Yucaipa: 1940s-1980s

by Yucaipa Valley Historical Society

Overview

When the soldiers returned after the end of World War II, the community of Yucaipa celebrated the victory and settled into a new era that would someday become known as the "good old days." Located in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains at the edge of the desert, the area and the climate was perfect for not only maintaining the agriculture-based economy, but establishing more businesses, churches, schools, and whole new neighborhoods. The first tracts of homes were followed with mobile home parks for new retirees looking for a real hometown, which they found in Yucaipa. People raised their children in a village-style environment, and the whole family could enjoy life with enthusiasm. There was plenty to do, and traditions that are continuing today were established in the form of parades, fairs, sports programs, and the enrichment opportunities of good schools, a college, and the community's love of its land and each other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738570808
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	12/09/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

The Yucaipa Valley Historical Society, an active group of 100 volunteers, is dedicated to the preservation of their community's history and heritage by keeping the memory of the past alive and by passing on the legacy of family, friends, and good memories to many future generations.

Editorial Reviews

Title: Yucaipa history book picks up where first book left off
Author: Penny E. Schwartz
Publisher: The Press-Enterprise
Date: 4/11/2010

How things changed in the San Bernardino County community of Yucaipa from the 1940s to 1980s is the subject of the book "Arcadia Images of America."

That period chronicles the area's development from a small town into a full-fledged city during the middle years of the 20th century. The book is a sequel to "Yucaipa, California" published by Arcadia 2½ years ago.

The earlier volume began with the area's native peoples and covered the years through the 1950s.

"When we wrote the first book, we wanted to tell the city's history chronologically," said Claire Marie Teeters, who compiled both volumes along with members of the Yucaipa Valley Historical Society.

They ran out of room, so they included only a minimal representation of the 1940s and '50s, said Teeters, editor of the Yucaipa/Calimesa News-Mirror newspaper.

The first book was published in April 2007. A second volume was dependent on sales of the first, the publisher told society members.

"The book sold so well that Arcadia called about a year and a half ago and said we could do a second book," Teeters said.

The new volume, published last December, chronicles the years from the 1940s through incorporation in November 1989.

"If the book could have a subtitle, it would be 'The Good Old Days,' Teeters said. "It's a happy book."

She credits members of the historical society as well as many townspeople for supplying the hundreds of photographs that fill the book with images of Yucaipa's past.

"We got the word out to the community, and many people brought in photos that we didn't have," she said.

During the period covered by the new volume, the city morphed from an agricultural area into a dynamic city, Teeters said.

"But it still retains its hometown roots," she said.

Photos of business and recreational activities give testament to the activities of everyday life.

Among the most far-ranging developments during the years covered was the development of mobile home parks in the 1950s and '60s, according to Teeters.

"This brought a large number of retirees to town and changed the local dynamics," she said.

Without the younger families that had populated the area before, fewer schools were needed for decades.

"These were active seniors, however, and they started such groups as garden clubs," she said.

Another major change came with the building of the town's sewer plant in the 1980s, allowing major construction projects to go forward.

During the years from the 1940s to the 1980s, Yucaipa developed a central business district, while still retaining an agricultural base, according to the book's introductory paragraphs.

Even as cars filled the streets, students continued to ride horses to school as they had in earlier years. Parades, fairs and community events were important markers in the year's calendar.

During the 1950s, members of the local Women's Club worked diligently to save the oldest building in town, the Yucaipa Adobe.

The 1950s and '60s were boom years, with ranches giving way to housing tracts and the arrival of a hospital, sheriff's station and high school. Growth continued in the 1970s and '80s, with the opening of Crafton Hills College and the Yucaipa Regional Park.

At the end of the 1980s, the town's citizens voted to incorporate as San Bernardino County's 22nd city, with a population of 32,000 residents. The book's final photograph highlights this event.

While a third Arcadia book is not planned, the Yucaipa Valley Historical Society actively chronicles the city's history in chapters that focus in detail on specific topics, such as the community's clubs.

"We are writing the community's history chapter by chapter and hope to someday combine it all into a book," Teeters said.

From the Publisher