Upland (Images of America) - Softcover

Title: Going to Upland, beyond

Author: John Weeks

Publisher: The Sun

Date: 1/24/2009

One of our strengths, here in the Inland Empire is the dynamic interconnectedness of our mountains and valleys.

The mountains possess resources that are needed in the valleys, such as water and timber, and the valleys provide necessities that are needed in the mountains, including agricultural and manufactured goods.

For as long as there have been settlements in our region, there has been the building of roads and the maintaining of outposts to facilitate these vital exchanges between the flat lands and the high country.

Conspicuous examples of this symbiosis are provided by certain linked communities that literally stitch the valleys and mountains together.

In the San Bernardino Mountains, for example, Big Bear Lake was created to irrigate citrus groves in Redlands, an undertaking that forever bound these two locales together. Lake Arrowhead and San Bernardino have similar ties to one another.

In the San Jacinto Mountains, Idyllwild originally was connected to Palm Springs only by American Indian foot trails, but today the two are famously linked by one of our region's best-known tourist attractions, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

In the San Gabriel Mountains, there is the special kinship between Mt. Baldy and its valley gateway city, Upland. The two, joined by a 12-mile stretch of road, share more than close proximity. They share a connected history, commerce and mission.

And, serendipitously enough, both locales are celebrated in separate history books that have just been published.

"Upland," by Donald Laine Clucas with Marilyn Anderson and the Cooper Museum, and "Mt. Baldy," by Kimberly J. Creighton, are must-haves for anyone who is interested in local history.

"Upland" tells the story of how a portion of the original Ontario colony, which had been established by George Chaffey in 1882, split off to become North Ontario in 1886. The foothill community enjoyed great success with its citrus production, and growers claimed that it was because he fruit was grown on higher ground. When an association of local citrus packers was formed in 1897, it took the name Upland Citrus Association.

The name was such a hit that in 1902 the community of North Ontario petitioned the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to change its name to Upland. Cityhood came in 1906 when Upland voted to incorporate. The new city also adopted a nickname, "City of Gracious Living," that residents still swear by to this day.

"Mt. Baldy" tells the story of how the 10,000-foot Mount San Antonio ("Old Baldy") and its foothill canyons played host first to Tongva Indian tribes, then to Gold Rush prospectors, then to resort builders and mountain sport enthusiasts.

Mt. Baldy, once billed as the "Yosemite of the South," thrives today as one of Southern California's premier mountain getaways and the closest ski resort to the L.A./Orange County megalopolis.

The 20-minute drive between Upland and Mt. Baldy is one of the Inland Empire's delightful excursions. And now there's an additional delightful way to enjoy these two locales, in the form of these two new books.

Both "Upland" and "Mt. Baldy" are richly illustrated with hundreds of historic photos. Both can be ordered at local bookstores, or from online booksellers, or from the publisher, Arcadia Publishing, at (888) 313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com.

Upland--a more fitting name could not have been chosen. The city is nestled among the foothills at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains--better known to the old-timers as the Sierra Madres. Upland has a rich history, dating back to rancho days of the early 1800s, then through the land boom of the 1880s, into agricultural times, cityhood in 1906, and coming of age in the 20th century. Although the city has changed, Upland has held onto some of its rural atmosphere and charm and remains a beautiful and warm place. Those who visit enjoy it, but those who live within Upland's outstretched arms and the shadow of her peaks truly love it.