San Bernardino County history – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Don Antonio Maria Lugo was born at the Mission San Antonio de Padua in present-day Jolon, California in 1775. His father, Francisco Salvador, was a soldier for the Spanish government and was sent to Alta California to protect the mission.

Lugo grew up to be a soldier for the Spanish government like his father, a rancher, mayor of Los Angeles from 1816 to 1819, and a key figure in San Bernardino County history.

After visiting the San Bernardino and Yucaipa Valleys in 1839, Lugo requested and received a land grant from his great-nephew, Governor of Mexican California Juan B. Alvarado.

Lugo’s Rancho San Bernardino encompassed today’s San Bernardino County. The rancho was divided among his three sons, Jose del Carmen, Jose Maria, Vicente, and a nephew, Diego Sepulveda. They attempted to populate the area with other ranchers and settlers, but their efforts were not successful. The area was susceptible to raids by indigenous peoples who had been displaced by the arrival of the Lugo family.

Just over a decade after the Lugo family arrived at Rancho San Bernardino, they sold it to Mormon settlers. After the sale, Lugo returned to Los Angeles, the site of his Rancho San Antonio and lived out his final days. His descendants are reflected throughout San Bernardino County’s history. One of his granddaughters, María Merced Williams de Rains, is commemorated along with her husband, at the María Merced Williams and John Rains House in Rancho Cucamonga, one of five historic sites administered by the San Bernadino County Museum.

Additional County Update News – July 18, 2024