Red Hill

Red Hill. City of Rancho Cucamonga Historic Point of Interest. This site sits at the base of the prominent Red Hill Landmark. The early historic importance of the property stems from its proximity to a reliable water source, Cucamonga Creek, and to its location on the major roadway between Los Angeles and San Bernardino. By about 1200 AD, the Kukumonga Native Americans, part of the Gabrielino Culture, established a village near Red Hill. In 1839, Tiburcio Tapia, a wealthy merchant and former Alcalde (Major) of Los Angeles, was granted 13,000 acres of land known as Rancho De Cucamonga. Using Indian labor, Tapia built a well-fortified adobe home on Red Hill, and raised great cattle herds. Tapia also began a successful winery known to us today as the Thomas Winery. John Rains, a former soldier from Alabama and rancher, married the wealthy Doña Maria Merced Williams, and together they purchased the ranch in 1858. The couple built a burned brick home, just to the north on Vineyard, which is now a San Bernardino County museum. Before his murder in 1862, Rains had greatly expanded the vineyards and winery developed by Tapia. This site was part of the transportation system used by many generations including the Butterfield Stage Coach, the Pacific Electric "Red Car" Railway, and Route 66. The first post office in the area, commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, was located here. The property also contained the Cutler residence and store, and the Riche residence and store. Detailed archaeological investigations where performed to document these structures, which had been demolished many years ago.