FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2017 57
Our December hike is always on the longest night of the year (21st)
and is held at Four Seasons to view the Christmas decorations and
lights that adorn many of our homes. This occurs too late for the
January issue.
We will start 2017 with an urban hike of the unique homes in
Redlands. Once a mecca for easterners seeking a drier climate for
healthy living, it became a boom town for citrus farmers. These orange
barons became wealthy as rail lines and savvy marketing increased
demand for their produce toward the end of the 19th century. In
turn, large houses were constructed symbolic of successful business
ventures. It was a time of horses and buggies and accompanying
barns, liveries and stables for the homeowners. Situated on the
hilltops of south Redlands, farmers could oversee their crops in the
lower lands and make daily visits to the rail heads, packing sheds and
exchanges typical of agrarian businesses.
Our five mile hike will take us by many of these houses along with
ones built later as urbanization began to overwhelm many orchards
and automobiles replaced equine transportation. Many houses have
been well preserved and others restored with modern materials. It
is a stark departure from a model home community and, being
unregulated, is dotted with striking departures from the overall
architectural landscape.
To find out where we are hiking, call or email Lynette Simonson,
Hike Central, at (951) 377-0392 lynette.simonson@gmail.com. ~
Len Tavernetti
TAKE A HIKE CLUB
Some unique homes on our urban hike in Redlands
