SB DIRECT: 909-384-7272
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First People Living in the Area (Serrano and Cahuilla Indians) |
1772 |
First Europeans in the Valley (Spanish Soldiers and Priests) |
1810 - 1849 |
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1810 |
First Time Area Called "San Bernardino" (by Padre Dumetz on May 20th) |
1819 |
First Documentation of a Settlement Named "San Bernardino" |
1820 |
First Zanja (irrigation ditch; 12 miles long; for Mission Rancho San Bernardino) |
1823 |
First Time "Bernardino" annotated on a map of California (Jose M. Narvaes) |
1827 |
First Visit by the explorer Jedediah Smith to Mission Rancho San Bernardino |
1830 |
First Caravan on the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe, NM, to Los Angeles, CA, stops at San Bernardino |
1835 |
First Time "S. Bernardino" annotated on a California Map (by Thomas Coulter) |
1839 |
First Time "San Bernardino" appears on a map of the United States (David Burr) |
1842 | First Time American Flag is flown in San Bernardino area (Daniel Sexton) |
1842 |
First Mexican Land Grant encompassing San Bernardino (given to the Lugo family) |
1850 - 1859 |
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1851 |
First Blacks (26 of them) arrive in San Bernardino (with the Mormons) |
1851 |
First Jewish Settlers arrive in San Bernardino |
1851 |
First Fort (Mormon Stockade, on Arrowhead, between 3rd and 4th Streets) |
1852 |
First Law Officer was Bud Rollins |
1852 |
First Public Building - Mormon's adobe Council House (3rd and Arrowhead) |
1852 |
First Store (operated by Marcus Katz & he conducted business on a barter basis) |
1852 |
First Law Officer (Bud Rollins) |
1852 |
First Direct Mail Service from the East arrives in town |
1852 |
First U.S. Post Office in San Bernardino (Postmaster drew no salary) |
1853 |
First Public Park was established (between 5th and 6th, and E and F Streets; now called Pioneer Park) |
1854 |
First Hotel (Bishop William Crosby's Log Cabin) |
1854 |
First Time City of San Bernardino is Incorporated |
1854 |
First Municipal Election and First Mayor (Amasa Mason Lyman) |
1854 |
First Parcel of Land (148.5 feet x 297 feet) Purchased in the City (sold to Ira S. Miles for $125) |
1854 |
First Permanent School (Warm Springs School) |
1857 |
First Oranges in the County (Six trees planted by Anson Van Leuven ) |
1858 |
First Bank (Bank of San Bernardino, started by Lewis Jacobs, 4th and Arrowhead) |
1858 |
First Regular Bi-weekly Stagecoach Service between San Bernardino & L.A. |
1858 |
First Drugstore (Adobe building erected by Dr. Benjamin Barton, 4th & Arrowhead) |
1860 - 1869 |
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1860 |
First Discovery of Gold in Holcomb Valley (discovered by William F. Holcomb) |
1860 |
First Newspaper in the County - "The San Bernardino Herald" |
1860 |
First Jail was built in the City (now located at the Heritage House, 8th & D Streets) |
1860 |
First U. S. Census as a City (pop. City - 940; County - 5,551; State - 379,994) |
1861 |
First Jewish Cemetery, "Home of Eternity Cemetery" (9th and Sierra Way) |
1863 |
First Time the City Dis-incorporated (probably due to administrative expenses) |
1864 |
First Visit by Wyatt Earp (camped with family just east of Sierra Way & Court St.) |
1865 |
First Fire Protection Company was organized (with 4 men & $103 of equipment) |
1866 |
First Fire Station (located at Third and Arrowhead Streets) |
1867 |
First Chinese arrive in the area (1870 census shows 16 men, ages 19 to 31) |
1867 |
First Brickyard in the area (established by Henry Goodall, Sr.) |
1867 |
First Brick Building (erected by John H. Stewart at the corner of 3rd & D Streets) |
1868 |
First Arrowhead Springs Hotel was built (burned down in 1885) |
1869 |
First Artesian Well in the City |
1870 - 1879 |
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1873 |
First Telegraph sent from San Bernardino - Sept. 18th by De La M. Woodward |
1874 |
First Permanent Court House built in the County (Court Street, east of E Street) |
1878 |
First Fire Vehicle (Rumsey Hand Pumper) |
1880 - 1889 |
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1880 |
First Two Story Brick Hotel (Starke's Hotel, located at 3rd and Arrowhead) |
1880 |
First Catholic School (St. Catherine's Convent School, 5th Street, between E & F) |
1881 |
First Time City of San Bernardino lighted by gas lamps |
1881 |
First Telephone Service established between San Bernardino and Colton |
1882 |
First Opera House (Court and "D" Streets, built 4 years before Los Angeles had one) |
1883 |
First Passenger Train arrives in San Bernardino (California Southern Railroad) |
1884 |
First "Steam Powered" Fire Engine (first hand drawn, then horse drawn) |
1885 | First Horse-Drawn street cars, San Bernardino's Early Mass Transit |
1885 |
First Y.M.C.A. (started in Garner Hall on D Street between Court and 4th Streets) |
1886 |
First Official City Seal of San Bernardino was embossed on San Bernardino City Ordinance No. 1 |
1886 |
First Appearance of the Salvation Army |
1886 |
First Train of the Southern California Motor Road begins operating between San Bernardino and Colton |
1886 |
First Permanent Railroad Depot was built (destroyed by fire in 1916) |
1887 |
First Stewart Hotel was build (located on the corner of 3rd and "E" Streets) |
1887 |
First Streetcar Line in the City put into operation |
1887 |
First Santa Fe Train to operate on the San Bernardino and Los Angeles Railway |
1887 |
First Amusement Park - Harlem Springs (Base Line and Victoria) |
1888 |
First Train Runs to Harlem Hot Springs on the San Bernardino, Arrowhead & Waterman Railroad |
1888 |
First Train from San Bernardino to Redlands & Mentone on the San Bernardino & Redlands Motor Road |
1888 |
First Members of the San Bernardino Society of California Pioneers |
1890 - 1899 |
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1890 |
First Hose Wagon built for the Fire Department (restored in 1997) |
1891 |
First Use of Water Under Pressure in the City |
1891 |
First Citrus Fair in San Bernardino in the new "Pavilion" in Lugo (Pioneer) Park |
1891 |
First Electric Street Lights in the City of San Bernardino |
1892 |
First Permanent High School (8th & E, now the site of Sturges Auditorium) |
1892 |
First Paving of Downtown Streets completed (parts of D, E, Second and Third) |
1893 |
First Free Public Library in San Bernardino (at I.R. Brunn residence on 4th St.) |
1894 |
First Edition of The Sun Newspaper is published |
1900 - 1909 |
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1901 |
First Permanent City Hall is built (on the corner of Third and D Streets) |
1901 |
First "Street Fair" downtown (with queen, grand ball, races, etc.) |
1902 |
First Electric Trolley Service by the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company |
1903 |
First U.S. President to visit San Bernardino (Theodore Roosevelt) |
1904 |
First Permanent Library (Carnegie Library, located at 4th and D Streets) |
1905 |
First Harris Store Opens (in the old armory at 462 Third St) |
1905 |
First "Police Department" established under the new City Charter |
1906 |
First Juvenile Court (Committee Organized to Establish It) |
1908 |
First (and last) "Festival of the Arrowhead" Street Fair (May 19-23) |
1910 - 1919 |
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1910 |
First Automobile to Drive to Big Bear & Pinecrest, and return in one day |
1910 |
First Motorized Vehicle for the Fire Department (a Pope-Hartford Hose Wagon) |
1910 |
First Chamber of Commerce organized |
1911 |
First Commercial Flight (biplane flown by Didier Masson from Los Angeles to San Bernardino) |
1911 |
First "Red Cars" appear in San Bernardino when Pacific Electric buys San Bernardino Valley Traction Co. |
1911 |
First National Orange Show (opened March 6th in two tents on 4th & E Streets) |
1913 |
First Y.W.C.A. (5th and Arrowhead) |
1914 | First Passenger Bus Line in California (San Bernardino Mountain Auto Stage) |
1914 |
First Electric Railway line between San Bernardino and Los Angeles |
1916 |
First Auto Garages in town |
1920 - 1929 |
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1921 |
First Permanent Jewish Synagogue (847 E Street) |
1925 |
First Civil Service Board appointed by the Mayor |
1926 |
First Junior College (San Bernardino Valley College) |
1928 |
First Movie shown at the California Theater ("Street Angel") |
1929 |
First Rail-to-Air Transfer in San Bernardino, from the "Los Angeles Limited" to a Goodyear Blimp |
1930 - 1939 |
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1938 |
First One-Way Police Radio used at Police Headquarters to dispatch calls |
1938 |
First Female Flight Instructor in the Country (Evelyn Pinckert "Pinky" Brier) |
1939 |
First use of the current City Seal (designed by Lois Campbell) |
1940 - 1949 |
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1941 |
First Military Base opens (in 1950, renamed Norton Air Force Base) |
1942 |
First African American Teacher in San Bernardino County (Dorothy Inghram) |
1947 |
First Black Police Officer joined the SBPD (Officer Johnny Epps) |
1948 |
First McDonald's Restaurant in the country opened (14th and E Streets) |
1948 |
First Bell's Burgers opened by Glen Bell (founder of Taco Bell in 1962) |
1950 - 1999 |
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1952 | First San Bernardino resident to earn the Medal of Honor (Joseph C. Rodriguez, Korea, 21 May 1951) |
1952 |
First Baker's Double Burgers Restaurant in the country (was at 164 W. Highland) |
1954 |
First Taco Tia in the Country (on Base Line next to Sage's market) |
1964 |
First Rolling Stones' concert in America (at National Orange Show, June 5th) |
1965 |
First State University founded in San Bernardino (CSUSB) |
1966 |
First Shopping Mall Under One Roof (Inland Center Mall) |
1971 |
First Game Played at New Western Regional Little League Park |
1977 |
First Time San Bernardino Named an "All-American City" |
1978 |
First Rose Parade Float Trophy won by the City of San Bernardino |
1985 |
First Woman Mayor elected (Evelyn Wilcox) |
1990 |
First Route 66 Rendezvous (300 cars and 4,000 spectators) |
1993 |
First Metrolink Train (Metrolink No. 865 with a test train) that arrived in San Bernardino |
1997 |
First Latino Elected Mayor (Judith Valles) |
2000 - Present |
|
2002 |
First Winter Olympic Gold Medal won by a San Bernardino native (Derek Parra) |
2006 |
First Police Helicopter (a Robinson R44) joined the SBPD Patrol Fleet |
2008 |
First History and Railroad Museum in the City, opened on July 12th (1170 West Third Street) |
2012 |
First Time the City of San Bernardino files an Emergency Petition for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy |