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Agua Mansa
The communities of Agua Mansa and La Placita, across from
each other along the Santa Ana River, were the first non-native
settlements in the San Bernardino Valley and had the first
church and school. These villages were the largest settlement
between New Mexico, and Los Angeles during the 1840s. Today,
the Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery is all that remains of these once-
thriving communities.
The Settlement
Antonio Maria Lugo and Juan Bandini established the San
Bernardino and Jurupa ranchos on former Mission San Gabriel
property in the 1830s. By offering land, they convinced
a group from Abiquiu, New Mexico, to settle on the upper
Santa Ana River and serve as a buffer against raiders and
outlaws along the trading route from Santa Fe to Los Angeles.
The emigrants first colonized Politana on the Rancho San
Bernardino in 1842. Ten of these families, led by Lorenzo
Trujillo, moved from Politana to 2,000 acres on the "Bandini
Donation" on the east side of the river, on the northern
boundary of the Jurupa Rancho. This village was known as
"La Placita de los Trujillos", later called La
Placita. A second group moved to the west side of the river
at Agua Mansa, and by 1845 the twin communities were firmly
established. Farmsteads were laid out, an extensive irrigation
system was dug, and grapes, grain, vegetables, and fruit
trees were planted. Horses, sheep, and cattle were pastured
on the mesa to the southeast, at present-day Riverside.
Agua Mansa flourished until January 1862, when a great
flood filled the Santa Ana River from bluff to bluff and
destroyed the west bank community, leaving only the cemetery,
the chapel, and Cornelius Jensen's adjoining store, built
in 1854. Most of the homes in La Placita were also damaged
or destroyed. Although rebuilt, the farming community never
regained its importance. The coming of the railroad, the
rise of the cement industry, and the expansion of the citrus
industry drew people away from these two farming communities.
La Placita was a recognized community of Riverside until
1926. The Trujillo cantina closed in World War II, and the
last burial in the cemetery occurred in 1963.
The Chapel
La Placita's first church was a brush-covered
enramada (bower or arbor). A permanent adobe church
was built near the river bank in 1852; it collapsed in quicksand
the day after the last row of adobe bricks was placed. Work
on a third church, this time on the Agua Mansa side of the
river, started immediately. The 11½' by 58' chapel was completed
in 1853 and dedicated in 1857 as "San Salvador".
The chapel withstood the 1862 flood, although the water
rose to its steps. In fact, the ringing church bell alerted
the Agua Mansans to the impending flood, and all escaped
without loss of life. In 1867, however, the parish was moved
to San Bernardino, and by 1883 the chapel stood abandoned
and crumbling.
Agua Mansa Today
In an effort to stem vandalism, "Friends for the Preservation
of the Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery" was formed in 1955 by Marie
Espinosa Wood, a descendent of two of the original families.
Through hard work and fund raising, these volunteers researched
the land title, built a bridge, and fenced and refurbished
the cemetery. In 1967, Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery was acquired
by San Bernardino County and is now administered as a museum
branch of the San Bernardino County Museum. With the help
of Friends of Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery, a full-size replica of
the San Salvador church was constructed and dedicated in
1978 within the cemetery boundaries and is used today as
a museum.
Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery is today an oasis with its many markers
in Spanish and natural setting providing a respectful glimpse
into the past. Watch for a listing of those buried at Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery on this web site in the future.
Learn More
Search our Cemetery Data base
To learn more about Agua Mansa, we recommend the following
San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterlies
by Dr. Bruce Harley: "The Agua Mansa History Trail"
by Dr. Bruce Harley (Vol. 43(3), 1996), "From New Mexico
to California: San Bernardino Valley's First Settlers at
Agua Mansa," (Vol. 47(3, 4), 2000), and "Women
in Agua Mansa History 1838-1997 (Vol. 49(2), 2002). |