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24 TERRAMOR BEYOND THE GATES | FALL 2026 Long before Temescal Valley became home to beautiful communities, scenic trails, and growing neighborhoods, this land played an important role in California's early history. From Native American trade routes and early ranch settlements to stagecoach travel along the Butterfield Overland Mail route, the hills and valleys surrounding Terramor hold stories that date back more than two centuries. Long before settlers arrived, the region was home to the Luiseño and Gabrieliño (Tongva) peoples. The trails that crossed Temescal Valley were already well-established Native trade and travel routes connecting villages, water sources, and neighboring communities. Many historians note that the later Butterfield Overland Mail route and Southern Emigrant Trail largely followed these existing Indigenous pathways through the valley. Historic landmarks such as Painted Rock and Carved Rock preserve evidence of Native American presence in the region and remain important cultural sites today. In 1818 or 1819, Leandro Serrano, a soldier associated with the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, received permission to graze cattle in the Temescal Valley region. Serrano established what became known as Rancho Temescal, one of the earliest non-Native settlements in what would later become Riverside County. Serrano and his family built adobe homes, raised livestock, planted orchards and vineyards, and helped establish the agricultural foundation of the valley. The well-known Serrano Boulder marks the site where Serrano built his first adobe home around 1824 and is recognized today as California Historical Landmark No. 185. The Rancho extended across much of present-day Temescal Valley, including areas near El Cerrito and Lee Lake. Although the Serrano family had occupied the land for decades, their ownership claims were ultimately rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1866, following California's transition from Mexican to American governance. Years later, from 1858 to 1861, the legendary Butterfield Overland Mail became the nation's first transcontinental mail and passenger service, connecting the eastern United States to California. Stagecoaches traveled thousands of miles along the famous "Oxbow Route," operating day and night with scheduled station stops every 10 to 20 miles. Temescal Valley became an important stop along this route because of its natural water sources, grazing land, and strategic location between Los Angeles and points farther south. The Temescal Butterfield Stage Station served as a place where horses were changed, mail was delivered, and travelers rested before continuing their journey. Today, much of the historic Butterfield alignment follows what became Old Temescal Road and areas near Temescal Canyon. California Historical Landmark No. 638 recognizes this important transportation corridor, which evolved from Indigenous footpaths into emigrant trails, stagecoach routes, military roads, and eventually modern highways. As Southern California continued to grow, the Temescal Valley landscape changed dramatically. During the late 1800s, citrus cultivation, mining, and water diversion reshaped the valley and contributed to the rise of nearby South Riverside, later renamed Corona. Yet despite modern development, traces of the valley's past remain woven into the community. Historical markers, preserved landmarks, and current trail initiatives continue to honor the area's role in California's early transportation, ranching, and settlement history. For residents of today's Terramor community, the surrounding hills and trails are more than scenic landscapes; they are part of a historic route once traveled by Native peoples, settlers, stagecoaches, and pioneers seeking new beginnings in California. Information from RivcoParks.org and Wikipedia.org. References provided by Tracy Davis & Temescal Heritage Foundation. The Historic Roots of Temescal Valley Written By Tracy Bowles, Associate/Lifestyle & Connections Did yu knw?

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