Welcome to the website of the annual
Riverside County History Symposium
presented by the
Riverside County Heritage Association
The 2024 Riverside County History Symposium will be held IN TEMECULA!!
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (doors open at 8:00 a.m.)
Place: Temecula City Hall Community Room
(41000 Main Street, Temecula)
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (doors open at 8:00 a.m.)
Place: Temecula City Hall Community Room
(41000 Main Street, Temecula)
registration_form_2024.pdfREGISTRATION WILL OPEN
JANUARY 1, 2024!
Click HERE to register online via Eventbrite
OR
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM
REGISTRATION FORM
JANUARY 1, 2024!
Click HERE to register online via Eventbrite
OR
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM
REGISTRATION FORM
9:00 a.m. - "Temecula - The Town That Grew by the Trail"
Rebecca Farnbach
Temecula is one of the oldest communities in Southern California. Noted historian and lecturer Rebecca Farnbach will show Temecula's evolution from Native village, progressing through the village along the trail and the new town after the coming of the train, giving glimpses of what life was like in each era, ending with cityhood and the wine country.
10:00 a.m. – “The Origin of and Opposition to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway”
Steve Lech
Known for years as “Crocker’s Folly,” the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is one of Riverside County’s greatest and most unique attractions. However, in the nearly 30 years it took to develop the project, there was sustained opposition to it which was very close to being successful. Author and historian Steve Lech will delve into the development of and opposition to the tram project and show how the story has been obscured by time.
11:00 a.m. - "A Glimpse into Yesteryear: Photos of the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley"
David Sisk
The Clarence Swift Collection of the Hemet Museum contains photos of the region from the 1880s to the 1960s. David Sisk, of the Searl, Gilman, and Smith families, will show and describe many of the photos, concentrating on the period of the 1880s to the 1920s.
1:00 p.m. - "How One Person Can Change the World: The Story of Sarah Morris Gilman (1858-1941)"
Pat Murkland
In 1888, young Sarah Morris (later Gilman) received a telegram from her best friend: There was a job opening for a teacher at a new school on the reservation near Banning, California! Sarah hopped on a train and traveled alone nearly 1,500 miles from Missouri to Banning, and the next day she went to live and teach on what is now Morongo Reservation. Discover and explore this mostly untold story of a woman ahead of her time, who successfully championed equal rights, education, and health for Native Americans, and overcame many barriers to women to also lead and transform the local community. This presentation is funded in part by a grant from Creative Corps, part of the California Arts Council.
2:00 p.m. - Docent-led tours of Old Town Temecula
Rebecca Farnbach
Temecula is one of the oldest communities in Southern California. Noted historian and lecturer Rebecca Farnbach will show Temecula's evolution from Native village, progressing through the village along the trail and the new town after the coming of the train, giving glimpses of what life was like in each era, ending with cityhood and the wine country.
10:00 a.m. – “The Origin of and Opposition to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway”
Steve Lech
Known for years as “Crocker’s Folly,” the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is one of Riverside County’s greatest and most unique attractions. However, in the nearly 30 years it took to develop the project, there was sustained opposition to it which was very close to being successful. Author and historian Steve Lech will delve into the development of and opposition to the tram project and show how the story has been obscured by time.
11:00 a.m. - "A Glimpse into Yesteryear: Photos of the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley"
David Sisk
The Clarence Swift Collection of the Hemet Museum contains photos of the region from the 1880s to the 1960s. David Sisk, of the Searl, Gilman, and Smith families, will show and describe many of the photos, concentrating on the period of the 1880s to the 1920s.
1:00 p.m. - "How One Person Can Change the World: The Story of Sarah Morris Gilman (1858-1941)"
Pat Murkland
In 1888, young Sarah Morris (later Gilman) received a telegram from her best friend: There was a job opening for a teacher at a new school on the reservation near Banning, California! Sarah hopped on a train and traveled alone nearly 1,500 miles from Missouri to Banning, and the next day she went to live and teach on what is now Morongo Reservation. Discover and explore this mostly untold story of a woman ahead of her time, who successfully championed equal rights, education, and health for Native Americans, and overcame many barriers to women to also lead and transform the local community. This presentation is funded in part by a grant from Creative Corps, part of the California Arts Council.
2:00 p.m. - Docent-led tours of Old Town Temecula
Speaker Bios:
Rebecca Marshall Farnbach is a writer, historian, and an advocate for preservation of local historic sites. Rebecca is a founding member of the Temecula Valley Historical Society and was an avid participant in the restoration of the Historic Vail Headquarters site. She has coauthored several books and teaches a class on local history in the Mt. San Jacinto College program for Temecula Wine Country employees. Rebecca and her late husband Darell Farnbach were named Citizens of the Year in 2020 by the Temecula Chamber of Commerce and their names were placed on the Temecula Wall of Honor in 2021 in recognition of their advocacy for historic preservation.
Steve Lech is a native Riversider who has been interested in the local history of Riverside County for more than forty years. He has written or co-written thirteen books on various topics related to Riverside County history. He co-authors the weekly “Back in the Day” column for the Press-Enterprise newspaper in which he explores many aspects of local history throughout western Riverside County. He has been a docent at the historic Mission Inn hotel for over 30 years, is currently the Director of Docent Training for the Mission Inn Foundation, and is the President of the Riverside County Heritage Association.
Pat Murkland is a longtime journalist and historian who helps people, diverse cultures, and untold history become visible. Based in the Banning area, she works closely with the 501c3 nonprofit Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, led by Elder Ernest Siva (Cahuilla-Serrano), to save and share Southern California's Native American cultures, languages, history, and arts. She edits a free online cultural newsletter, News from Dorothy Ramon Learning Center (dorothyramonlearningcenter.substack.com) and as the center's editor has edited and published several books. More recently she has worked via the Center to offer culturally based programs in partnership with the Morongo Empowerment Program, which works to end violence among families and help people heal. She's a board member of Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society, and also Two Canyons Parklands, led by former state parks director Pete Dangermond, which works to save and present San Timoteo and Live Oak canyons. She’s the Banning Woman’s Club historian. She also supports Friends of Banning Library and the Gilman Ranch Hands. She has received a 2023-24 California Arts Council Creative Corps grant to help the community explore Sarah Morris Gilman's story.
David Sisk was born in Hemet in 1958 and is a lifelong resident of the area (except for college). Dave's mom, Virginia Searl Sisk, is also a lifetime resident of Hemet. Dave's dad, Gordon Sisk, was the volunteer for the Hemet Museum Association who digitized the vast Clarence Swift photo collection in the late 1990s. His presentation is dedicated to his history-loving mom and dad.
Rebecca Marshall Farnbach is a writer, historian, and an advocate for preservation of local historic sites. Rebecca is a founding member of the Temecula Valley Historical Society and was an avid participant in the restoration of the Historic Vail Headquarters site. She has coauthored several books and teaches a class on local history in the Mt. San Jacinto College program for Temecula Wine Country employees. Rebecca and her late husband Darell Farnbach were named Citizens of the Year in 2020 by the Temecula Chamber of Commerce and their names were placed on the Temecula Wall of Honor in 2021 in recognition of their advocacy for historic preservation.
Steve Lech is a native Riversider who has been interested in the local history of Riverside County for more than forty years. He has written or co-written thirteen books on various topics related to Riverside County history. He co-authors the weekly “Back in the Day” column for the Press-Enterprise newspaper in which he explores many aspects of local history throughout western Riverside County. He has been a docent at the historic Mission Inn hotel for over 30 years, is currently the Director of Docent Training for the Mission Inn Foundation, and is the President of the Riverside County Heritage Association.
Pat Murkland is a longtime journalist and historian who helps people, diverse cultures, and untold history become visible. Based in the Banning area, she works closely with the 501c3 nonprofit Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, led by Elder Ernest Siva (Cahuilla-Serrano), to save and share Southern California's Native American cultures, languages, history, and arts. She edits a free online cultural newsletter, News from Dorothy Ramon Learning Center (dorothyramonlearningcenter.substack.com) and as the center's editor has edited and published several books. More recently she has worked via the Center to offer culturally based programs in partnership with the Morongo Empowerment Program, which works to end violence among families and help people heal. She's a board member of Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society, and also Two Canyons Parklands, led by former state parks director Pete Dangermond, which works to save and present San Timoteo and Live Oak canyons. She’s the Banning Woman’s Club historian. She also supports Friends of Banning Library and the Gilman Ranch Hands. She has received a 2023-24 California Arts Council Creative Corps grant to help the community explore Sarah Morris Gilman's story.
David Sisk was born in Hemet in 1958 and is a lifelong resident of the area (except for college). Dave's mom, Virginia Searl Sisk, is also a lifetime resident of Hemet. Dave's dad, Gordon Sisk, was the volunteer for the Hemet Museum Association who digitized the vast Clarence Swift photo collection in the late 1990s. His presentation is dedicated to his history-loving mom and dad.