Rancho Cucamonga

^{Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant given to Tiburcio Tapia, a smuggler, politician and devoted soldier. In 1839, Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado granted this 13,045 parcel of land to Tapia. That 13+ acreage is now what we call Rancho Cucamonga and Upland.}

^{The area was used by the Mission San Gabriel for cattle grazing. Besides being a bit on the wild side, Tiburcio was also a wealthy merchant and was the first to establish a winery in California. When he was granted the land, he brought his cattle to graze there. Later on, Maria Merced Tapia de Prudhomme, daughter of Tiburcio inherited the land with her husband Leon Victor Prudhomme. After the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo confirmed that land grants would be upheld so when Leon V Prudhomme filed a claim for Rancho Cucuamonga in 1852, it was eventually granted according to the Land Act of 1851.}

^{Later on in 1858, Rancho Cucamonga was sold to John Rains. He married Maria Merced Williams in 1856. She was the daughter of Isaac Williams who, at the time, owned Rancho Santa Ana del Chino. Her grandfather was Antonio Mario Lugo who was the owner of Rancho San Bernadino. Clearly, Maria was a rich heiress. Rains later invested in Bella Union Hotel in Los Angeles and also in three ranchos. Unfortunately, Rains was killed on November 17th, 1862. It appeared that four men were hired to kill Rains but only one of them was caught. His name was Manuel Ceredel and he claimed that he and the other three men were hired by another ranchero and political opponent whose name was Ramon Carrillo to kill Rains for a total price of $500. Ceredel was sentenced to 10 years in San Quentin.}

^{While on a boat to San Francisco, Ceredel was lynched by a group of vigilantes. Carrillo was never found guilty and he maintained his innocence until the day he was murdered on May 21st, 1864. That same year, Maria Merced married Jose Carrillo and had four more children with him. She had five children from her previous marriage to Rains.}

^{In 1871, a sheriff’s sale yielded the 13,000 Rancho Cucamonga lands to Isaias W Hellman and a San Francisco business syndicate. Later on, he and his partners, including Governor John Downey, had the land subdivided. Then in 1882, a Canadian named George Chaffey, purchased 8,000 acres of the Rancho Cucamonga land for $90,000. An irrigation colony was formed and he named it Ontario after his homeland in Canada.}

^{Then in 1977 three communities became the city of Rancho Cucamonga. The original settlers of the area was the Kucamongan Native American tribe which is now the namesake of the city. Kucamonga means “sandy place.” Once a popular place for vineyards and wealthy men, the area would endure losses that would change the direction of the city. Today, Rancho Cucamonga still boasts its history with original sign posts from when they were first put in place. With a population of 44,000 in the 1980s, Rancho Cucamonga’s population has increased to a whopping 176,379 as of 2019.}

^{The median household income is $90,953 as of 2019.}

^{Population: Approximately 176,379 as of 2019}

^{Well Known Places in Rancho Cucamonga}

^{North Etiwanda Preserve}

^{Victoria Gardens}

^{Cucamonga Service Station}

^{Fact Sheet}

^{Route 66 ends in the city of Rancho Cucamonga.}

^{Rancho Cucamonga is 39.9 is a total of 39.9 square miles and 0.05% of that is water.}

^{Cucamonga Peak is one of the tallest peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains and it can be seen from just about any part of Rancho Cucamonga.}