Pioneers of San Bernardino
Many of the San Bernardino Pioneers depicted here were the daring
folks
that
in the 1850’s traveled by wagon train on the Santa Fe and Salt Lake Trails that
brought them to San Bernardino. They formed a pioneer society in our town. They
had their portraits hanging on display at the Pioneer Cabin on F Street in San
Bernardino. The portraits were tagged with a number that corresponded with an
index of their names. These numbers are still visible on our digitized photos.
A fire destroyed the cabin, pictures, and the index. Firemen saved a box of negatives.
Years after the fire, the negatives were located at the fire station. They were
presented to the San Bernardino Public Library. We had prints made of the portraits.
Mary L. Lewis compiled binders containing the portraits and brief description.
The Arda Haenszel California Room has a copy of the binder as does the City of
San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society. A 2006 California State Library
grant, funded
under the Library Services and Technology Act provided our library with the chance
to digitize these local history photographs.
For more information concerning these pioneers or if you have information about
any of the photos, please visit the Arda Haenszel California Room at the Norman
F. Feldheym Central Library or email the webmaster.
