Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

John Rains House

1860

Photographed by Craig Baker

1. John Rains House Marker

Inscription.
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

Maria Merced Williams and John Rains House
1860
National Register of Historic Places
Tours - Special Events
Open Tuesday - Saturday 10 AM - 3 PM
Closed on county holidays.
(909) 798-8608
A branch of the San Bernardino County Museum

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Architecture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 34° 6.649′ N, 117° 36.665′ W. Marker is in Rancho Cucamonga, California, in San Bernardino County. It can be reached from Hemlock Street just east of Vineyard Avenue, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8810 Hemlock St, Rancho Cucamonga CA 91730, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles,

in the Inland Empire,

in the Peninsular Ranges,

and specifically in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

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on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cucamonga Winery (approx. ¼ mile away); The Thomas Winery … More than a century of service. (approx. ¼ mile away); Tapia Adobe Site (approx. ¼ mile away); Red Hill (approx. ¼ mile away); Cucamonga Labor Camp (approx. 0.4 miles away); 1826 (approx. half a mile away); 1839 (approx. half a mile away); 1840s (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rancho Cucamonga.

Also see . . . John Rains House. San Bernardino County Museum website, excerpt:

The Cucamonga Rancho was sold in 1858 to John Rains by Tiburcio Tapia’s daughter, María Merced Tapia de Prudhomme, and her husband Leon Victor Prudhomme. Rains in 1856 had married María Merced Williams, the daughter of Chino Rancho owner Isaac Williams and granddaughter of Don Antonio María Lugo, owner of the San Bernardino Rancho. María was thus a wealthy
Photographed by Craig Baker

2. John Rains House Marker
heiress, and Rains invested in three ranchos and the Bella Union Hotel in Los Angeles. He purchased Rancho Cucamonga for $16,500 and constructed a burned brick building on the property at a cost of about $18,000. The Rains House was built in 1860 by Ohio brick masons from bricks made by Joseph Mullaly from the red clay on the site. Its roof was waterproofed by tar from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. An open flume carried water from springs through the kitchen, into the patio, and under the house to the orchard, thereby providing cooling for the structure. The original house had an entry hall, a parlor, and three bedrooms in the front, with a patio area flanked by a dining room, a kitchen, a padré’s room, and two guest rooms.

(Submitted on September 15, 2026.)

John Rains House and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

3. John Rains House and Marker

John Rains House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

4. John Rains House

Photographed by Craig Baker

5. John Rains House

Credits. This page was last revised on September 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 15, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.