It Started With a Train…

The 1880’s were a booming time for the Los Angeles region. Real estate prices were
skyrocketing and there was a fever of speculation in the air. One of the driving
factors was the expected completion of tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad, promising a
direct link to the markets in the East. The catch was that towns that were not
directly in the expected right of way would have a very difficult time surviving, with
many disappearing into history.

Enter an intrepid businessman from Los Angeles by the name of Isaac Lord. Mr.
Lord had purchased 200 acres of land with the hope of creating a new settlement.
Fortune was on his side, influenced by some effective persuasion, as the final
railroad route was announced to pass directly through his proposed townsite ,
coincidently to be known as Lordsburg. The initial land sale attracted hundreds of
interested buyers drawn in part by a big brass band and free lunch. When the dust
settled over $200,000 worth of city lots were sold, the largest sale of land to that
date.

Construction was soon begun on the magnificent Lordsburg Hotel, built between 2 nd
and 3 rd streets West of D Street. Unfortunately by the time construction was
completed the boom of the 1880’s went bust and the hotel never had a paying guest.
On the verge of bankruptcy, salvation arrived in the form of the Church of the
Brethren, which purchased the hotel and several residential lots leading to the
establishment of Lordsburg College now known as the University of La Verne.

By now many may be wondering what happened to Lordsburg? By the mid 1910’s,
affection for the town’s namesake was waning and in March 1917 a vote was held
and the name officially changed to La Verne. By this time, the citrus was the
dominate industry in the region with La Verne becoming known as ‘The Heart of the
Orange Empire’, shipping over 1,000 railcars of fresh fruit per year across the
country.

By the 1950’s citrus was on the decline. However La Verne’s moderate climate and
proximity to the foothills made it a beautiful place for development, transforming
the small citrus town into the desirable community of 30,000 it is today.