15 Fun Facts About San Bernardino

WHERE "E" STREET MEETS MILL STREET - Driving along Interstate 10 at quick glance it appears to be just one of the many cities that make up the urban puzzle piece that is Southern California. Yet, as many longtime residents will tell you, San Bernardino is very much a city of its own that stands out in the Southern California suburban puzzle, aside from being one of the principle cities in the Inland Empire.


A photograph of the Inland Center Mall circa 1969. Photograph used under a Creative Commons license.

If people in Southern California never quite were familiar with San Bernardino, well, they, along with much of the country, are now very much aware of this city called San Bernardino.


Before Sears moved to the Inland Center Mall it was located in downtown San Bernardino as seen in this circa 1955 photograph. Photograph in public domain.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation uses certain criteria to formally declare a crime to be a "terrorist attack." It appears the recent event in San Bernardino is meeting that criteria set by the FBI. Subsequently, what occurred in San Bernardino on December 2, 2015, may end up being the deadliest terrorist attack within the United States since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

Given where the investigation of this mass shooting in San Bernardino, which killed 14 people and injured 21, has led, and where it is continuing to lead, this tragedy has not just national implications, but international implications.

Plenty of things have been written, from the San Bernardino Sun to The New York Times, about what occurred and what is continuing to transpire. We are not going to talk about that here. Since the world's eyes are on San Bernardino here are 15 fun facts about San Bernardino, San Bernardino County and the communities around San Bernardino.


The Mountain Goats singing about "San Bernardino."

1 - The First McDonald's Was In San Bernardino

That's right! The mother of fast food, giver of Happy Meals, with all the excitement and controversy that comes with it, began in San Bernardino.

2 - The Rolling Stones Played Their First U.S. Concert in San Bernardino


The Rolling Stones at The Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino. Photograph used under a Creative Commons license.

It was San Bernardino radio station K/MEN, back when radio was a really big deal, which brought The Rolling Stones for their very first U.S. performance at The Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino. How this radio station in San Bernardino brought them to the U.S. for the first time is a whole story in and of itself, which we will have in the not too distant future. The short story is, in the wake of The British Invasion K/MEN had a connection in London sending them the latest British hit-makers, and basically looking and hoping to find the next Beatles. Well, K/MEN's London connection sent them an album by "this group that is better than The Beatles," as their London connection described The Rolling Stones. Afternoon K/MEN personality Bill Watson played a cut from the album, suddenly the telephone lines were jammed, and "Mr. Kicks," as Bill Watson was known, did something extraordinarily out of the ordinary for top 40 radio and played the entire album.


Ticket from a later Rolling Stones performance at The Swing Auditorium. Photograph in public domain.

The Rolling Stones had made plans to tour the United States, but Mr. Watson knew they needed to get this band now! Mr. Watson, calling across The Atlantic, finally got in touch in The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. After some deals were cut, and told of the reaction of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger and company soon took to the U.S. stage for the very first time in San Bernardino thanks to K/MEN.

3 - Lyndon B. Johnson Had A Job As An Elevator Operator In San Bernardino


The Platt Building in San Bernardino where a future president once worked. Date of photograph unknown. Photograph in public domain.

Future Vice-President and President Lyndon B. Johnson once worked as an elevator operator at a San Bernardino building in 1925. During a 1964 reelection campaign stop in San Bernardino LBJ returned to that building, known as the Platt Building, to operate the elevator once more in front of a few cameras. The Platt Building fell in 1993 after meeting a demolition team under the names of "progress," "redevelopment" and "improvement." Many longtime residents were too happy with this new "improvement," which is to say it was a very conversational move demolishing the Platt Building. Before the Platt Building was torn down the elevator where LBJ worked was saved. 

4 - Home Of The Oldest Operating Jewish Cemetery 

The Home of Eternity Cemetery is the oldest operating Jewish cemetery in Southern California. The land was given to the Jewish community from Mormons in the 1850. 

5 - The Sun Almost Became Apart of the L.A. Times

The San Bernardino Sun has been for many decades, and continues to be, the dominate newspaper in the San Bernardino area (though in the last decade and a half it has faced stiff competition from The Press-Enterprise). Back in the 1960s the Los Angeles Times' then parent company Times-Mirror made an attempt to buy The Sun, but federal government antitrust officials were not too keen on the idea and thus no sale. Today The Sun is apart of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, which includes, the L.A. Daily News, and Daily Bulletin, Pasadena Star-News, among other Southern California newspapers.

6 -  The Largest City Between L.A. and New Mexico Was Once, Colton

Certainly not Colton during the Californio era, but rather a photograph of downtown Colton from 1955. Public domain.

Near where current day Colton is there was once a town called Aqua Mansa, which was, for a time, the largest town between Los Angeles and New Mexico. It is a very significant place with its roots going back to Californio days. Its residents included the Wilson family and family member Don Benito Wilson. That Mr. Wilson is better known as Benjamin David Wilson who would go on to be the second elected Mayor of L.A., and whom Mount Wilson is named after. 

7 - What Does L.A.'s MacArthur Park Have To Do With Colton?

The writer of perhaps one of the most perplexing pop songs, "MacArthur Park," made famous twice, first by Richard Harris and later as a disco hit by Donna Summer, lived in the Colton area for a time once upon a time, and his name is Jimmy Webb. Mr. Webb also wrote "Up, Up and Away" as performed by The Fifth Dimension, along with many other songs. Mr. Webb even wrote a song about Colton, "820 Latham Street," perform by The Fifth Dimension (who had many rehearsal sessions in Colton) and The Brooklyn Bridge, which is apparently the Colton address where the girl of his dreams (and muse of many songs) lived. Turns out the girl of Mr. Webb's dream from Colton soon moved to L.A. and worked near MacArthur Park, which is where Mr. Webb and the girl from "820 Latham Street" in Colton spent many afternoons together. MacArthur Park ended up being a very special place for Mr. Webb and his girlfriend from Colton, and so he wrote a (long) song about it.

The Fifth Dimension singing about that girl who lives at "820 Latham Street" in Colton.

8 - Colton's First Marshall 

Virgil Earp, brother of Wyatt Earp, was Colton's first Marshall. The Earp house still stands at 528 West “H” Street in Colton. Please do not disturb the current residents.

This is a photograph of a Pacific Electric train station in Colton taken long after Virgil Earp was Marshall of Colton. Used under a Creative Commons license.

9 - Home Of The Cursed Fair

Poster for the 1917 National Orange Show. Author's collection.

Most people who grew up or lived in San Bernardino or the Inland Empire for a time will tell you about the "Curse of the Orange Show." Southern California was a citrus empire, and the annual National Orange Show in San Bernardino was a prominent event showcasing the best of the citrus industry. In its glory days "The Orange Show," as so many locals lovingly call it, featured not just A-list stars, but the very top of A-list stars. It was a very glamorous affair, but it always seem to rain on their parade, and many residents say there is a reason for that. Legend has it The National Orange Show Grounds are built atop of a Native American burial ground. The legend goes since it was built atop of Native American burial grounds a curse was placed on the event that makes it rains every time The National Orange Show is held. Records show that in fact, yes, many times during The National Orange Show it has rained. Coincidence?

A 1969 ad in the Los Angeles Free Press for The Jimi Hendrix Experience at The Swing Auditorium. Public domain.

(By the way, The Swing Auditorium, where The Rolling Stones played their first U.S. concert as mentioned above, and, also where many bands came through in the 1960s and 1970s, was located on The National Orange Show Grounds. The Swing Auditorium was destroyed by an airplane crash on September 11, 1981.)

10 - San Bernardino Is Bigger Than Switzerland

If you are a regular driver between Southern California and Las Vegas you probably think San Bernardino County is a very large county. You would be right, because that county in the Inland Empire is the largest county within the lower 48 states. San Bernardino County is larger than many states and even many countries. It is bigger than Switzerland. Its record was beat with the admission of Alaska as a state, which has a much larger county.

11 - The Last Two Big California Earthquakes Were In San Bernardino County

The last two magnitude 7-plus earthquakes within California were in San Bernardino County. Those quakes were, the 1992 Landers Earthquake and the 1999 Hector Mine Earthquake.

12 - Home Of The Tallest Mountain Peak In Southern California

Many people really do not like earthquakes, and that is very understandable, but earthquake faults give us in Southern California spectacular hills and mountains. One of those mountains is Mount San Gorgonio. Located in San Bernardino County in the San Bernardino Mountains reaching a peak of 11,503 feet Mount San Gorgonio is the tallest mountain in Southern California. On a very clear day you can see Mount San Gorgonio from downtown Los Angeles and by the beach in Santa Monica.

13 - The 100th In The Nation

In covering the tragic event many reporters from around the country and around the world noted that San Bernardino is not quite a small city, and for good reason. According to the 2010 U.S. Census the 100th largest city in the U.S. is San Bernardino. As well, San Bernardino is the 17th largest city in California.

14 - Where Sammy Davis Jr. Lost His Eye

Sammy Davis Jr. performing on NBC in 1966. Photograph in public domain.

In 1954 on the way home to L.A. from performing in Las Vegas Sammy Davis Jr. was in a car accident on Route 66 at Cajon Boulevard and Kendall Drive. That is where Sammy Davis Jr. lost his eye. It would be at San Bernardino Community Hospital where Sammy Davis Jr. would recover. While at the hospital his friend, Eddie Cantor, met with him and talked about the similarities between Jewish and black culture. It was at that moment, so the story goes, Sammy would begin his conversion to Judaism. Sammy was so grateful for the services he received at San Bernardino Community Hospital he held an all-star fundraiser at The Swing Auditorium for the hospital.

15 - Home Of The Hell's Angels

Started by the Bishop family in Fontana the motorcycle club that would set the standard for "outlaw motorcycle clubs" and go on to much notoriety began in San Bernardino County.


Certainly not a tune by The Hell's Angels, but rather, a tune from Frank Zappa, who had a studio in Ontario.

When Local Radio Was A Big Deal

SAN BERNARDINO - Driving east on Baseline in San Bernardino onward to Highland you may notice three mid-size radio towers and an unassuming shack building behind San Gorgonio High School, and probably not think much of it. There is much more to the shack building than meets the eye, because that little building behind the high school actually has quite a bit of pop musically history behind it.

That little building once housed radio station KMEN on 1290 AM, and at its peak in the 1960s that radio station was a powerhouse. Many big names in pop music history, and radio history, came through that little building.


A "K/MEN-DOUS-TEN" Survey Sheet ending January 24, 1964, and of course The Beatles are number one.

Sometimes lost or buried in radio broadcast history with much focus on stations like, 93/KHJ, 1110/KRLA, 77/WABC or 89/WLS, KMEN never quite received its due in broadcast history.

Known as K/MEN 129 with its deejay personalities known as The K/MEN this radio station broadcasting out by a cow pasture was once a force in the radio and music industry.

In an era of YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud and other forms of new media to check out new bands, for a younger generation it may be hard to imagine that radio was nearly the only place you can check out new bands. Even for new bands today, it may be hard to imagine the backing you needed from radio to have some sort of success. Back then, before the Internet, before cable television (if you can even imagine such a time), radio was one of the biggest forms of entertainment for kids, teens and adults. Bands back then did not have all these outlets to have their music heard, and bands knew radio was the place to go if you wanted to be heard.

Adding to bands wanting to be heard, competition from rival Inland Empire top 40 station 59/KFXM added to the sense of urgency on K/MEN's part to be the first in airing the newest bands.

Here are four things K/MEN 129 has in connection to music history.

1 - The Rolling Stones


A 1966 ticket stub of The Rolling Stones' performance at The Swing Auditorium.

It was K/MEN that brought The Rolling Stones for their very first U.S. performance at The Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino. How this radio station in San Bernardino brought them to the U.S. for the first time is a whole story in and of itself, which we will have in the not too distant future. The short story is, in the wake of The British Invasion K/MEN had a connection in London sending them the latest British hit-makers, and basically looking and hoping to find the next Beatles. Well, K/MEN's London connection sent them an album by "this group that is better than The Beatles," as their London connection described The Rolling Stones. Afternoon K/MEN personality Bill Watson played a cut from the album, suddenly the telephone lines were jammed, and "Mr. Kicks," as Bill Watson was known, did something extraordinarily out of the ordinary for top 40 radio and played the entire album.


Mick Jagger on stage at The Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino doing his thing.

The Rolling Stones had made plans to tour the United States, but Mr. Watson knew they needed to get this band now! Mr. Watson, calling across The Atlantic, finally got in touch in The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. After some deals were cut, and told of the reaction of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger and company soon took to the U.S. stage for the very first time in San Bernardino thanks to K/MEN.


Those are San Bernardino Sheriff's deputies keeping the screaming girls back from "attacking" The Rolling Stones.

2 - The Beach Boys

Many singers, songwriters and bands came through the small lobby of K/MEN hoping their tune will make it on-the-air. Among these many hopeful bands who came through was a group of brothers from Hawthorne who called themselves, The Beach Boys. Mr. Watson, who, by the way, was the program direction, really liked this band and told them to get their music properly licensed and they will play it. Once the guys from Hawthorne got all the legal stuff taken care of it is believed K/MEN was the first to play The Beach Boys. In later years The Beach Boys replied in kind by singing jingles for K/MEN.

3 - Up, Up and Away with Jimmy Webb

Not too long ago we wrote about Colton, and one of its well known residents was singer/songwriter Jimmy Webb, who was certainly influenced by what K/MEN was playing. One of Mr. Webb's biggest hits he wrote was, "Up, Up and Away," performed by The Fifth Dimension (and sung by other performers over the years). Well, K/MEN once had its own hot-air balloon, and Mr. Webb thought it was a very nice looking thing, and so he wrote a song about it, and that tune became, "Up, Up and Away." In fact, the song was originally meant to be part of a K/MEN promotion. Apparently, the story goes, Mr. Webb wrote the song in just one afternoon sitting in his car at the Robert Hall Clothes store parking lot on La Cadena Drive and Mount Vernon Avenue in Colton (after sitting empty for many years a 99 Cent Only Store now occupies the old Robert Hall clothing store).


They may be a little out of sync in this video, but the tune written by Colton's Jimmy Webb and performed by The Fifth Dimension makes for pure top 40 AM gold.

4 - John Peel

Before he began his legendary music show on BBC Radio 1 the man known as John Peel was across the pond here in the states hosting the morning show on K/MEN in 1965. Back then while in Inland Empire radio he was not known as John Peel, but rather he did something highly odd in radio, he used his real name on-air, John Ravenscroft. John Peel returned to England in 1967 and found a gig for a short time at Radio London aboard one of England's pirate radio ships (many of these England radio pirates were supported by U.S. record labels and had their radio jingles supplied by U.S. jingle makers). Mr. Peel would begin his BBC career later in 1967 and soon became a force in discovering and exposing England to underground, punk, new wave and alternative music. The Peel Sessions soon became, and still are, sought after albums.


The Peel Sessions record with The Smiths. Used under Fair Use.

Seven Random City Fun Facts: Colton

COLTON - Motoring rapidly along Interstate 10 perhaps on the way to Palm Springs for some sunshine and retro decor, or maybe you are driving all the way to the I-10's eastern terminus in Jacksonville, Florida, one of the many cities you come across is Colton. A fast glance at Colton shows no more than a typical Southern California suburb that is part of the puzzle piece making up the megalopolis that is the Los Angeles Basin.


The intersection of what is now Valley Boulevard and La Cadena Drive before the "development bomb" of the 1960s. Used under a Creative Commons license.

As is the case with many places across Southern California there is more to Colton than meets the eye. In fact, would you believe that Colton is connected to Mount Wilson, "MacArthur Park" and the Chicano movement. Sadly, as it also the case with many cities across Southern California, much of that has been erased in the name of progress.

The city, once called The Hub City, which is wedged between the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, has an interesting background, and here are seven random fun facts about Colton.

1 - The writer of perhaps one of the most perplexing pop songs, "MacArthur Park," made famous twice, first by Richard Harris and later as a disco hit by Donna Summer, lived in the Colton area for a time once upon a time, and his name is Jimmy Webb. Mr. Webb also wrote "Up, Up and Away" as performed by The Fifth Dimension, along with many other songs. Mr. Webb even wrote a song about Colton, "820 Latham Street," perform by The Fifth Dimension and The Brooklyn Bridge, which is apparently the Colton address where the girl of his dreams (and muse of many songs) lived. Turns out the girl of Mr. Webb's dream from Colton soon moved to L.A. and worked near MacArthur Park, which is where Mr. Webb and the girl from "820 Latham Street" in Colton spent many afternoons together.


"820 Latham Street" as performed by The Fifth Dimension and written by Jimmy Webb.

2 - Once upon a time the community of Agua Mansa, now in modern day Colton and the name of a historic cemetery, was the largest town between Santa Fe and Los Angeles, and was a very important place in the Californio era. One Benjamin Davis Wilson, or Don Benito Wilson as he was known to the Native Americans, and who would go on to become mayor of L.A. and whom Mount Wilson is named after, had his life saved here by Lorenzo Trujillo after Mr. Wilson was involved violent battle with a Native American named Joaquin.

3 - Jimmy Webb was not the only musically famous person to come out of Colton. Jim Messina of Loggins and Messina and The Buffalo Springfield is also from Colton.

4 - Virgil Earp, brother of Wyatt Earp, was Colton's first Marshall. The Earp house still stands at 528 West “H” Street in Colton. Please do not disturb the current residents.

5 - Colton was created by promoters of the Southern Pacific Railroad (known in fiction as, The Octopus, by author Frank Norris), and the name Colton comes from, David Douty Colton, who was the vice president of Southern Pacific Railroad. Southern Pacific intended to make Colton the railroad center of Southern California. Mr. Colton probably made a couple trips to the city named after him, but he lived in San Francisco.

6 - The Chicano movement was, and still is, very strong in Colton. In fact, in clashes with police in 1943 there was even, sadly, a "Colton Zoot Suit Riot." This soon lead to a larger Chicano movement in Colton with protests against the police and demands for better services from the city. The protests were heard, and in the early 1950s a Chicano councilman was elected. By 1979 Colton elected a Chicano mayor and two Chicanos on the City Council, as well as a Chicano school board member. Colton was one of the first cities in Southern California to have such a strong representation of Chicanos in government.

7 - If you have driven through Colton in recent years, or really, for the past 20 years, you may notice it looks nothing like the photograph above. So what happened to Colton's downtown as shown in the photograph above? Well, the short answer is Colton made the decision (or mistake) many cities around the country made, and that was redevelopment. It is way too easy to say today that they should never have bulldozed their downtown, but remember when malls came in vogue that resulted in shoppers and businesses leaving city centers and downtown areas en mass for these new shiny, modern malls. The shoppers and businesses took their dollars with them to these new malls, and many cities, like Colton and even nearby San Bernardino, took the redevelopment route and basically wiped out their old downtown for what was suppose to be a new, modern shopping area that was going to bring business back. In Colton, and San Bernardino, it never quite worked and many long time residents regret the decisions their city leaders made. Some locals and former locals call it, "the development bomb."

Quick Take: Six Odd and Fun Facts About San Bernardino County

COLTON - If you are a regular driver between Southern California and Las Vegas you probably think San Bernardino County is a very large county. Of course you would be right, because that county in the Inland Empire is the largest county within the lower 48 states. Its record was beat with the admission of Alaska as a state, which has a much larger county. Perhaps you knew that already, but here are six odd and fun facts you may not have known about San Bernardino County.

1. The Rolling Stones played their first U.S. concert at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino with The Everly Brothers as the opening act.

2. Near where current day Colton is there was once a town called Aqua Mansa, which was, for a time, the largest town between Los Angeles and New Mexico. It is a very significant place with its roots going back to Californio days. Its residents included the Wilson family and family member Don Benito Wilson. That Mr. Wilson is better known as Benjamin David Wilson who would go on to be the second elected Mayor of L.A., and whom Mount Wilson is named after.

3. Future Vice-President and President Lyndon B. Johnson once worked as an elevator operator at a San Bernardino building in 1925. During a 1964 reelection campaign stop in San Bernardino LBJ returned to that building, known as the Platt Building, to operate the elevator once more in front of a few cameras. 

Platt Building in San Bernardino. Date and photograph author unknown. No copyright infringement intended; shown for educational and historic purposes only. 

4. The oldest Jewish cemetery in Southern California is in San Bernardino.

5. The last two magnitude 7-plus earthquakes in California were in San Bernardino County. Those quakes are, the 1992 Landers Earthquake and the 1999 Hector Mine Earthquake. 

6. The San Bernardino Sun has been for many decades, and continues to be, the dominate newspaper in the San Bernardino area. Back in the 1960s the Los Angeles Times' then parent company Times-Mirror made an attempt to buy The Sun, but federal government antitrust officials were not too keen on the idea and thus no sale. Today The Sun is apart of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, which includes, the L.A. Daily News, and Daily Bulletin, Pasadena Star-News, among other Southern California newspapers.

Go To This: See Big Boy in Colton

COLTON - There was a time in American history not too long ago when big, massive locomotives pouring out massive thick dark smoke ruled the rails. Some of these locomotives are what built part of Southern California (sometimes in nefarious ways), and perhaps more than a few people remember when they can hear and see the big smoking locomotive rolling down the tracks. 

Among these massive trains that once ruled the rails were Union Pacific No. 4014, otherwise known as Big Boy, and before it leaves Southern California you have one last chance to see it.



Union Pacific No 4014 Big Boy on Display in Pomona. No copyright infringement intended; shown for historical and educational purposes only.

Yes, it is bad news is a historic piece of history is leaving Southern California, but unlike many historic things that have left us forever there is actual good news here.

In January for the first time in nearly 52 years the wheels on Big Boy turned again and the big old locomotive was back on the tracks as Big Boy will be headed to Union Pacific's Heritage Fleet Operations in Cheyenne, Wyoming from Pomona, with a side stop in Colton, to be restored and soon put back into service for nostalgia trips.

Just how big was Big Boy? According to Union Pacific:

Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged," or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of "pilot" wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive. The massive engines normally operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyo.

The Big Boy was in service from 1941 until 1959, and found new life in 1962 being the centerpiece of the RailGiants Train Museum at the Fairplex in Pomona.

If you never had a chance to see the Big Boy while it was in Pomona, well, this weekend it is highly suggested you make the drive out to Colton, because you will have one last chance to see the famed Union Pacific locomotive.

If you miss seeing the big train in Colton you will have to wait awhile, because after this weekend the locomotive will make its slow, but steady trip to Cheyenne to be restored, and Union Pacific officials believe the restoration process will take about five years.

Big Boy will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Union Pacific’s Colton Yard this Saturday and Sunday. 

To find the Big Boy go here: 
Union Pacific Bloomington entrance 
19100 Slover Avenue (Roughly between Cedar Ave. and Riverside Ave.)
Bloomington, CA
92316