During the townsite era, big chunks of land were divided up and sold. People bought the lots with a plan to grow food and live off the land. During this time thousands of trees were planted in the valley. Artesian wells were dug and many irrigation channels dug.
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Water supplies were diverted from creeks and sent to water fields and groves. |
Flooding became a big problem as people built homes and farms on land that was wild before. |
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Fields were plowed. Settlers introduced grains and fruit trees that had never been grown here before. |
Native animals probably had a harder time finding their usual food supply. Native plants were being crowded out in the townsites |
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Railroads, depots, citrus packing sheds and hundreds of homes were being built. |
Only a few buildings remain from that time. Many others burned down, were destroyed by floods, melted, or were torn down to make newer buildings. |
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Settlers introduced sheep, cattle, chickens, goats, and many other domestic animals. The remaining wild animals were hunted. Some species, like the grizzly bear, were hunted to extinction. |
A few Native Americans could live off the land, hunting and gathering what they needed. The large number of settlers needed farms to support them |
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Most Mormons were gone. Indians were being rounded up for reservations. |
A few of the Indians remained on reservations. A few Mormon pioneers stayed around. New settlers pretty much "took over" the valley. |
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The "monoculture" of the Lugos was gone. Many new plants and animals were introduced. The habitat of Loma Linda would never be the same again.