History of
San Bernardino County

It was in 1850 when the first California government decided that the new state of California needed to be divided into twenty-seven different counties. San Bernardino County was originally part of the San Diego County. It was then known to be part of Los Angeles County a year later. It wasn't until April 1853 that the eastern part of Los Angles County was divided off and this was how San Bernardino County came to be.

1882 Brookside Winery in Redlands

California went through a Missions Period that lasted until 1832. This was the time when the Spaniards were in control of California.

Mexico eventually took California from the Spaniards and began handing out mission holdings to political figures, people who were rich, and people who worked for the governors of California. These holdings given out were named ranchos and many of these ranchos took on some of the names that are still alive and well in San Bernardino County today. Those names are Cucamonga, Chino, San Bernardino, and San Gorgonio Pass.

California wasn't acknowledged as part of the United States until 1850 and it was a short year later that Brigham Young, a leader in the Mormon Church, founded a Mormon colony with some of his Utah followers in southern California. It was at that time that apostles Charles Rich and Amasa Lymanbrought five hundred men, women and children came to what is now known as Devore and is in the Cajon Pass. They settled in June and in February of the following year, they bought San Bernardino Rancho. They planned out an area that would be used for a new town and this is how San Bernardino came to be in existence today.

San Bernardino was only home to the Mormons for the next five years. At that time, Brigham Young took the Mormons back to Utah. It was now 1857. Bu,t all of the Mormons leaving in such a short period of time created a vacuum that many opportunists took advantage of. Because of this, San Bernardino was beginning to be known as a tough town.

Riverside was a part of San Bernardino County in the 1870s and it was here that farmers planted navel oranges. They did extremely well in this location soon made San Bernardino County a thriving place for farming and growing orchards. The parts of San Bernardino County that were involved in this were what is present day Ontario, Upland, Highland, Redlands, Fontana and Rialto.

Gold was discovered in Bear Valley and Holcomb Valley in the 1880s. This furthered the expanding growth with mining developments being formed in the high desert and the mountains. These developments are still in operation today.

San Bernardino has since had its area reduced twice but even so, it remains the largest county in the mainland United States today.

History of San Bernardino County

History of
San Bernardino County