It's a Whole New World

The community of San Bernardino came together on Thursday, Feb. 5 for a historical tale filled with Spanish explorers and Native Americans. The topic covered geography ranging from Mexico and the American Southwest, but the focus was on San Bernardino. Jim Wood was the presenter for the evening and regaled the accounts from diaries written by Spanish explorers who experienced the expedition first hand. Wood, armed with a map projected onto the screen detailed where the explorers ventured, many of which crossed through San Bernardino. Yolanda Moya, a resident of Riverside for 17 years said, “Everyone has some kind of connection to San Bernardino.” She spoke further on how it was fascinating how these travelers used the Cajon pass regularly as we do today. Wood highlighted 18 different explorers and the routes they took to explore the uncharted territory. He pointed out that many of the trails in the area that are still used today, were used by the Spanish explorers during their expedition, are indeed ancient Native American trails dating back thousands of years. Members of the crowd were encouraged to ask questions throughout the presentation although, some in the audience lent a hand by calling out specific dates or the names of explorers. At one point, everyone joined in the efforts of pronouncing some of the names of ancient tribes and civilizations. As tales where told from the diaries of those who experienced the unsettled land and unknown territory, one can only imagine finding such vast open spaces with no trace of any city within the San Bernardino region. A Native American who refers to himself as Bear recalled how much the region has changed within his own lifetime. With graying ponytail and a soft glint in his eyes he says he remembers a time before freeways. “The Orange Show is built on an Indian burial ground and a lot of other things. There used to be a lot of springs and lakes. They built buildings here and they kept getting flooded. I remember as a kid we used to see spring water come right out of the ground. It was cold, or further down it was hot.” Listening to Bear speak of the surrounding area with such fondness, with fresh springs, lakes, and many trees in a time of prolonged drought brings one to wonder what it was like in a time before San Bernardino.