This tour is co-sponsored by the Historical Society of Southern California and the Riverside Historical Society.
The tour will begin at 10am and include participants driving to multiple stops. There will be some walking over uneven ground. The cost of the tour includes the admission fee to the cemetery. A non-host lunch is optional as is the tour of the Mission Inn after lunch.
The tour will be led by Will Cowan and David Rios. Will Cowan is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Southern California. His dissertation on the Pacific Slope Superstorms of 1861-62 delves into the lost histories of one of the most devastating environmental disasters in the Pacific West’s past. David Rios is a librarian at the University of California Riverside–he very much enjoys genealogy and soaking up local history. He currently serves on the Inlandia Institute Board of Directors.
Stop #1 Agua Mansa/La Placita de Los Trujillos
Pioneer Cemetery
2001 Agua Mansa Rd, Colton, CA 92324
The first stop is the cemetery of what was once the flourishing California era town of Agua Mansa/La Placita de Los Trujillos aka San Salvador. Predating the city of Riverside, Agua Mansa was one of the largest settlements on the Old Spanish Trail and key stopover on the Santa Fe trail that connected Los Angeles to St. Louis. The twin townships were destroyed during the Pacific Slope superstorms of 1862, leaving little else but the cemetery to mark its existence.
Slover Mountain:
From the cemetery, you can see the remnants of Slover–one of the most sacred sites to the Cahuilla, the hill has been systematically dismantled for the production of concrete. Much of the infrastructure of the West–LA’s freeways, the Hoover dam, much of the skylines of the great cities of the Pacific coast, contain materials from Slover Mountain.
Santa Ana River:
The Santa Ana river watershed includes the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.
Drive 2.4 miles to stop #2
Stop #2 Trujillo Adobe
3669 Center St, Riverside, CA 92501
The Trujillo Adobe and a long-gone cantina located next to the adobe were once part of two villages known as La Placita de los Trujillos and Agua Mansa – the first nonnative, non-mission community in the San Bernardino Valley. Lorenzo Trujillo led ten families to the area. They received 2,000 acres in exchange for guarding surrounding land against local Native American raids. The adobe, built in 1862 or 1863 by Trujillo or his offspring, may be the oldest structure in the area.
Drive 3.6 miles to Downtown Riverside for Lunch
Stop #3 Lunch in Downtown Riverside (Optional)
No host lunch in downtown. Multiple options available.
Stop #4 Mission Inn/Downtown Riverside (Optional Add-on)
The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, 3649 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501
After lunch, there is the option to sign up for a 75-minute tour of the Mission Inn given by the Mission Inn Foundation of the on the art, architecture and history of the Mission Inn. The tour includes some areas not available to the public. The tour cost is $13.
Reservation Information:
- Tour Cost (which includes the Pioneer Cemetery entry fee): $25 non-members, $15 members of HSSC or RHS (email hssc@thehssc.org for member discount code- the code may be used for the member and one guest.) To add the Mission Inn tour is an additional $13.
- Go to http://hsscjan27tour.eventbrite.com to purchase your tickets.
Refunds available until January 20, 2018 - Tour is limited to 25. Spots will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Email hssc@thehssc.org or call 323-222-0546 with any questions.
