda
had also sprouted up to the east.
Having long been a city
where trails met, it came as no surprise when
Route 66
was added to the
list. In no time at all the city boasted motels, diners, and tourist
shops to serve the many travelers of the
Mother Road.
Once known for its many
vineyards and orange groves,
Rancho Cucamonga
is today one of the fastest growing suburbs in the metropolitan area. In 1977, the communities of Alta Loma, Cucamonga, and Etiwanda were merged
to form the city, which now sports nearly 150,000 people.
Though new development have replaced many of
the older buildings, the suburb continues to provide numerous peeks of its
rich history.
Though the vast majority of its agricultural base is gone, the area soil
is still very fertile and during various times throughout the year, you
may still see produce stands along the side of the road.
At
the northwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Haven Avenue sits what was
one of
California's oldest wineries -- the Virginia Dare. Today, this
historic building has been transformed into offices, but still retains its
original 1830's architecture.
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