Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (ATC) Ensen Mason is honored to present another compelling story of the many great county residents who have served in his position since 1853.
Richard Rockwell Hopkins was the first county clerk and auditor of San Bernardino County after it split off from Los Angeles County in 1853. Born in Edwardsville, Illinois, Hopkins was employed on steamers plying the Mississippi and Missouri rivers before relocating to St. Louis where he met and married Ruth Crandall.
Hopkins and his wife moved to Utah in 1850 and then traveled to California in 1851 where they settled in the Latter-day Saints community of San Bernardino. After serving as county clerk and auditor from 1854 – 1857, he returned to Utah in 1858. By 1860, Hopkins was back in St. Louis as part-owner and captain of the steamboat Asa Wilgus, which foundered on a snag a few months after he bought it. Hopkins died in December 1882 with his obituary acknowledging him as Captain Hopkins.
Additional County Update News – February 8, 2024
- San Bernardino County weathers major storms
- Board of Supervisors Round-Up
- Little Teeth, Big Responsibility campaign prioritizes early childhood oral health to combat the most common chronic childhood disease
- County Clerk offers Valentine’s Day weddings
- Victor Valley Museum spotlights world’s first black-owned dude ranch
- Photographer Henry Hooks captured the lives of region’s African Americans
- San Bernardino County History
- County Fire hosts community meetings on Service Zone FP-5 and Measure W
- Regional Parks survey seeks input for new amenities at Glen Helen Regional Park
- County supported Ontario’s 5K at the Runway
- Things to Do
- Pet of the Week
- Jobs of the Week