San Bernardino : The Rise and Fall of a California Community

In the mid-1800s San Bernardino emerged as one of the largest settlements in southern California. It surpassed Pueblo de los Angeles and San Diego in grain and lumber yields and boasted a burgeoning cattle industry and promising wine vineyards. But as a Mormon commune–the farthest outpost in Brigham Young's Rocky Mountain empire–the colony was threatened, and finally abandoned, in 1857 during the Utah war with the United States. From the beginning, Young had misgivings about the colony. Particularly perplexing was the mix of atypical Latter-day Saints who gravitated there. Among these were ex-slave holders; inter-racial polygamists; horse-race gamblers; distillery proprietors; former mountain men, prospectors, and mercenaries; disgruntled Polynesian immigrants; and finally Apostle Amasa M. Lyman, the colony's leader, who became involved in spiritualist seances. Despite Young's suspicions, when he issued the call to relocate to Utah, two-thirds of the city's 3,000 residents dutifully obeyed, leaving behind their cumulative fortunes and a city stripped of its regional economic standing. Recounting this remarkable story, Edward Leo Lyman skillfully interweaves the most intriguing details about the setting and chain of events, emphasizing both the significance and irony of this diverse legacy.

In the mid-1800s San Bernardino emerged as one of the largest settlements in southern California. It surpassed Pueblo de los Angeles and San Diego in grain and lumber yields and boasted a burgeoning cattle industry and promising vineyards. But as a Mormon commune and the farthest outpost in Brigham Young's Rocky Mountain empire, the colony was threatened and finally abandoned in 1857 during the Utah war with the United States.

From the beginning Young had misgivings about the colony. Particularly perplexing was the mix of atypical Latter-day Saints who gravitated there. Among these were ex-slave holders; inter-racial polygamists; horse-race gamblers; distillery proprietors; former mountain men, prospectors, and mercenaries; disgruntled Polynesian immigrants; and finally Apostle Amasa M. Lyman, the colony's leader, who became involved in spiritualist seances.

Despite Young's suspicions, when he issued the call to relocate to Utah, two-thirds of the city's 3,000 residents dutifully obeyed, leaving behind their cumulative fortunes and a city stripped of its regional economic standing. Recounting this remarkable story, Edward Leo Lyman skillfully interweaves the most intriguing details about the setting and chain of events, emphasizing both the significance and irony of this diverse legacy.

Library Journal

A descendant of one of the founders of the California colony, Lyman takes a scholarly look at the early history of San Bernardino and shows how an influx of Mormons helped to create a land of plenty in the midst of desolation. Before the first contingent of Mormons arrived in the early 1850s, Brigham Young envisioned the largest Latter-Day Saint's settlement outside of Salt Lake City. What happened to that dream and what caused the Utah Mormons eventually to disown their California brethren forms the basis for Lyman's study. His book will definitely be of value to California libraries and to those featuring materials on the Mormon religion, but its dry and laborious text will appeal only to scholars.-Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Cal.