Background
In 1886, developer Robert Taylor persuaded his partners, Adolph Rimpau, George L. Joy, A. S. Garretson, a Sioux City banker,
and ex-governor of Iowa,
Samuel Merrill to form the South Riverside Land and Water Company. Together they raised approximately $110,000 to purchase
approximately 12,000 acres of good agricultural land.
Taylor realized the importance of water for the soon to be developed community, and additional funds were used to ensure that
sufficient water rights were obtained.
Taylor hired Anaheim engineer H. C. Kellogg to design a circular Grand Boulevard three miles round. To the north along the
railroad tracks were the manufacturing plants and packing houses.
The southern end of town was left to the citrus industry. Presently this land is known as the City of Corona. As a citrus
growers' organization, the company purchased the lands of
Rancho La Sierra of Bernardo Yorba, and the Rancho Temescal grant and the colony of South Riverside was laid out. They also
secured the water rights to Temescal Creek, its tributaries and Lee Lake. Dams and pipelines were built to carry the water
to the colony. In 1889 the Temescal Water Company was incorporated, to supply water for the new colony. This company purchased
all the water-bearing lands in the Temescal valley and began drilling artesian wells.
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