Daniel B. Cozad, General Manager of the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District will present the history of water conservation in the Santa Ana watershed at the Society’s March meeting.  Mr. Cozad has worked in the Santa Ana watershed for over 15 years and was previously the general manager of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority working with governments, communities and businesses to achieve regional water conservation goals.

Events, Society Meetings

Your RAHS has another great season of programs.

We start the season with a great show of Redlands past in Postcards.  “Postcards of Redlands” presented by Ron Running will attempt to show several hundred old views of Redlands buildings, sights, locations, parks and an odd ball or two. Ron started with post cards of his own, and then added hundreds more from other collectors and RAHS board members. Chances are slim that we will get through all of them, but the evening will be packed with interest of times past. Meeting attendees will add comments and remembrances of times, places, events and unknown history.

Plan to join us on  Monday September 28th in the A.K. Smiley Assembley Room.

FUTURE PROGRAMS

Coming up are programs on the “History of Redlands Police Department”, Serrano Indian sites by noted archeologist, Britt Wilson, and Mill Creek Zanje Tour (in phots for those that missed the real one.

Mark your calendar so you won’t miss any of these great meetings.

Society Meetings

RAHS Board member Ron Running will be presnting our kick off program for 2009-2010. He has scanned hundreds of his collection to present on the “big screen” so you can see every detail. This program will be a great way to start the year, be early to get a good seat.

Join us Tuesday night September 25th, 7:00, in the A.K. Smiley Public Library Assembly Room.

Society Meetings

Dr. James A. Sandos will be the featured speaker at the Redlands Area Historical Society meeting September 22.  His latest book, “Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions” was published by Yale University Press.

Sandos is a University of Redlands Farquhar Professor of the Southwest.  He is an eminent authority on the American West.  The book traces the history of the Franciscan missions from the founding of Mission San Diego in 1769 to their final demise in 1836.  His scholarship addresses the theology of the Fransican order and especially Father Junipero Serra.

Sandos discusses the historical California Mission two major fields of thought.  One group of historians has nothing but praise for the mission efforts in California and applauds the padres as architectural wizards, economic stewards of efficient fiefdoms, and protectors of the Native Americans.  This group of historians contends that Father Serra and the mission system he founded was superior to the English wars of extermination conducted on the East Coast of America.   Native Americans following this line of history became good Catholics, citizens of Spain, artisans, vaqueros, farmers and loved the founding padres for their benevolent gifts of civilization.

The other group of historians condemns the Mission System as nothing more than “slavery” under a clever disguise.  They quickly note the dismal record of Indian deaths at the hands of the padres.  Most of the civil authorities in Spain and later Mexico found the Franciscans like the former Jesuits controlling and anything but enlightenment thinkers.  Bashing Catholic theology and concluding the complete failure of the California Missions is foremost in their work

Dr. Sandos discusses these two fields of historiography but adds an additional scholarship missing in the previous histories.  Sandos delves into the mission Native American point of view and with balance discovers new primary source evidence to reach a refreshingly well-supported conclusion concerning the California Missions.

Dr. Santos and Dr. Larry Burgess wrote “The Hunt for Willie Boy,” in 1994.  This historical account also incorporates Native American perspectives in the 1909 sensational killing here in Southern California.

Dr. Santos is also the author of “Rebellion in the Borderlands: Anarchism and the Plan of San Diego, 1904-1923.”

Dr. Santos will have copies of his latest book on Converting California at the 7:00 p.m. Redlands Area Historical Society meeting on September 22 at A.K. Smiley Public Library Assembly Room.

Articles, Society Meetings Video. Programs

March is Women’s History Month and what better way to celebrate the month dedicated to women’s history than have Carole Beswick, Redlands’ first female mayor to present “her history” to the Redlands Area Historical Society March 23rd.

Beswick a previous “Woman of the year” of Redlands has many accomplishments in her long civic history.  She epitomizes the creative spirit of Redlands with her early involvement in the Redlands Bicycle Classic. (This March marks the events’ 25th year.)

Carole Beswick was especially concerned about saving historic downtown Redlands.  Under her leadership the Redevelopment Agency tackled the refurbishing of infrastructure on State Street and Orange Street.  Sewer and water connections had not been replaced since 1888, when the city first incorporated.

Challenged by critics that the paving of downtown with bricks in the 1980’s would be unwise, Beswick’s leadership brought a new renaissance to downtown Redlands.  New shops, revised business block facades and streets ornamented with red bricks soon appeared.  Redlanders happily purchased $25 bricks to record their family names and become part of the revival of downtown.  Market night and strolling the downtown became a Thursday event in Redlands.

The City Counsel hired a historic planner and then hired a firm, Aegis, from Claremont to research the downtown history and formulate a tour guidebook.  The tour guide-book has been sold out for years.  Some businesses restored their 1890 facades and placed historic markers to indicate proudly their construction dates.

Controversy was ever on the heels of Carole Beswick and the City Counsel in the 1980’s.  Her efforts revised the downtown and left Redlands with the ever-popular Redlands Bicycle Classic.  She is identified as a “mover and shaker” within the community.  Her singing talents match the previous mayor, Chuck DeMirjyn’s band performances.

Carole Beswick left Redlands with improved architecture and landscape design guidelines.   Under her leadership the first “Historic Districts” passed.

Her presentation for the Historical Society will be recorded for posterity.

Articles, Society Meetings, Video. Programs Add new tag, Video. Programs