Rialto - Bridge to Progress
Nestled below the San Bernardino mountains is the pleasant City of Rialto. Its dynamic growth reflects the successes of Rialto's past.
The City of Rialto is believed to have been settled prior to the year 1500. Ancient artifacts were discovered by archaeologists indicating that the Serrano Indians lived in the Rialto area between 1500 and 1800 AD Where these Indians went, or why, remains a mystery. Records indicate that in 1769 the King of Spain awarded portions of this area to selected Spanish Dons.
In 1851, the Mountain Family purchased the Lugo ranch (now San Bernardino) and claiming portions of the bench which later became known as Rialto. (This claim was later disallowed by the United States Government.) By the year 1854, families had begun moving in to the area and Rialto developed in to a heaven for vineyards, citrus groves, and ranches and agriculture soon prospered. An adobe house from this time period is believed to be the oldest house in Rialto and is now restored in Bud Bender Park "Lilac Park".
A group of Methodists arrived in 1887 seeking a new college site. Although the college was never built, it was the Methodists who started the town of Rialto. It is not known how Rialto got its name though two beliefs are always disputed. One story suggests that "Rialto" is a contraction of rio (river) and alto (high). Another belief is that the area was named after the Rialto Bridge located in Venice, Italy as the river that once crossed the city was reminiscent of the one in Italy. In either case, the bridge soon became a community symbol and became known as the "Bridge of Progress."
Despite the land boom of the 80's and the crash of 1889, Rialto's popularity quickly began to grow as it became known as a town of lovely homes and pretty shaded drives. Incorporated in the spring of 1911, Citrus became an important commodity in Rialto's early growth and at one time seven packing plants were in use sorting, packing and shipping citrus to all areas of the country.
Foothill Boulevard was repaired in 1913 and became Route 66, a section of the transcontinental Highway System. Although a fire in the swept through downtown Rialto in the 1920s and destroyed many of the buildings, today this area is alive with new store fronts, updated buildings and rising modernization. Rialto maintains a small-town atmosphere but is proud to be a city of commercial, residential, educational, cultural and industrial growth.. Its proximity to greater metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and Orange County, has made of Rialto a bedroom-community for those who seek a quiet place to live in.
Source: City of Rialto, Rialto Historical Society and Wikipedia Encyclopedia
