Chapter History
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In the early 1800s, the Cherry Valley area was known as Rancho San Gorgonio, an outpost for the San Gabriel Mission. A large portion of the area was a Spanish land grant made to a man by the name of Paulino Weaver. |
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| In 1853, Weaver sold some of his land to Dr. Isaac William Smith, who was struck by the land’s natural beauty while looking for stray cattle. Dr. Smith purchased 1,000 acres for $1,000 from Weaver and established Smith Ranch and Highland Springs Ranch & Inn. In 1862, Smith's ranch was dubbed "Smith Station" and was made a stagecoach stop. In 1865, a young Wyatt Earp drove the route from San Bernardino to La Paz, Arizona, on which Smith Station was a popular stop. From 1864 to 1866, the route through Highland Springs along the Bradshaw Trail was the single connecting line for passengers, mail, and express travel between Southern California and the eastern regions of the nation. Smith Station slowly developed into a hotel bustling with traffic. In 1884, the Smith property was purchased by a Los Angeles company that built a three-story hotel on the property called Highland Home. The first cherry trees in the area were planted here, contributing to the name that is still known today, Cherry Valley, California. | |
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Highland Springs Chapter, NSDAR, honors its namesake Highland Springs Ranch, Cherry Valley, California; a stagecoach stop on the Bradshaw Trail. Highland Springs Chapter, NSDAR organized October 30, 2022 |
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