Etiwanda History - Dates of Etiwanda, California

Chaffey High School and the Community
A resource for history, news, and events surrounding the Chaffey Community.

Dates in the History of Etiwanda, California
Compiled by Robert L. Hickcox
September 23, 1981

	1768	Serrano, Gabrielone, Shoshone and Mojave Indians passing through the area. Using a Metate found at the mouth of East Etiwanda Canyon.
March 22	1774	Juan Batista de Anza arrived at San Gabriel.
March 15	1776	Fr. Francisco Garces passed through on road to San Gabriel.
	1806	Fr. Jose Maria Zalvida.
	1810	Fr. Jose Maria Zlavida mentioned Cucamonga in his records.
	1819	Gabriel Moraga, a Spanish Officer camped in Cucamonga.
November	1826	Jediah Smith and 16 trappers passed through looking for a river flowing west.
March 3	1839	Tiburcia Tapía given a grant of three leagues, 13,000 acres, between San Antonio Creek and Turner Avenue.
May	1840	Indians driving stolen horses to Mojave.
October 23	1848	Orville C. Pratt and 17 men, 57 days from Santa Fe, New Mexico, marched 20 miles from Cajon to Prudhomme's Ranch, Cucamonga.
	1852	Baseline surveyed by Henry Washington.
February 19	1867	E. K. Dunlap sold Young Ranchito to George Day for $450 gold.
July 17	1867	George Day filed on waters of Day Canyon.
December	1867	Major flood.
July 17	1867	James Bryant filed on 160 acres. Sainsevain or Horse Canyon.
November 13	1867	J. O. Glenn filed on 160 acres, Horse Canyon.
	1869	George Day refiled on Day and Young Canyons (East).
July	1873	Isaiah P. Smith filed on Young and East Canyon
July 29	1873	Day and Pierce filed on Day Canyon
	1874	Southern Pacific Railroad built from Cucamonga to Colton.
November 3	1874	Thomas Hawker sold 160 acres for $1,000 gold to Michael Sainsevain.
December 19	1874	Isaiah P. Smith paid $200 for 160 acres from U. S. (East Avenue and Summit.)
January 9	1875	Isaiah P. Smith sold 160 acres for $600 to Captain Joseph Garcia. East Avenue and Summit.
February 27	1875	Michael Sainsevain filed on Horse Canyon.
	1875	William Hawker and Victor De Lor built house for Sainsevain.
March 20	1875	George Day died.
November 8	1875	August Bienfort claimed water in Section 18, T1N, R6W, Smith Canyon.
February 10	1876	Patent of U. S. by President Ulysses S. Grant to A. C. Rice, 80 acres E½, NE¼, Section 32.
March 6	1878	Martha Shrode, guardian, deeded Day's children ½ interest to J. Norton, $1,500.
December 21	1878	Artemus Rice to Captain Joseph S. Garcia, 80 acres, Section 32. West side of Etiwanda Avenue, Victoria to Highland.
May 17	1878	A. Bienfort died. Land sold to James Stevenson. 40 acres for $350.
	1880	Perdew School District formed, Citrus at Summit Avenue.
	1881	G. F. R. B. Perdew settled in Grapeland and planted 25 acres of peaches.
November 18	1881	Mr. Norton deeded Day Canyon land to Petsch.
November	1881	On Thanksgiving Day George and William Chaffey met Captain Joseph S. Garcia and purchased his land.
January 10	1882	Garcia deeded 560 acres to Chaffeys for $30,000.
January	1882	Captain J. H. Scott came to Etiwanda. He was one of the original subscribers of stock in the Etiwanda Water Company. Built first new house in Etiwanda in 1882 on 20 acres, northwest corner of East Avenue and Highland Avenue.
January 10	1882	Chaffeys purchased all water rights from Mr. Petsch.
January 13	1882	Michael Sainsevain sold one-half interest in Horse Canyon to Mr. Banbury.
May 16	1882	Etiwanda Water Company organized with 5000 shares. Maximum ever issued was 2,300.
June	1882	Chaffeys organized California Land Improvement Company. 10,000 shares.
July 1	1882	Alfred Shepherd of Glendale, Ohio bought lots 11 and 14 Block H. Paid $2,000 for 20 acres. Pecan and Victoria Avenue.
Fall	1882	George Frost goes to work for Chaffeys at age 36.
December 11	1882	Monday evening, Chaffeys lighted electric light in home in the Chaffey-Garcia House
	1882	Chaffeys installed a telephone line to San Bernardino.
May 4	1883	California Land Improvement Company incorporated by Chaffey Brothers to hold their Etiwanda assets.
May 8	1883	Etiwanda School District formed. One room at southwest corner of East Avenue and Baseline Road.
Early	1883	Chaffey opened Hotel at northwest corner of Langham (Miller) and East Avenue. M. M. Brinks, Proprietor.
	1883	13 people met in Hotel to organize Etiwanda Congregational Church.
October 9	1883	First post office opened in Hotel. James Craig, Postmaster.
October 3	1884	George and William Chaffey to Walter Riche, Lot 13, Block H for $1.000. Northeast corner of Victoria and Etiwanda Avenues.
	1885	48 landholders, 35 resident irrigators on 632 acres.
	1885	Perdew School District had 43 pupils, ages 4 to 17.
January 1	1886	Michael Sainsevain sold one-half interest to Jean L. Sainsevain.
	1886	E. T. Myers set out 5 acres of grapes in Grapeland.
November 15	1886	H. Dugdale bought Lot 16, Block H for $1,250. Summit Avenue.
May 20	1887	Santa Fe Railroad built line between San Gabriel to San Bernardino.
June 4	1887	Mr. Perdew beat E. T. Myers by one vote for School Board.
	1889	Rochester Water Company Incorporated. C. W. Smith, President.
October 24	1889	Marion D. Stephens Patent NW¼, Section 8, T1S, R6W.
June 2	1890	Grapeland Irrigation District formed 10,600 acres.
September 2	1890	Grapeland Irrigation District, J. D. Ousterhout, President. E. T. Myers, Secretary.
	1890	Etiwanda School District opened a new two-room school, southeast corner of Victoria and Etiwanda Avenues.
February 1	1891	Walter Taylor English died. Chaffey's lawyer for Etiwanda
	1892	Wood and Safford claimed part of the water in Etiwanda Canyon for Canyon Springs Ranch on Summit Avenue.
Spring	1892	C. A. Hickcox and family arrived at Canyon Springs Ranch.
May 9	1892	Grapeland School District formed at Summit and Sainsevain with 31 pupils.
May 27	1893	C. A. and M. B. Hickcox buy Lots 9, 10 and 15. Block B. From California Land Improvement Company. Summit Avenue $3,300.
September 23	1893	Etiwanda Congregational Church organized. Rev. Brainerd, Pastor, met in Etiwanda School.
October 14	1893	Etiwanda Fruit Company. George Frost, President. W. A. Gilbert, Secretary. 5,000 shares @ $l.00 for dried fruit and raisins.
	1893	Brush fire gutted Sainsevain home.
April 19	1894	C. O. Perrine sold church site to Etiwanda Congregational Church on Etiwanda Avenue.
April 23	1894	Karl Foster to dig a ditch 27" X 25" wide for $2.40 per hundred feet.
July 20	1896	Robert L. Hickcox, my uncle, cut weeds for Water Company along flume, $1.50 per day. Age 18.
	1898	Dr. A. L. Shepherd County Health Officer in area, $8.33 per month.
July 17	1899	Several cases of Typhoid Fever in Etiwanda.
July 18	1899	R. P. Perdew gave a right of way to Etiwanda Water Company SW¼, NW¼, Section 16, East Etiwanda Canyon to Etiwanda.
July 21	1899	Major earthquake, San Antonio to Lytle Creek Canyons.
September 22	1899	Perdew School District closed, combined with Grapeland
February 8	1900	Peoples Improvement Company Incorporated.
March 2	1900	Peoples Improvement Company buys all of California Land Improvement Company. 399 1/3 shares.
	1901	Grapeland School District combined with Etiwanda School
. .	. .	(Approximately a hundred more entries can be found in the book, "Etiwanda," which can be purchased from the Etiwanda Historical Society. Some are included here for reference to other articles at this site.)
	1902	Etiwanda Congregational Church built at 7126 Etiwanda Avenue, which now stands next to the Chaffey-Garcia House and Museum.
	1908	Bell from old Grapeland School given to Church by Jones and Johnston.
	1912	Etiwanda School built a four-room, two-story brick school at Etiwanda and Victoria Avenue, southeast corner.
	1913	Major freeze.
May 5	1919	Etiwanda School District Annexed to Chaffey Union High School District.
January 20	1922	Major freeze. January 20, 23 degrees; January 21, 24 degrees; January 22, 27 degrees. All citrus fruit lost with heavy tree damage.
January 9	1922	Rochester School District consolidated with Cucamonga
July 4	1932	50^th Anniversary Celebration at Etiwanda School.
February	1837	Major freeze. 19 degrees outside groves on Summit Avenue.
	1938	Major flood.
	1938	Etiwanda School District removed 1912 brick building and built a new one story building. Two wings and auditorium. W. P. A. cleared and graded site and built a wall of the old bricks.
	1948	Fontana School District annexes eastern portion of Etiwanda School District. Etiwanda School District still owns the Perdew School site. (RE: Carlton Lightfoot, Superintendent.)
	1955	Windows in Congregational Church dedicated to George Chaffey and J. C. Jones.
	1967	Summit School dedicated.
January 25	1969	Major flood. Also February 23, worst in 85 years.
October 1	1977	Major fire. San Sevaine to San Antonio Canyons.
	1973	East Avenue School dedicated.
November 8	1977	Alta Loma, Cucamonga and Etiwanda voted to incorporate as Ranch Cucamonga, 36 square miles, the third largest city in San Bernardino County. James C. Frost received the largest number of votes and elected Mayor. The great-grandson of early settler George Frost.
November 25	1989	Fires, Summit-Etiwanda, burned from East Canyon wash at Summit to Sansevaine wash along foothills, and also burned to the top of the mountain in Sansevaine and Ingvaldsen Canyons. Fires from 25^th to 30^th. Balsy-Waterman Canyon, Malibu, Trabuco.
	1986	Two schools, 937 pupils.
September	1988	Fire, Etiwanda Canyon to Lytle Creek.
February 28	1990	5.5 earthquake at 3:44 p.m. and 4.8 at 9:23 a.m.
	1992	Five schools, 3,588 pupils.
	1993	Rancho Cucamonga High School, Rochester Avenue opens.
July 4	1993	Etiwanda Community Church 100^th Anniversary.
July 4	1993	Chaffey-Garcia House opened and dedication.

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