The earliest known inhabitants of San Bernardino County were a people that lived along the Mojave River, and buried their dead sitting upright in pit graves facing the river.
The peoples on the land when the Spanish explorers first came among them were:
Father Eusebio Francisco Kino Father Francisco Garcés
Captain Juan Bautista de Anza
Spanish Missionaries from Mission San Gabriel Arcángel established a church at the village of Politania in 1810. Father Francisco Dumetz named the church San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, after the feast day of St. Bernardino of Siena. The Franciscans also gave the name San Bernardino to the snowcapped peak in Southern California, in honor of the saint and it is from him that the county derives its name. [3] In 1819, they established the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia, a mission farm in what is now Redlands.
Following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, interest in reopening land communications with Alta California was revived with the arrival of a Dominican missionary, Father Félix Caballero, in Tucson in 1823. He and three companions walked from Misión Santa Catarina Virgen y Mártir in Baja California, crossing the Colorado River among the Cocopah. A military expedition under Brevet Captain José Romero, commander of the Tucson presidio, was organized to return the priest to his mission and pioneer a route to the Californias. The expedition record of Captain Romero, says they traveled up to the Gila River and passed through the Pima Villages and then through the Maricopa villages on their way downstream to the Colorado River. Arriving in June at the height of the rivers flood crossing among the freindly Yuma was not possible at the time. Romero was forced to move down river to the delta to find a place to make a crossing the Colorado. Aided by apparently friendly tribesmen to build rafts, Romero began to cross with his men but with his horses and baggage on rafts crewed by the natives. When the Mexicans were in mid stream fighting the strong current pulling the down river, the tribesmen absconded with their horses, baggage and most of their clothing, leaving them with little but their weapons and accoutrements to continue with. Romero with the aide of friendly tribesmen on the other shore obtained enough food and water along the way to made his way to a mission in northern Baja California.
Captain José Romero reopened Anza’s historic overland route to California. A regular mail service was implemented. Like Juan Bautista de Anza before him, Romero also received his lieutenant-colonelcy upon reaching California. His exploits, like Anza’s, enjoyed wide publicity in Sonora, California, and as faraway as Mexico City.
Alta California long isolated from Mexico by land became connected again by the Sonora Road in 1828, and in 1829, Antonio Armijo pioneered what is known as the Old Spanish Trail trading woolen goods from Nuevo México for horses and mules in California.
After 1833, Mexican citizens were granted land grants from confiscated Mission lands to establish ranchos in the area of the county. Rancho Jurupa in 1838, Rancho Cucamonga and El Rincon in 1839, Rancho Santa Ana del Chino in 1841, Rancho San Bernardino in 1842 and Rancho Muscupiabe in 1844.
The Old Spanish Trail was also followed by immigrants from New Mexico and the United States to California. The towns of San Salvador and Aqua Mansa were established by these immigrants. Agua Mansa was the first town in what became San Bernardino County, settled by immigrants from New Mexico on land donated from the Rancho Jurupa in 1841. San Salvador was established to the southeast across the Santa Ana River from Agua Mansa.
When the state of California was organized in 1850 most of the territory that became San Bernardino County had been in San Diego County from 1850 to 1851. Then it was reassigned to Los Angeles County from 1851 to 1853.
Following the purchase of Rancho San Bernardino, and the establishment of the town of San Bernardino in 1851 by Mormon colonists, San Bernardino County was formed in 1853 from the eastern part of Los Angeles County.
Some of the southern parts of the county's territory were given up to form Riverside County in 1893.
The earliest known inhabitants of San Bernardino County were a people that lived along the Mojave River, and buried their dead sitting upright in pit graves facing the river.
The peoples on the land when the Spanish explorers first came among them were:
Father Eusebio Francisco Kino Father Francisco Garcés
Captain Juan Bautista de Anza
Spanish Missionaries from Mission San Gabriel Arcángel established a church at the village of Politania in 1810. Father Francisco Dumetz named the church San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, after the feast day of St. Bernardino of Siena. The Franciscans also gave the name San Bernardino to the snowcapped peak in Southern California, in honor of the saint and it is from him that the county derives its name. [3] In 1819, they established the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia, a mission farm in what is now Redlands.
Following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, interest in reopening land communications with Alta California was revived with the arrival of a Dominican missionary, Father Félix Caballero, in Tucson in 1823. He and three companions walked from Misión Santa Catarina Virgen y Mártir in Baja California, crossing the Colorado River among the Cocopah. A military expedition under Brevet Captain José Romero, commander of the Tucson presidio, was organized to return the priest to his mission and pioneer a route to the Californias. The expedition record of Captain Romero, says they traveled up to the Gila River and passed through the Pima Villages and then through the Maricopa villages on their way downstream to the Colorado River. Arriving in June at the height of the rivers flood crossing among the freindly Yuma was not possible at the time. Romero was forced to move down river to the delta to find a place to make a crossing the Colorado. Aided by apparently friendly tribesmen to build rafts, Romero began to cross with his men but with his horses and baggage on rafts crewed by the natives. When the Mexicans were in mid stream fighting the strong current pulling the down river, the tribesmen absconded with their horses, baggage and most of their clothing, leaving them with little but their weapons and accoutrements to continue with. Romero with the aide of friendly tribesmen on the other shore obtained enough food and water along the way to made his way to a mission in northern Baja California.
Captain José Romero reopened Anza’s historic overland route to California. A regular mail service was implemented. Like Juan Bautista de Anza before him, Romero also received his lieutenant-colonelcy upon reaching California. His exploits, like Anza’s, enjoyed wide publicity in Sonora, California, and as faraway as Mexico City.
Alta California long isolated from Mexico by land became connected again by the Sonora Road in 1828, and in 1829, Antonio Armijo pioneered what is known as the Old Spanish Trail trading woolen goods from Nuevo México for horses and mules in California.
After 1833, Mexican citizens were granted land grants from confiscated Mission lands to establish ranchos in the area of the county. Rancho Jurupa in 1838, Rancho Cucamonga and El Rincon in 1839, Rancho Santa Ana del Chino in 1841, Rancho San Bernardino in 1842 and Rancho Muscupiabe in 1844.
The Old Spanish Trail was also followed by immigrants from New Mexico and the United States to California. The towns of San Salvador and Aqua Mansa were established by these immigrants. Agua Mansa was the first town in what became San Bernardino County, settled by immigrants from New Mexico on land donated from the Rancho Jurupa in 1841. San Salvador was established to the southeast across the Santa Ana River from Agua Mansa.
When the state of California was organized in 1850 most of the territory that became San Bernardino County had been in San Diego County from 1850 to 1851. Then it was reassigned to Los Angeles County from 1851 to 1853.
Following the purchase of Rancho San Bernardino, and the establishment of the town of San Bernardino in 1851 by Mormon colonists, San Bernardino County was formed in 1853 from the eastern part of Los Angeles County.
Some of the southern parts of the county's territory were given up to form Riverside County in 1893.