Mother Nature was not terribly kind to the Inland Empire in 1899.
San Bernardino saw less than half of its normal rainfall, 7 1/2 inches, during the 1898-1899 season, while a huge wildfire fueled by Santa Ana winds the first week of September swept across the south face of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Two of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded locally struck in the last half of 1899. A Christmas Day quake (estimated at magnitude 6.7) wreaked much damage in much of the Hemet Valley while an only slightly smaller quake in July was centered in upper Lytle Creek north of Fontana.
But the Fates made sure 1899 wasn’t a complete disaster. From that July 22 quake, they delivered a remarkable treasure arguably more valuable than gold.
The quake produced plenty of shaking (it was estimated as magnitude 5.7) along the San Andreas Fault area in the San Gabriels. But it also unleashed a trapped storehouse of water, immediately filling the creeks along the base of the mountains.
After the quake, Lytle Creek doubled in volume. Stream flow then was measured by the old Gold Rush unit of measure, a miner’s inch – about 11.2 gallons of water a minute. Lytle Creek went from 252 to 388 miner’s inches the day after the quake, and it just kept coming, reported the Sun newspaper July 23.
This might not seem like any big deal today, but this was long before water arrived here via the future Colorado River and California aqueducts. Wells and streams were the only sources of water then for homes and our growing agricultural industry. This increase in water in the middle of summer was a saving grace, filling streams which after a bone-dry rain season were probably shrinking daily.
From Lytle Creek to San Antonio Creek in the west, every stream was brimming with unexpected water. Cucamonga Canyon doubled its flow after the quake, while Day Creek Canyon, serving Etiwanda, went from 62 inches before the quake to 170 two weeks later.
The increase in San Antonio Canyon was not quite as large but was still up about 36 inches, the Sun wrote July 23. One report estimated that by early August the unexpected largess of water in that canyon was worth $50,000 to the area, according to the Ontario Record.
Most everyone was affected. The drought had caused restrictions for San Bernardino residents limiting watering of lawns. With the improvement of water supplies, the city Board of Trustees immediately loosened its watering rules.
In Victor (today’s Victorville), it was reported that its source of water was on the brink of drying up. But miraculously, after the quake, the springs which supplied the High Desert community were up and running again.
This remarkable burst of water didn’t help everyone. The streams east of the San Andreas Fault in the San Bernardino Mountains experienced no change in their flows.
“Yes, earthquakes can and will cause a shift in waterflow patterns,” said Brian Lee, general manager of the San Antonio Water Co. in Upland. “If a slip fault caused an underground blockage then the groundwater searching the path of least residence could reasonably push upward, springing into the creek.”
Lee recalled working in the mountains north of Santa Cruz at the time of the massive 1989 Loma Prieta quake. There, a spring simply dried up after the quake and started bubbling up at an entirely new location.
This remarkable water increase locally continued at least into the fall and the start of the next rain season.
And while there was a badly needed improvement of water sources, the July 22 quake wasn’t a wholly positive event. A miner, H.L.Wheeler, was reported killed in a quake-initiated landslide in San Antonio Canyon. In San Bernardino, there were a few cracked buildings but luckily few injuries.
“At the Hall of Records the occupants on the upper floor came out on the streets like dice out of a box, all sixes and sevens,” wrote the Sun on July 22, 1899. “But they were glad to get out and look up to see if the towers were still in place.”
All this craziness motivated some to think a few bucks could be made after the quake. The Sun reported July 25, that the shaker had given many gold miners a reason to head into the local mountains.
After hearing that the canyons had experienced numerous landslides, “the quick wits of the miners and prospectors told them instantly that valuable finds were to be had for the looking,” said the newspaper. “Miners agree that if there are rich ledges on that mountain, they are very likely to be uncovered in such a disturbance as this.”
And despite the riches in water and an outbreak of gold fever, it appeared not everyone reacted from all the shaking. Some missed it entirely.
When the quake struck, “the Arrowhead Club rooms were depopulated in a fraction of a second, except for the four whist players who deliberately went on with the game and were surprised an hour afterwards to be told of the earthquake,” wrote the Sun on July 22.
History Day
A fun, educational experience is happening on April 13 at Inland Empire History Day at the 1918 Santa Fe Railroad Depot, 1170 W. Third St., San Bernardino.
READ MORE: Inland Empire’s history will soon be celebrated at Santa Fe Depot in San Bernardino
The free event, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature information about the historic station as well as exhibits by local historical societies. The Railroad Museum will be opened offering a look back at San Bernardino history.
There will be a meet-and-greet with local authors, pioneer craft demonstrations, gold-panning and live music by Riley’s Mountaineers.
Joe Blackstock writes on Inland Empire history. He can be reached at joe.blackstock@gmail.com or Twitter @JoeBlackstock. Check out some of our columns of the past at Inland Empire Stories on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IEHistory.
