FIRST -- Harnessing of Water for Irrigation from the San Bernardino Mountains - Rancho Cucamonga, CA - First of its Kind on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "The enlarged vineyard of the Cucamonga Rancho in the 1860s, covering over 150 acres, set the standard for others who come to seek a living or a fortune in viticulture. After her husband, John Rains, was murdered in 1862, faced with mounting debts and the complexity of new state laws, Dona Merced was forced to sell the Rancho including the valuable vineyard and winery. Isais W. Hellman, a German immigrant, held a mortgage on the Rancho and purchased the entire 13,045 acres in 1870. He in turn sold much of the Rancho lands to a number of investors, including a Portuguese sea captain named Joseph Garcia. Purchasing over 12,000 acres from Captain Garcia, George and William Chaffey quickly established Etiwanda in 1881 and Ontario in 1882, and were the first to harness water for irrigation from the San Bernardino Mountains above. Soon citrus and a wide range of other fruits and nuts joined grapes as the Valley's agricultural products. Yet, the old Cucamonga Rancho Vineyard and Winery remained in continuous operation until the early part of the twentieth century, looking much as it did in the 1850s. Although the area changed dramatically, the historic Rancho Winery building on the northeast corner of Vineyard Avenue and Foothill Boulevard produced and sold wine well into the 1970s."

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/09/2021 bluesnote visited it