John Wesley North organizes the colony of Riverside
Camp Osbourne
1878
June 1878
Riverside hosts its first Citrus Fair for farmers to exhibit varieties of their homegrown fruit. The finest fruits were judged and awarded based on appearance and flavor. These fairs quickly became community gatherings that grew when local citizens purchased land for an exhibition hall in 1881.
1881
March 1881
The Gage family travels from Canada and arrives in Riverside, California. They are housed by Frank Augustus Miller and his family at their Glenwood Cottage home and hotel. Miller and Gage become good friends.
Jane and Maude Gage
April 1881
Matthew Gage opens a jewelry business inside Roe’s Drug Store to gain connections. Located on the corner of Main and 8th, Roe’s Drug Store was the most popular place to congregate, exchange news and gossip.
April 1881
Frank Green goes to Roe’s Drug Store to seek a buyer for his house on Fourteenth and Mulberry. Gage decides it would be an ideal place for his family of 6 as it came with ten acres of fruit producing trees.
October 1881
Gage pays $800 to buy the lot next to Roe’s Drug Store to expand his jewelry business.
1882
March 1882
Gage’s friends, George and William Chaffey inspire Gage to irrigate Section 30 after their success at establishing the town of Ontario. Gage takes out a land patent under the Desert Land Act of 1877 at 25 cents an acre and takes on the challenge of irrigating 640 acres in 3 years.
1883
September 1883
The community of Riverside incorporates to form a city.
1885
October 1885
Excavation of Gage’s canal begins.
1917 Pipe Construction
November 1885
3 miles of open canal are completed.
1917 Pipe Construction
December 1885
Gage secures water sources, accumulating more than enough water to irrigate Section 30. Gage starts selling his excess of water before his canal is functional.
1886
January 1886
Three men file that Gage has not reclaimed Section 30 in attempt to settle on the land. A judge granted Gage an extension on his patent to the land after receiving proof of his progress.
July 1886
The land in Section 30 increased from $1/acre in 1885 to $25/acre.
1913 Pumping Plant
November 1886
The first head of water finally reaches Section 30. The rest of Gage’s career revolves around maintaining irrigation and selling off his 10,000 acre estate.
1888
June 1888
The Gage Canal was expanded from 12 miles to 20 miles with the addition of a flume across the Tequesquite Arroyo. The Arlington Heights community is established.
No. 3 Flume
1914
December 1914
UCR bought land to establish the Citrus Experiment Station that is still functional today.
1916
January 1916
Matthew Gage passes away from pneumonia in his home at 72 years old. Gage is survived by his wife Jane, three daughters, his grandson and brothers John and Robert. They, along with the University of California, carried on Matthew’s vision of transforming Section 30 from a wasteland to a garden of possibility.
