Temecula: City in Evolution - Term Paper Example

and number (day, month, year) Temecula: in Evolution In the Beginning It is thought that the Luiseño Indians first settled at Temecula, California around 1000 A.D., in an exact location disputed by archaeologists and historians. In legends of their origin the Luiseño say they came down from the north in a group to Temecula, called by them "Ekva Temeko," said to mean "the place where the sun breaks through and shines on the white mist"(Bibb para. 1). Chronologies list 1797 as the first Spanish visit to the Temecula Valley, and 1821 as the establishment date of the Mission of San Luis Rey, under which jurisdiction the Indians were formally placed and received their name, the Luiseño tribe. The rancheria [ranchos-missions] at Temecula housed a granary and a chapel, the granary making it the ‘most important dependency of the prosperous Mission San Luis Rey’” (Bibb para. 2). It is accepted that the region included a coastal area, interior plains for planting all bounded by mountains. The exact location of the original town “pueblo” of Temecula as has been said is in dispute, however according to an 1860 census the town designated as Temecula was home to “300 inhabitants and forty adobes” (Bibb para. 6). The name is generally applied to a region adjacent to San Diego. Survey maps from 1860 place Temecula in the near vicinity of Vignes Rancho and Pendleton. (Bibb para. 15) According to Bibb, the Indians were formally evicted from [what is acknowledged to be] Temecula in the late 1800s, along with other tribes in the area, victims of economics and political strife between Californios (Mexicans) and the Americans. “The present-day town of Temecula lies three and one half miles northwest of the original indian village and is a product of the now defunct railroad built in the 1880s, which ran from San Bernardino to San Diego” (Bibb para. 7). 1833-1878: The Dissolution of the Missions and Marginalization of the Indians The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, by which the United States acquired the southwest territory from Mexico, was signed on February 2, 1848, ushering in the end of the golden era of the ranchos. Farris provides an accurate description of the fate of original inhabitants of the Temecula Valley pertinent to the Luisenos and others. By the early 1800s plans to dissolve the missions [secularization] as communities in favor of selling off land to private interests was well underway. “With the arrival in 1833 of the Mexican appointee, General Jose Figueroa, [Governor] the final implementation of a plan for the widespread secularization of the missions was completed. The process of emancipation of the Indians and dividing up the land commenced on July 15, 1833, when Figueroa issued his Prevenciones Provisionales” (Farris citing Engelhardt, para. 1), a process [emancipation] that according to Farris was doomed from the outset due to what many Californians attributed to “the laziness of the native inhabitants” (Farris para. 4). Countering the charges, Farris asserts that the San Pascual Mission [and San Luis Rey] of which he writes was [were] actually quite successful until “overwhelmed by free-booters of various nationalities following the American takeover of California” (Farris para. 4), and, as Farris further finds, only later in the century “Indians complain[ing] of how the settlers took advantage of them in every way possible which thoroughly discouraged them from caring for their land or working hard” (Farris para. 37). Benjamin Hayes (1835) charged with overseeing the Pueblo indicates from a census report a stable living environment. “There were thirty-four male adults, all of them married (and living there with their wives), except one "soltero" [single man] and nine “viudos” (widowers)” (Farris quoting Hayes letter, para. 8). However, their quiet pastoral existence was not to last, and by the mid eighteen-hundreds political manipulation by both Californios and Americans seeking to acquire land, and pressure from squatters eventually drove the Indians from the Pueblo(s). In a letter dated 1883 to Antonio Coronel from Fr. Anthony Ubach, the priest documents the final demise of the settlement. [the land] is now occupied by more than 20 squatters that with the riffle [sic] in hand scare away the Indians, not leaving one. Whisky [sic] and brutal force; nothing but the cemetery and chapel left. The few Indians that were left, two years ago had to go away and live among rocky mountains like wild beasts; there are no lands in this vicinity for the Indian (Farris quoting Ubach letter, para. 44). In the century-long struggle that divided up lands of the Temecula Valley, Pablo Apis, leader of the Luiseno tribe was given 2,250 acres of land which become “Little Temecula Rancho,” current site of the city. Historical chronology (Gerstbacher) places 1850, after the War with Mexico, as the date when California becomes a state and Temecula becomes incorporated into San Diego County [later to become part of Riverside County]. 1858 sees the first Butterfield Overland Mail Company making its first stop at John Magee and Louis Wolf’s general store in Temecula going West—a store later to become the center around which the first city of Temecula would rise. (Fahrnbach para. 13-15) Later it would move several miles west closer to the new train tracks to be discussed later. Waterman Lilly Ormsby, a reporter for the New York Herald, writes of similar stops along the way. “A few speculating Yankees live here and are making fortunes rapidly by their enterprise in keeping stores” (Ormsby 80). In 1859 the first Southern California post office was established and Rancho Temecula, 26,608.54 acres, is patented to Luis Vignes by the U.S. Land Office. (Gerstbacher). The American Takeover Temecula Massacre of 1847 Brigandi writes was , “a culmination of a string of events that began with Mexican resistance to American takeover of California in 1846. Luiseños, confused as to what to do, took sides with the Americans and were brutally killed by the Mexican army. Historian Horace Parker quotes from a letter written by a priest to his Bishop speaking of the Temecula Cemetery created by the Indians for their dead. “I would wish that your Excellency would grant me the authority to bless it [Temecula Cemetery], if you would judge it opportune”(Brigandi quoting Parker quoting letter). “Populated since the conquest with Spanish-American hidalgos, “The Spanish-heritage myth...became a way [for new euro-american settlers and land barons] to manage and account for the undeniable Mexicana/o presence...crucial to...economic development” (Venegas p 1). While it is generally thought the American takeover of the area from the Indians and Californios had more to do with “winning” the war, the gradual influx of Euro-Americans, their ideas and tenacious land grabbing is probably a more accurate explanation. McGee of the Wolf/McGee partnership that ran the trading post had great ideas to develop the site [a town called, Louisville] around his store but was thwarted when people began moving away westward toward the new train station. Wolf was never to realize his dream, and after his death both Little and Big Temecula Rancho were sold off in four parcels to several Californios and Americans in the years between 1870 and 1904, ultimately settling in the possession of the Vails [originally of Nova Scotia and of Vail, Colorado fame] in 1905. “In 1904, Walter Vail and Gates [businessman Carroll W.] pieced together parts of four Mexican land grants -- Pauba Rancho, Santa Rosa Rancho, Temecula Rancho and Little Temecula Rancho, totalling about 87,500 acres -- to form the Pauba Ranch. The land consists of much of what is present-day Southwest Riverside County [Temecula]” (Hummeman, Coming to California para. 3). The Coming of the Railroad A summary of the fits and starts history of the Temecula Railroad appears on the City’s web site and is further summarized here as an integral if somewhat temporary step forward for the city into the 20th century: In the 1880s, Temecula was still a quiet village of farmers and ranchers. Louis Wolf ran a successful store at the bank of the Temecula Creek. The giant Ranchos that had been deeded by the former Mexican government had been divided, sold, and divided again....[in] 1880, the California Southern Railroad Company was chartered. Their goal was to build a line from National City, just south of San Diego, up to what is now Oceanside, and then to follow the Santa Margarita River to Fallbrook, and then northward through the Temecula canyon. By...1882, the track was complete to Colton...Fare was $6 one-way or $9 round-trip. Passengers remarked on the stark beauty of the Temecula canyon, and the newspapers boasted that seeing it was alone worth the price of a ticket. The winter of 1883-1884 [rain caused]... The California Southern Railroad suspended rail service to Temecula, and the effect on the company’s finances put them on the brink of bankruptcy. But the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad stepped in, providing enough capital to repair the link between Fallbrook and Temecula. ...[was] the line, re-opened...in 1885. Rail service continued but the leaders of the Santa Fe Company... lost faith in the viability of an inland route. Frequent washouts and another disastrous storm in 1891 sealed the fate of the Temecula line [to San Diego]... [Limited] Service continued from Temecula to Colton for the next 40 years...ending for good in 1935 (City of Temecula, History of the Railroad) Since that time Temecula has essentially been without rail service, a bedroom community reached mostly by car. However the city may be on its way to becoming a stop for a new high speed rail line under discussion for southern California. Temecula in the Twentieth Century: From Agriculture and Ranching to the Real Estate Boom Unofficial figures trace Temecula’s population growth from 1860 at 839 to 1980 at 1783. It currently stands at over one-hundred thousand. The history of its twentieth-century growth can be traced to its burgeoning ranching and farming industries and later development as a bedroom community in the 1960s. Brigandi writes, “Temecula in 1913 might seem an unlikely place for bank. The little town would have been hard-pressed to muster 200 souls. But...many people were paid in cash. And that need for cash meant the need for a bank” (Brigandi para. 1). “At the turn of the century Temecula gained a place of importance as a shipping point for grain and cattle. During this period the cowboys ruled the roost and the great cattle drives from the back country took place” (Temecula History). Over the years things were destined to change, and well into the 1930s while celebrities visited and the city grew somewhat in commerce and area importance [although not in pace with other California cities], moon-shiners still plied their illegal trade in the surrounding hills. While the Great Depression hit other communities hard, Temecula was somewhat spared as its ranchers and farmers supplied communities near and far with beef and its agricultural largess. Economic hard times, however, were never far away, and perhaps the most famous evidence of this is was the infamous robbery of the city’s most prominent bank, The First National Bank of Temecula, by local farmhand, Miguel Diaz. Brigandi writes, “The Bank survived the depression but not World War II” (Brigandi para. 12), when the bank was closed, some allege, for suspected misdealings. Perhaps the most significant event of the period came in 1948 when, “at a cost of more than a million dollars [a fortune at the time]... the Vail family’s dream of building a dam to catch water and create a lake [Vail Lake] for the city was realized” (History of Temecula). The dam, a 132-foot concrete structure, was primarily designed to store irrigation water for ranch land, the prime industry in the area which, to a great extent, obviously protected Temecula from economic upheavals felt in other areas. In 2007 a bill, known as the Rancho California Water District Reclamation Project, was introduced that will utilize and redirect lake water as reserves for other water starved regions in the Jacobs writes, “...the first project component involves constructing the Vail Lake Pipeline, connecting Metropolitan Water Districts aqueduct to Vail Lake. This will enable RCWD to store water during winter months, when the water is much cheaper” (Jacobs para. 3). Yet, while agriculture and ranching thrived through the 60s, Temecula was still the somewhat backwater town while romantic in legend still relatively far behind the more developed areas of the state. Through the mid-1960s the economy of the Temecula Valley centered around the Vail Ranch; the cattle business and agriculture were the stimuli for most business ventures.  During that period, the clientele of the Swing Inn, the Long Branch Saloon and the Stables Bar seemed to be confined to ranchers, cowboys, and Indians.  While the Old West lifestyle continued here, the outside world was evolving dramatically. (History of Temecula) The most stark changes in terms of population impact were to come later as a result of the 1964 sale of 97,000 acre Vail Ranch to to Kaiser Development Company and subsequently to other land speculators with a greedy eye toward the city and the surrounding Valley. The last years of the 1960s and early 70s witnessed the beginnings of dramatic change in the Temecula Valley.  Engineers, contractors, heavy-equipment operators and real estate agents quickly edged out the cowboys and Indians as the main customers at the local establishments.  Pickup trucks towing horse trailers, trucks hauling cattle and tractors rigged with farm implements were replaced by cement mixers, lumber trucks and industrial grading equipment.  Sales activity switched from cattle, hay and grain to subdivided real estate acreage. 1964 is considered the beginning of the development of the modern community of Temecula, although the significant rise in population did not occur until the 1990s. City on the Move The fact that Temecula is still evolving as a city may be found in its ability to do just that. An example is the success of Temecula Valley Bankcorp. Cocheo writes, “Theres nothing "small" about small business lending at Temecula Valley Bancorp. The bank, just over $1 billion in assets now, finished 2005 as the 16th-largest Small Business Administration lender in the nation and it has been the largest independent bank SBA 7(a) lender for four years in a row” (Cocheo, ABA Banking Journal). Calling Temecula “a vibrant place” and citing its “healthy economy”, Cochea rates the bank as one of the top lenders to small business in thirty-three states. Successful local economy notwithstanding, Temecula until recently with the economic downturn was still experiencing uncontrolled residential growth putting a strain, no doubt, on its resources. Not more than one and half hours from two major cities there will no doubt be pressure on the land for more and more residential development. Surrounded by farms and agriculture and some ranches, Temecula since 1964 has faced the prospect of overdevelopment and the problems that naturally follow. While the slowing economy has put a temporary halt to residential development, more can be expected in future. As mentioned before, reports of a high speed train line coming through the city are afoot. As a city in evolution, one has only to look at population patterns to see the writing on the wall. The citys population has more than doubled from the 27,099 reported by the 1990 U.S Census to 57, 716 according to the 2000 count. It’s over 100,000 now, a far cry from tiny community of 81 Indians on the site in the late 1700s. Works Cited Bibb, Leland. E. “The Location of the Indian Village of Temecula.” The Journal of San Diego History. Summer 1972: Vol. 18: 3. Retrieved from: https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/72summer/temecula.htm Brigandi, Phil. “Temecula: At the Crossroads of History.” South California Historyland (Web Site). Retrieved from: http://www.socalhistoryland.mysite.com/article_5.html City of Temecula. “Temecula History.” 2010. LoveTemecula.com. Retrieved from http://lovetemecula.com/LoveTemecula/TemeculaHistory/tabid/77/Default.aspx Cocheo, Steve. “Small Business Is Big for California SBA Specialist.” ABA Banking Journal, Vol. 98, 2006. Retrieved from: www.questia.com Englehardt, Zephyrin. The Missions and Missionaries of California: Vol. III, Upper California, Part II: General History San Francisco. The James H. Barry Company, 1913. 473. Fahrnbach, Rebecca Marshall. “Before the Vails: Setting the Stage for the Vails.” Retrieved from: http://www.vailranch.org/history/before_vails.htm Farris, Glenn. “Captain Jose Panto and the San Pascual Indian Pueblo in San Diego County 1835-1878.” The Journal of San Diego History Spring 1997, Vol 43:2. Retrieved from https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/97spring/panto.htm Gerstbacher, Emily. “Temecula History. A Chronology: 1797 to 1993.” Retrieved from http://www.oldtemecula.com/history/history1.htm Hayes, Benjamin I. "Pueblo of San Pascual, Missions of Alta California.” Extracts and Copies from Archives, Vol. 1, Part 2. California, Berkeley: Bancroft Library, 1873. 230. Hummeman, John. “The Empire Ranch and the Vail Family.” North County Times. Posted 11 January, 2004. Retrieved from: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/article_1fd691b4-2dc4-5dab-b34c- ac5ad5ae6a5b.html Ormsby, Waterman Lilly, Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum. The Butterfield Overland Mail. The Huntington Library, 1942. 179 pgs. Retrieved from: www.questia.com Peters, Jahmal. “U.S. Money to Recycle Temecula Water.” Posted 11:58 AM PDT on Monday, 6 August 6, 2007. Retrieved from: http://www.thebizpress.com/news/stories/BP_News_Local_D_bp0716_rancho.12 7c430.html The City of Temecula (Web Site) “The Temecula Railroad.” 1989-2009. Retrieved from: http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/History/TemeculaRailroad.htm Ubach, (Fr.) to A. F. Coronel. “Letter.” 8 January 1883. From Helen Hunt Jackson papers, Special Collections. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Tutt Library, Colorado College. Venegas, Yolanda. “The Erotics of Racialization: Gender and Sexuality in the Making of California.” Frontiers - A Journal of Womens Studies. Vol. 25, 2004. Retrieved from: www.questia.com. Read More