San Bernardino County history: Montclair – Welcome to San Bernardino County

A black and white image of nine individuals posing with seven horses in front of a house. — *The Reeder family home on their historic citrus ranch, ca. 1911 (photo courtesy of the city of Montclair).*

The earliest inhabitants of what is now known as Montclair were the Serrano Indians who built a village along a creek lined with sycamore trees. In 1774, Captain Juan Bautista D’Anza, during his historic trip to the San Gabriel Mission, named this creek “Arroyo de los Alisos,” meaning the stream of the sycamores.

This region primarily served as grazing land and a watering hole until 1897 when Mrs. Edward Fraser founded “The Township of Marquette,” which was the areas first modern name. This signaled the beginning of land development, which would slowly transform the area into a viable and thriving community.

By 1900, a 1,000-acre tract within the township was surveyed and named Monte Vista. The land was divided into 10, 20 and 40-acre lots with special terms offered to entice individuals to plant orchards and build homes.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the area was largely devoted to citrus orchards. However, after World War II, the Monte Vista tract experienced rapid growth in residential and commercial development, which replaced the citrus groves.

Many veterans used their GI benefits to purchase homes from the abundant supply of affordable housing. Also, the completion of the Interstate 10 freeway in the late 1950s connected Monte Vista to Los Angeles, which made the area a viable commuter suburb.

Fearing annexation by a neighboring city and the loss of local control, longtime residents formed the Monte Vista Improvement Association. The association proposed the incorporation of the Monte Vista Land Tract and residents voted in favor. On April 25, 1956, the city of Monte Vista was officially incorporated.

Two years later, on April 8, 1958, residents voted on a name change for their city due to confusion with another community in Northern California called Monte Vista. The proposal was approved with 1,399 voting in favor and 212 voting against renaming the city to Montclair. Today, Montclair is a full-service city on the western edge of San Bernardino County and is home to over 37,000 people.

The information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.

Additional County Update News – July 31, 2025