Our Valley - Lakeview and Nuevo, 1890 to 1925
By Mrs. L.A. Wood & Mrs. G.W. Tinker
Presented at the Nuevo Women’s Club, 1926
When the San Jacinto River overflows its banks, it covers many acres of land and forms a large lake which remains for several months. This was named Mystic Lake, and from the exquisite picture it makes Lakeview takes its name.
In 1890, the Lakeview Company purchased 5000 acres from the San Jacinto Nuevo Rancho, which was a part of the old Wolfskill Spanish land grant. It was surveyed by Campbell and Warren. Mr. Warren lived here for many years and after moving to Riverside called often in the valley. Most of their surveys are still used.
Water was located and then the districts were planted to orchards of olives, oranges, apricots, and peaches. Some of the old olive trees are still living near the foothills without irrigation.
Lakeview was laid out in two districts, business and residential, the business area being about 1-1/2 miles north of the residential. Fine houses were built in both these districts, but most of them have now been moved away except for the old Bell home and the Warren homes.
In the business district the large hotel was named for Mr. Hansen. Also one of the main avenues was named for him. The hotel was expensively furnished, and the silver and the linen were of the very best quality.
Great numbers of people from the east were brought out here, and with everything looking so well and prosperous they were persuaded to invest their money in what they believed to be a paying proposition.
Across the river northwest of Lakeview, Elders, Davis and Hullformed a blanket mortgage on a large tract of land, sold it to a group of Seventh-Day Baptists without their knowledge of the mortgage. When the Baptists had paid for the land, Elders, Davis, and Hull disappeared, so the Baptists had to pay off the mortgage or move off the land – they moved off. They had built a church and a school, the foundations of which still stand near the road through the hills to Moreno.
A stage line was started and it carried the mail once a day to and from Perris.
In 1900, olives sold for $60 per ton and were shipped in bags. In 1918 they sold for $160 a ton and were handled with the greatest care.
In 1897, a Congregational Church was organized in Lakeview. In 1918 a Congregational Church was organized in Nuevo, but it was taken over by the Perris Congregational Church after two years.
In 1899, a Women’s Club was organized in Lakeview with Mrs. H.K. Harger as president. There were 20 members, dues were .25, and it was active for eight years.
In 1920, the Women’s Club was organized in Nuevo as the Nuevo-Lakeview Women’s Club with Mrs. E.R. Stalder as president. Shortly after this the Women’s Community Club of Nuevo was organized from this group with Mrs. H.S. Gordon as president and it is still active. In these early days the Club had a Child’s Welfare Committee that worked with the school and helped with the first equipment for the playground. And I (Mrs. Wood) helped stretch the wire for the first tennis court.
The original plan for the water system was interesting and unique. Between 1890 and 1895, the Lakeview Company purchased ten acres southeast of Pico, a hill halfway to San Jacinto, and put down 25 wells of varying sizes, some three and some four inches, and others ten and twelve inch wells. A few were as deep as 200 feet. The water flowed in an open flume to First Street. There they had a cement tank that the water was turned into and pumped into reservoir Number 1 on the hill nearby. The reservoir, tank, and the foundation of the pump remain. A pipeline from that reservoir carried the water to another reservoir above the residential district and to Lakeview business district and on Y Avenue to the present Nuevo site. They planned to dig a large ditch from First Street following Reservoir Avenue through Lakeview and on to this end to use as a distributing and storage line. A part of this line was dug.
When the wells ceased to flow satisfactorily because of quicksand, the water was pumped with compressed air. When they failed altogether, several wells were put down in the Lakeview business district.
In 1910, a group of men from Riverside and Los Angelesformed the Nuevo Land Company and opened an office in Nuevo. They hired a large number of men to do the subdividing for farms. This was the southwest portion of what had been the Lakeview Tract. They put down three wells about 300 feet deep and had an abundance of water. Each year since then they have increased their pumping.
Orchards were planted again, olives, apricots and peaches. The parkways were planted with different kinds of trees and with American Beauty roses. Some of these still survive.
In 1915, when we came to the valley (the Wood family), the concrete Nuevo store was just finished, the two houses on the Smith corner (?) were occupied, and Mr. Buck Porter’s house was under construction. Between 1915 and 1917, Norman and Agnes Walker arrived, William and Amanda Honeycutt, and George and Ethel Tinker.
By now some of the olive orchards were 30 years old. On two occasions we celebrated “Apricot Blossom Time” and entertained many visitors.
Mr. McDonough drove the stage that brought the mail and the Nuevo mail was left at the water office and put in pigeon holes for us.
In the summer of 1915 the school building was started and was finished in October. A tent furnished shelter for the children until it was finished. In the spring, 8 children had gone to school in Lakeview from the Nuevo area, walking both ways. Sometimes an old horse and wagon furnished transportation when he was available. People in the community went together and purchased a piano for the school.
In the twenties the Community Hall was built. After the laying of the cornerstone we gave a dinner for the celebrities. Our “kitchen” was the unused room at the school (later the school supply room) and we had a kerosene stove and a coal-burning stove to cook on.
In 1924 we had a big barbeque in the olive grove at Mr. Woodworth’s place. The Women’s Club had a booth and sold lemonade and 20 gallons of ice cream. It was with this money that the first dishes were purchased for the Community Hall.
(The Woodworth olive grove was about ¼ or ½ mile north of the Nuevo store on the west side of the street across the street from the Denny’s house. MTC)
In 1917, the Nuevo Water Company purchased the last of the Lakeview wells and had it equipped with an electric motor like the other plants.
In 1922, the Nuevo Land Company put out 100 acres of grapes. They were not a success. The next year they planted 300 acres of peaches.
We tried all kinds of wholesale gardening. One year it was cucumbers. A factory was set up in Lakeview and made dill pickles.
Potatoes were raised without fertilizer and without much irrigating. When Mr. Tinker irrigated and put fertilizer on his potatoes, everyone said he had ruined his crop! When the yield reached 100 sacks to the acre, a big banner was put over the road saying, “100 sacks of potatoes to the acre.”
There is a Hot Springs at the base of the hill north of Lakeview, and hot mineral wells across the river west of town. A public bath house with tubs has been opened there.
There have been several wells in Brownland that show oil on the water and a number of people use the gas for lighting and cooking. In 1923 a company drilled a well in that locality, just 5 miles from Lakeview. They are down to 1900 feet now with every indication of success.
Our road to Perris was very bad, especially in the winter when it rained. There was about a quarter of a mile where the river ran across the road that was extremely slick when wet and sometimes the road was impassable for several days at a time. You couldn’t stay on it when it was wet, or get off it when it was dry as the ruts of the wheels were so deep and hard. So when the road was paved and finished in 1925 we had a big celebration. Mr. John Salkeld, leader of our band of eight, rode in the leading vehicle, and it was followed by every member of the community. We all wore badges. Perris turned out to participate in the fun and celebration.
Our local scenery is unsurpassed. Our mountains are equal to any anywhere. Our air and water are the very best.
Information for this history was obtained by Mrs. Wood and Mrs. Tinker from the following people:
Mrs. Barnasconi who came in 1893
Mrs. T.D. McDonough who came also in 1893
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Embertson who came in 1893
Mr. George Warren who also came in 1893
No comments:
Post a Comment