Sanitarium Times - Page 1 |
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1905-1970 |
For Sale: One small townThe Loma Linda Sanitarium was big and beautiful, but no one was coming to stay. The owners decided to put it up for sale. They advertised the property for sale in 1904 for $110,000. That included the Sanitarium and many houses scattered on the Mound. The price dropped to $84,000, then $45,000. No one wanted it. |
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A Buyer for Lonesome LindaA man named John Burden was looking for land in Southern California. He had been sent by Ellen G. White, the leader of the Seventh-day Adventists to find a place to build a sanitarium. He heard about Loma Linda and was able to get a good deal on it. He bought 76 acres of land, including the Mound, the Sanitarium with its furniture, china, linen and silverware, a farm and livestock, shares in Bryn Mawr and Bear Valley water companies and several other buildings. |
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Now I own a town!John Burden wasn't authorized to buy the property for the church, so he bought it himself. The old owners were willing to sell Loma Linda for $40,000. Adventists from all over gave money to pay the loan, and the whole price was paid off in seven months. With a train station at the foot of the Mound, they knew people would come from all over to Loma Linda. |
Archives and Special Collection, Del E. Webb Memorial Library, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California |
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Archives and Special Collection, Del E. Webb Memorial Library, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California |
View from the top!There wasn't much in the valley then. If you looked north from the Sanitarium, you saw a few homes scattered along Anderson Street. Most of the San Bernardino Valley was still farmland. |
Please shine down on me!The Sanitarium advertised a spacious sunroom. Getting lots of sunlight was considered good medicine for sick people. |
San Bernardino County Museum |
How Big Were Their Footprints? |
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John Burden
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