Historical Society Takes Community Back to Loma Linda's Past

Visitors at the ninth annual Loma Linda History Fair on Sunday, Nov. 17 were taken back to the early 1900s when Loma Linda was first established as a city. Loma Linda has always been famous for both its foundation and advancements in medicine throughout the world, but the weekend's history fair, hosted by the Loma Linda Parks and Historical Society, offered other opportunities for learning, sharing with visitors that in its history, Loma Linda has been known as a citrus city, rich with Native American as well as Spanish roots. The event was born nearly a decade ago after members with the Loma Linda Parks and Historical Society and the City of Loma Linda's Historical Commission voiced their opinion that an event that would showcase the city's history was important and would be a beneficial addition, explained Historical Commission Chair and Historical Society President Jimmy Shipp, who explained that due to there being no museum in Loma Linda, the history fair creates a publically accessible opportunity for community members to learn about the city's roots. "Loma Linda is a transient community and there are a lot of students who do come and go," said Shipp, a retired third grade teacher who taught local history as part of the required curriculum. "Members of these two organizations thought, if we don't have the money for a museum right now, let's create an instant museum where we can bring out everything we know about Loma Linda's past and put on this event." Each year the organizations put on the event with the help of several private donors, as well as public support from Redlands Unified School District and Loma Linda University, explained Shipp. The annual event this year attracted about 200 people, many of whom had their own stories about Loma Linda to tell, explained Shipp. Interactive activities were also included. Children had the opportunity to visit a piece of the original Bryn Mawr Postal Office window on display, and write letters to the historical society. Each participating child then received a letter back from the Historical Society. "They were so excited," said Shipp. "Many of them had never written or received letters before. They're growing up in the texting and email generation, and their faces just lit up." Other exhibitions included the San Bernardino Air Force Base, which displayed photographs of those who served their country in the early 1900s, and a doll exhibited on the Drew House table. An art boutique selling drawings and maps of local history was also on display. Jacque Tahuka Nuñez, a descendant of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, was present at the fair to educate the visitors on the life of a Native American in early California. Nuñez shared and informed attendees on the various tools, instruments, games, and clothing Native Americans used in their everyday life. Dick Wiley, member of the Loma Linda Parks and Historical Society, shared information on the beginnings of Loma Linda as a citrus city. The Mormons settled in the Loma Linda region in early 1847, bringing with them their farming techniques and establishing citrus as their main industry, he explained. Present-day Loma Linda began as a small agricultural community known for a time as Bryn Mawr. The city established itself in the medical field in 1905 when the Seventh-day Adventist Church purchased a health resort and created a medical center, Wiley explained. Over the years, the event has grown and evolved, attracting shifting numbers of people according to the yearly celebration. This year's 200 visitors made a quaint turnout compared to the some 500 visitors the event has turned up in the past during its larger celebrations coinciding with the 2010 Bicintennial of the Valley and last year's reopening of the Mission School, the city's oldest school. But no matter the turn out, explained Shipp, the event is always successful. "It's a lot of fun. I talked to a lot of people and I also learned a lot from others who had stories," he said.