Things Could Be Better! |
San Bernardino County Museum |
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Not everyone was happy. Some people settled the area who were not Mormons. They were jealous of Mormon success. One group thought that some Mormons were going to attack them, so they hauled an old cannon into Jerome Benson's house. They called it "Fort Benson" and waited for the war to start. It never did. You can find the cannon at the Native Sons of the Golden West meeting-house on Del Rosa Avenue in San Bernardino. There is a plaque on Hunt's Lane in Colton at the site of Fort Benson. Finding the cannon and the site of Fort Benson are two adventures for this era of local history. |
A Mormon Bishop, Nathan C. Tenney, moved into the old estancia building. He took over the farming of the vineyards, groves and fields around it.
Mormon leaders in Utah didn't like how "worldly" some of the San Bernardino members were becoming. They also felt they needed the settlers back in Utah. In 1857 and 1858 over two-thirds of the settlers were told to return to Utah.
People quickly sold their homes and land to non-Mormons. The valley entered a very wild time, with a lot of gunslinging, gambling, drinking and crime. Some Mormons returned over the years, but the valley would never become the community is had been for a few short years.
How Big Were Their Footprints? |
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