December 28, 2016 - Today we drove to nearby Colton to visit the Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery. During the 1840s there were two communities, Agua Mansa and La Placita, that developed across from each other along the Santa Ana River. Agua Mansa flourished until January 1862, when a great flood filled the Santa Ana River from bluff to bluff and destroyed the west bank community, leaving only the cemetery, the chapel, and Cornelius Jensen's adjoining store, built in 1854. Additionally, most of the homes in La Placita were also damaged or destroyed. The city of Colton, which includes these two abandoned communities, was created in its modern form when the Southern Pacific Railway was built heading east from Los Angeles in 1875. We had learned a little bit about Colton's history when we visited the Colton Area Museum a year ago.
There were many babies who were buried here.
We didn't see any evidence of anyone living past 73 years of age.
This memorial appears to have an error with either the wrong years or the wrong age.
This view shows the cemetery on high ground and the bluffs beyond. The Santa Ana River lies between the two and that was the location of the two towns that were destroyed in the flood of 1862.
This one uses two religious symbols to express its meaning. The tree stump indicates a life interrupted and the dead bird symbolizes a life cut short.
After the cemetery we had lunch at Le Rendezvous Cafe in downtown Colton. This restaurant is consistently very good. Judy had their blue cheese bacon burger and I had their authentic French onion soup and their calamari with jalapeños. It was a great adventure.