History of Corona

Pre-Contact: 10,000 years ago - 1769

The history of Corona pre-dates the founding of the town in 1886. The original inhabitants of this region were the Luiseño (or Payomkowishum) and Gabrielino (or Tongva) Indians. Both groups were hunter-gatherers with well established villages in the Corona area, the Gabrielinos to the west near the Santa Ana River where Prado Dam is today and the Luiseños farther south in Temescal Canyon, Lake Elsinore and Temecula areas near natural water resources.

The future of these California Indians was forever altered when Spain colonized California in 1769 and later established the San Luis Rey and San Gabriel Missions.The introduction of new diseases and the base treatment of the indigenous population at the hands of the padres resulted in a sharp population decline among the California Indians between 1769 and 1821.

Alta California: 1769 - 1850

In 1769, Portola’s expedition through Alta California where Padre Junipero Serra and Spanish soldier Jose Yorba both would leave their mark on California. Padre Serra established the Franciscan Missions. Jose Yorba left the Spanish Army in 1797 and returned to California in 1800. In 1801, Yorba would be rewarded for his service to Spain with a large land grant along the Santa Ana River.Jose Yorba’s youngest son, Bernardo, would receive a land grant from the Mexican government in 1825. The 14,000 acres granted to Bernardo lay just east of his father’s Spanish land grant. Later Bernardo acquired an additional 10,000 acres from Governor Jose Figueroa. With this addition, Bernardo Yorba’s property encompassed present day Corona. The two year Mexican-American War came to an end in 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty specified the cession of Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico to the United States. In 1850, California became the 31st state.

In 1886 Robert B. Taylor, Adolph Rimpau, George L. Joy, A.S. Garretson, and Samuel Merrill purchased 12,000 acres of land from the Yorba family in what was then southwestern San Bernardino County. The South Riverside Land & Water Company was formed to develop the newly acquired land. The company quickly made arrangements to establish a railroad depot, irrigation systems were created to bring water to the arid land and it introduced the building blocks of the citrus industry to their new town, South Riverside.

"On my return trip to Sioux City...I stopped at Omaha and learned while there that the city was spending large sums of money to secure a grand boulevard about the city. I then and there decided to lay out a grand boulevard in a perfect circle around the proposed townsite on the Company lands and later the matter was taken up with Mr. Kellogg and the survey for the circle was made..."

~R.B. Taylor,
Letter to Capt. Merriam, 1913

During this period R.B. Taylor contracted with well known civil engineer H.C. Kellogg to create the boulevard and streets that would later distinguish South Riverside from any other city in California. Kellogg took Taylor's vision of a "grand" circular boulevard and designed a series of grid-like streets enclosed by the boulevard. With the design of the town approved by the Company the founders set out to name each street. According to Emma "Ocie" Taylor Songer, R.B. Taylor's daughter, the streets of South Riverside were named in one evening in the Pasadena office of A.S. Garretson. As Ocie played with her dolls her father and his partners nominated, debated and finally agreed on the names for all the original streets.  

A thriving and profitable citrus industry soon emerged with grapefruit, orange, and lemon fruits providing the backbone of the local economy.

Early Corona: 1896 - 1941

The Corona of the past was a small rural community known as South Riverside. On July 13, 1896, the citizens of South Riverside voted to incorporate the town into the newly developed Riverside County. When citizens incorporated the new city, they sought to carve their own identity by changing the name to Corona. The citizens of Corona were mostly of English and Irish descent, but Mexicans and Italians soon came seeking work in the citrus fields. Early accounts reflect a segregated society in which Hispanics, Italians and the two or three black families in town were forced to live in designated areas and their children had to attend the same minority school regardless of their address.

Corona Road Races

"Corona is the talk of the whole world and thousands will see the greatest speed demons smash all records Tuesday."

~Corona Courier,
September 4, 1913

The first race held on September 9, 1913 offered $10,000 in prizes, one of the largest purses offered in auto racing. Racing legends Earl Cooper, Teddy Tetzlaff, Barney Oldfield, Eddie Rickenbacker and Bob Burman were some of the drivers who participated in the first road race. In 1913 three separate races were held – Light Car Race (37 laps ~ 102 miles), Heavy Car Race (91 laps ~ 251 miles) and the Free-For-All Race (109 laps ~ 301 miles). The competition for the Free-For-All Race was fierce as the prize for 1st Place was over $5000 and a $1000 bonus was offered for a new world’s record. It was Earl Cooper who earned First Place in the Free-For-All.

With the success of Corona’s 1913 Road Race, plans for a second road race were started immediately. The Corona Racing Association scheduled the event for Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1914 and began preparing by permanently paving Grand Boulevard and offering advanced ticket sales. The Association also added certain safety measures that would ensure that spectators & participants remained safe - a five foot fence was built around the outside of the boulevard and bridges were constructed over the street which would allow spectators to view the race while preventing them from stepping onto the track during the race.

The 109 lap race included 19 of racing’s finest drivers including

Plans for a third road race were delayed until 1916 and promoters decided to shift the race from the fall to the spring. On April 8, 1916, the day of the race, Corona experienced record breaking high temperatures. Of the twelve cars & drivers that qualified for the third Corona Road Race, only five completed the race. The weather wreaked havoc on the cars, vehicles overheated and there were a number of tire blowouts during the race. Tragedy struck during Bob Burman's 97th lap, his Peugeot veered off the track and into spectators. The accident killed Burman, his mechanic Erick Schrader and security guard William Speer of Corona. A short time later Eddie O'Donnell crossed the finish line in his Duesenberg and took first place.

Despite the popularity of the events, they were not financially successful, and after the death of three men in 1916's Road Race, the future of Corona Road Races on Grand Boulevard was sealed. Citizens had long been complaining about the noise, flying wheels, dangerous speeds and general havoc wrought by outsiders each year. Those complaints, combined with Burman's tragic accident, left the promoters no choice but to cancel plans for any future races.

Lemon Capital of the World

"During April there were 489 packers and 650 pickers employed in packing houses and groves of Corona. Practically one-fourth of our population is engaged in the caring for our citrus interests."

~Corona Courier,
May 14, 1915

Early investors and developers in the citrus industry included Ethan Allen Chase, John Flagler, A.F. Call, S.B. Hampton and W.H. Jameson (son-in-law of founder George Joy). Though the soil was fit for citrus and there was funding to establish groves and packing houses, the growers lacked any agricultural experience which initially hindered the fledgling industry. To solve the problem growers advertised for experienced citrus workers in Italy where there was a long history of successful citrus cultivation. The infusion of new ideas and experience that arrived with the Italian workers provided the much needed boost to Corona’s citrus industry. Field workers and packers were needed to make a true success of Corona’s citrus industry. The majority of the agricultural labor force was composed of Mexican and later Mexican-American workers, who worked around the clock to collect, prepare and ship out citrus fruits and their by-products.

By the time Corona hosted its third road race, it had already established itself as the “Lemon Capital of the World”. Lemon production was so successful that the Exchange By-Products Company was developed to research and produce commercial products from lower grade lemons and lemons that did not sell at market. The plant could handle 1,000 tons of lemons per day, employed 250 people, and operated 24 hours a day. The main products produced at the plant were citric acid, sodium citrate, lemon juice, pectin, and lemon oil. In 1921 the By-Products plant would change its name to the Exchange Lemon Products Company, indicating the facilities focus on research and products derived from the lemon. It was in 1958 that the Exchange merged with Sunkist and formed the Lemon Products Division for Sunkist Growers.

Years of Change: 1941 - 1980

Social and political change was slow to come in Corona. During World War II, the manager of municipal plunge (public pool at City Park), Nettie Whitcomb integrated the facility. Prior to December 27, 1943, Hispanics were restricted to using the pool on Mondays, when the pool was drained and cleaned. After the death of Joe Dominguez, a former student of Ms. Whitcomb's, she destroyed the "For the White Race Only" sign and opened to pool to the entire community.  Not welcome in the white veteran's group, Hispanic soldiers coming home from World War II had to form their own. The American Legion - Joe Dominguez Post 742 was created to serve Corona's returning Hispanic veterans.

During the 1950s, the first Hispanics were elected to both the School Board and the City Council. By the sixties, the first Chinese and Japanese families came to town; in earlier years Asians were not allowed to own or even rent property in Corona. Between 1967 and 1969 segregation within the Corona Unified School District ended. Thus, the seeds of Corona's dynamically diverse community had been planted, even though the overall population continued to grow slowly.

Growth & Urban Development: 1980 - present

As citrus gave way to urban development in the 1980s, the population of Corona exploded - up 110% from 1980 to 1989 - bringing a diverse influx of peoples. The encroachment of suburban Corona, shifting of the agricultural industry to Central California and out-dated facilities and equipment lead Sunkist to close the plant in 1982. According to the 1990 census, Corona's African-American population grew by 549% between 1980 and 1990. Similarly, the Asian-American population expanded by a phenomenal 1,195%. Even the Hispanic population, which had always been a significantly large part of Corona grew 122%, adding new immigrants from El Salvador and Colombia, as well as Hispanics from other parts of California. The same decade brought a 70% growth rate in the Native American population. All of these people brought new diversity to the city. Since then, Corona's overall population growth has slowed to 36.4% - a pace that still makes Corona one of the fastest growing communities in the state, and now a city with over 160,000 people.

Timeline

1769 Spain colonizes Alta California

1796 Mission San Luis Rey de Fracias is established

1821 Mexico gains independence from Spain

1833 Mission San Luis Rey is secularized

1846 April 25th, the Mexican-American War begins

1848 February 2, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican-American War 1850 September 9th, California becomes the 31st state

1857 Tin is discovered in Temescal Canyon temescal tin mine, cajalco tin mine

1886 R.B. Taylor, Adolph Rimpau, George L. Joy, A.S. Garretson, & Samuel Merrill, purchase 12,000 acres of land and develop the community South Riverside. south riverside, map, corona

1887 South Riverside Bee, the town’s first newspaper begins circulation;

First citrus grove is planted in South Riverside by Patrick Harrington

1888 Over 150 acres of citrus groves have been planted in South Riverside groves

1889 South Riverside's first school, Lincoln,is built on the site of what is now Victoria Park. lincoln school

1891 April 26th, President Benjamin Harrison visits South Riverside to see the tin bars from the Temescal Tin Mine. In the photo, President Harrison (wearing a top hat) can be seen standing next to a stack of tin bars. us president, benjamin harrison, tin

1893 Riverside County is formed; Temescal Tin Mine closes 1895 A reading room opens in the Gleason Building in South Riverside

1896 South Riverside incorporates under the new name Corona 1899 Woman’s Improvement Club is formed wic

1906 Carnegie Library opens at 8th & Main Street carnegie library

1907 Corona's first high school is built corona high school

1911 Corona Lemon Foothill Company is formed; Washington School opens washington school, grammar school

1912 Association Charities is formed by the Woman’s Improvement Club, later this organization will be renamed Settlement House.

1913 September 9th, first Corona Road Race is held; December 22nd, Marshal G.C. Alexander is murdered during a raid. road race advertisement, postcard

1914 July 28th, World War I begins; November 26th, second Corona Road Race is held.

1915 Exchange Lemon By-Products Company opens, it is the first plant of this type in the United States.

1916 April 8th, the third & final Corona Road Race is held. Race car driver Bob Burman, his mechanic Erick Schrader and local resident W.H Speer are killed when Burman's Peugeot veers off the track.

1917 April, President Wilson asks Congress for a declaration of war with Germany.

1918 August 12th, Pvt. Chester Husted, stationed in France, sends a letter to his family in Corona. Husted died in battle on October 5, 1918 near Blanc Mont, France. November 11, World War I ends.

1929 February 2nd, Lake Norconian Club opens, the luxury resort hosted celebrities such as Walt Disney, Bob Hope, and Shirley Temple; October, a series of stock market crashes begin this will eventually lead to the Great Depression.

1936 Corona's Golden Jubilee

1938 March, severe floods cause damage in Riverside & Orange Counties. The Corona Daily Independent continues to publish typed copies of the newspaper which staff deliver in boats. flood, prado dam, 1938, corona independent, newspaper

1939 Construction of Prado Dam begins; September 1st, Germany invades Poland, World War II begins

1940 Residents of Prado are officially evicted, the land where the town once stood becomes the Prado Reservoir.

town of prado

1941 December 7th, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor & the United States officially enters World War II; December 8th, the U.S. Navy begins the converting Lake Norconian Club into a military hospital.

1943 December 27th, Nettie Whitcomb burns the "For the White Race Only" sign at the municipal plunge, effectively ending segregation at the public pool in City Park.

1948 March 4th, Ruby Clark becomes the fourth candidate for a 2-year or short term position on Corona City Council. Ms. Clark was the first woman to run for Corona City Council. Ruby Clark City Council Ad from the Corona Daily Independent on Friday, April 9, 1948 p. 6.1949 January, freezing temperatures threaten crops & snow blankets the City snow 1949

1958 April, Onias Acevedo is the first Hispanic to be elected to Corona City Council

1962 Highway 91 is constructed through Corona; Rena Parker is the second woman to run for Corona City Council.

1963 Rena Parker is the first woman appointed to Corona City Council to fill a vacancy.

1964 Rena Parker is the first woman to be elected to Corona City Council. rena parker, city council

1968 December 21st, snow falls in Corona

1969 January & February, flood waters threaten the city;February, school segregation comes to an end

1971 Carnegie Library closes its doors and the new Library at 6th & Main Street opens. 1980 April, David Felix becomes Corona's first Hispanic mayor corona mayor, first hispanic mayor

1982 Sunkist plant at Joy & the railroad tracks closes.  sunkist plant1984 Olympic torch is carried through Corona. olympic torch

1989 I-15 through Corona is completed.

1990 U.S. Census records Corona's population at 76,095

1993 Current Corona Public Library building opens.

1994 December 7th, Corona's first majority-female City Council is inaugurated. The new City Council included Jeff Bennett (Mayor), Andrea Puga (Mayor Pro Tem), Jan Rudman, Karen Stein, and Darrell Talbert

1997 Corona's population reaches 104,339

Corona Street Names

A map showing the history of street names in Corona. Zoom in and click on any street marked by a colored line.

Local History Links

Corona Genealogical Society (CGS)
‍CGS has published the scripts developed for the Sunnyslope Cemetery Stroll. The scripts contain biographical and historical information about many of Corona’s citizens and events.
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Fire Dept. History
‍Created by Corona's Fire Department, this includes a list of Fire Chief's from 1897 to the present, photos of historical fire fighting equipment & engines and history of this city department.
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Dept. of Water & Power History
‍An overview of the development of the utility, information about Corona's water supply and a list of department facts.
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Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians
‍The website highlights the history, culture and tribal government of the Luiseño.
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Corona Heritage Park & Museum
The Park & Museum website includes a great deal of information about the organization as well as information about the Hotel del Rey (Victoria Hotel) and Corona pioneer Ida B. Frasier.
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Corona Historic Preservation Society (CHPS)
‍CHPS website includes information about their home tour and Corona Beautiful as well as brief history of the society & urban renewal as well as a list of Corona sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Speed Kings
Hosted by Archive.org, this short film from 1913 features some of the race car drivers that participated in the Corona Road Races on Grand Boulevard.
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Lake Norconian Club Foundation
‍A timeline and brief history of the luxury resort which became a naval hospital during World War II.

Sherman Indian Museum
The Museum's website features a brief history, timeline and photograph gallery of Riverside's Sherman Indian High School.

Asian American Riverside
From the University of California, Riverside, this site features biographical sketches and historic sites that contribute to our knowledge of Asian American history in Riverside.

Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery
The cemetery houses more than 27,000 individuals of local and national significance. The site includes biographical sketches of Riverside pioneers who are interred at Evergreen as well as images showcasing the art & architecture of the historic section of the cemetery.

Metropolitan Water District History

History of the MWD
Video History of MWD