Banning High School - San Gorgonian Yearbook (Banning, CA)

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of action and the thinly scattered village of Banning. Here, many important characters now of Banning, make their entrance, and among these were: Dr. King, J. B. Hanna, C. O. Barker, W. 8. Hathaway, C. H. Ingelow, J. R. Fountain, Jennie Lemon, C. 8. Hol- comb, Sarah E. Morris (now Mrs. M. French Gilman), Rev. Wein- land, Mrs. Bird, W. H. Ingelow, C. R. Bigley, Mrs. O. Hamilton, Dr. E. G. Carpenter, Mrs. Floretta Fraser, and many others. With this influx of population, Banning could now be called a town, and at this point the curtain fell to allow for a change in scenery, due to the need of more room for the increasing characters to make their entrance. During this period ol’ San Jac still keeps watch over the enterprising town snuggled at its feet; while ol’ Gray Back extends its protecting arm, enfolding Banning in the embrace of these two stately mountains. M. R. 725. Indians The Indians being the sole owners of this vast land of ours be- fore the invasion of the white man, it would seem only fitting that we give them honorable mention in the early history of this Pass. The story of the Banning Indians is the same pathetic tale. Af- tering losing their homes and vast hunting grounds to the white men, they lived on tracts of land or reservations given to them by the government. The Banning reservation is known as the Potrero Indian Res- ervation, and each. full blooded Indian is entitled to ten acres of land. The early industry of the Indians in their new home was cattle raising, and later they began raising grain and hay to feed their cattle. At present fruit raising is one of the most important indus- tries on the Potrero, the excellent quality of the fruit being very well known. The Indians have not given up all their early forms of amuse- ments, for they still hold their annual fiestas, which include barbe- cues, war dances, peon games, fire eating contests, horse racing and bronco busting. The Indians in this section of the country are not like the In- dians farther east. They are large and fat, and are not so active or warlike as the eastern Indians. They seldom harmed the early white settlers, although it was the best policy to comply with their requests as far as possible. Sometimes they would rob the stage coach that operated between Los Angeles and Yuma, but the average Indian was friendly to the early pioneers of Banning. [Page Twenty-four]

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essed ste PLN aT ONT STP iene WinTaneTS rn 'e WEDRUTY Ton vYe eTTa TT TNTNOTII Tv TNT Unt 0 00 00 ee ‘ilman and Mr. Aeker. The San Gorgonio Fluming Company also loomed up at the head of Water Canyon. Messrs. Scot, Hickman and Hall were the proprietors. The lumber was conveyed down from the canyon in a wooden flume, which terminated where the Ban- ning Water Company’s office now stands, The last lap of the flume was high enough to allow a wagon load of hay to pass under it. Mr. M. S. Hall had another lumber enterprise of the same kind in the San Jacinto Mountains. Mr. Hall was also the builder of Hall's Grade, a road used to bring the lumber down from the moun- tains, and the founder of a small village at the foot of the grade. This village consisted of a restaurant, store and saloon, at that time forming a larger town than Banning could boast. The store in later years was moved from Hall's Grade to Banning, where the band stand is now. Mr. C. F. Jost was placed in charge in 1878. Later on the store was purchased by Mr. J. W. Worsham. Dr. I. W. Smith, who was previously spoken of as one of the first white settlers, came to the Pass in 18538, Powell Weaver being here before him. He was the first licensed physician and the father otf Mrs. Martha Gilman. Dr.-Smith and family came from Council Bluffs, lowa, in a covered wagon drawn by oxen, just after the gold excitement in California. The scene of action is now shifted to the Gilman Ranch and to the little adobe building which is now standing. This was a station and stopping place for the old stage coach line between San Fran- cisco and Yuma, which was established in 1861. This building was built in about 1855 by Joe Pope, who was at that time with the sur- veyors for the railroad. It was aiso the first store in the Pass. About 1860 the state line from Los Angeles to Hhrenberg was estab- lished and the Smith home was one of the stations. The entrance of Dr. Murray upon the scene proves to be one of importance, as he was Banning’s first druggist, first postmaster, and a practical physician. He came to the Pass in 1875 and made his home at the present location of the St. Boniface School. J. M. Gilman came to the Pass in 1869, and in that same year he bought the Gilman Home ranch from Newt Noble, who moved to San Bernardino, and later became sheriff there. Many important characters now make their entrance, and the scene soon begins to be well filled. Among these pioneers were: Mrs. de Crevecoeur (later Mrs. Jost) in 1875; W. K. Dunlap, 1878; Mr. GC. F. Jost, 1887; W. P. Morris, 1869; W. J. Brown, Ike Moore, Sam Black and others, who were prior to the ’80 or the coming of the ‘ailroad. Another colony settled in the San Jacinto Mountains, also before the coming of the railroad, the pioneers of which were: Judge Colby, Chris Gottoman, Billie Edmunds, Dick Wooden, Foss De Masters, Jack Summers, Hack Hurley and Mr. Goddell. With the coming of the railroad a marked change takes place on the scene [Page Twenty-three]

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Palm Springs As Palm Springs is well represented in the B. U. H. 8S. by a live bunch of students, we feel that it is only fitting that we should give some of the interesting history of that locality. In the year of 1884, Mr. John Gothers and Mr. McCallum, hay- ing heard of the wonderful climate and hot springs of a certain vi- cinity of Southern California, took his sick son from Chicago to live there. Mr. McCallum built a house, which is still standing on the property now owned by Dr. White of Palm Springs. He was the first white man to settle in that district. Besides he and his son, there were about sixty-five Mission Indians, who called themselves the Cahuilla tribe. They resided on what is now the Indian Reser- vation and a few on the land now owned by Miss Cornelia White. Mr. McCallum named the place in which he settled Palm Springs and the surrounding country Palm Valley. His wish was to make an agricultural center of the place. He developed the Whitewater River and called it the Palm Valley Water Company. He built a flume through Whitewater Point, constructed a stone ditch from the point to Palm Springs, and in this way made it possible to obtain Whitewater River for irrigation. This ditch is still in existence. Domestic water was hauled in five gallon cans from Tahquitz ditch. Besides this, Mr. McCallum raised a large orchard of apricots and figs and a vineyard on the present McManus property. The next year (1885) Major Miller and Judge Campbell moved from San Francisco to Palm Springs. These two men and Mr. Mc- Callum gave the Indians one hundred and fifty dollars to occupy their own land. They were not required to do this, but wished to keep on friendly terms with them. In 1886 Dr. Murray moved from Banning to Palm Springs and opened the first hotel. There was then one store in the place, and the church was built in 1887. A man by the name of Herman Lehr- man was the postman for three months out of the year. In 1891 the wind blew so hard that he was forced to wear a flour sack with glasses in over his head to protect his eyes from the sand. There was a dispute over how much Palm Valley land should sell for, so Major Miller and Judge Campbell started Palmdale, where the old adobe building still stands, southeast of Palm Springs. Another stone ditch was constructed and several rude buildings were erected. Orchards and vineyards were planted and a narrow gauge railroad was constructed in 1887 from Palmdale to Seven Palms. The equipment was a railroad with two small street cars and a small locomotive from San Francisco. By 1890 Palm Springs was considered the earliest fruit growing district in Southern California. The Imperial Valley and Coachella Valley were not then under cultivation. There were several hundred [Page Twenty-five]