Menifee Valley Historical Association

04/30/2021

James B. Ferrell and Evans Family

Here is our latest historical monument video of the James B Ferrell and Evans family. James homesteaded property that is now part of Audie Murphy Ranch. The historical monument is located at the Audie Murphy Sports Park located off Rattle Dance Way.

Click on the image to watch the video on our YouTube Channel. Enjoy!!
#MenifeeHistory

Learn about James B. Ferrell and his family who arrived in Menifee, California in 1877 and homesteaded land that is now part of Audie Murphy Ranch Planned Co...

04/12/2021

Menifee history: Remnants of the Pratt-Guthrie house remain

People have asked “I see some old old foundations next to Scott Road. What was there?”.
Here’s the answer:

http://www.menifee247.com/2021/04/remnants-of-pratt-guthrie-house-remain.html

#menifeehistory

By Bill Zimmerman, Menifee Valley Historical Association Passersby with a keen eye may have noticed the foundation of what is sometimes re...

03/29/2021

The Homestead Act of 1862 has been called one of the most important pieces of Legislation in the history of the United States. Signed into law in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln after the secession of southern states, this Act turned over vast amounts of the public land to private citizens. 270 millions acres, or 10% of the area of the United States was claimed and settled under this Act.

A homesteader needed to be the head of a household and at least 21 years of age to claim a 160 acre parcel of land. Settlers from all walks of life including newly arrived immigrants, farmers without land of their own, single women and formerly enslaved people worked to meet the challenge of "proving up" the land.

Each homesteader had to live on the land, build a home, make improvements and farm for 5 years before they were eligible to "prove up". A filing fee was the only money required. The Homestead Certificate shown is for Andrew Kittilson who filed 1883 in Los Angeles for a fee of $16.

How was the property surveyed?
A survey party consisted of a surveyor using a transit, a rodman using a rod, and two chain men using chains. Each chain is made up of 100 links, measuring 66 feet.
A 160 acre parcel measures 2,640 feet on each side.

The photo of this survey party is dated 1890 - location unknown. The surveyor is on the far right and the chain men and rodman are in the center

Some of Menifee's best known early Homesteaders include the Kittilson, Harrison, Kirkpatrick, Christensen, and Ferrell families.
#menifeehistory

03/19/2021

Samuel Hercules Bouris was born December 25, 1895 in a mountain village in Greece. Sam was one of six boys and two girls. At the age of 16, in 1911 he immigrated to America joining brothers George and Ted in search of a better life.

In 1923, the three brothers purchased 640 acres in Menifee along Highway 395 (now I-215). They also acquired a store in Lake Elsinore. While Ted managed the store, George and Sam grew a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, olives, figs, grapes, nuts and citrus. Sam made weekly trips to the Los Angeles market to sell their produce and returned with other produce to sell at local markets in Perris, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta. On Sept 10, 1930, Sam became a citizen of the United States.

In 1954, Sam made a trip to Greece and there he met Maria Panopolous. She captured his heart and they were married in Athens in October. He brought her back to Menifee and they continued to farm. Maria and Sam’s son Peter was born on June 16, 1957 on Father’s Day. Peter followed in his fathers footsteps and farmed in Menifee. Sam passed away in January 1964 due to Leukemia.

Samuel Hercules Bouris was born December 25, 1895 in a mountain village in Greece. Sam was one of six boys and two girls. At the age of 16, in 1911 he immigrated to America joining brothers George and Ted in search of a better life.

In 1923, the three brothers purchased 640 acres in Menifee along Highway 395 (now I-215). They also acquired a store in Lake Elsinore. While Ted managed the store, George and Sam grew a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, olives, figs, grapes, nuts and citrus. Sam made weekly trips to the Los Angeles market to sell their produce and returned with other produce to sell at local markets in Perris, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta. On Sept 10, 1930, Sam became a citizen of the United States.

In 1954, Sam made a trip to Greece and there he met Maria Panopolous. She captured his heart and they were married in Athens in October. He brought her back to Menifee and they continued to farm. Maria and Sam’s son Peter was born on June 16, 1957 on Father’s Day. Peter followed in his fathers footsteps and farmed in Menifee. Sam passed away in January 1964 due to Leukemia.

03/05/2021

Alice Roberts is milking her goat (front left) and is joined by her mother, Callie (Walker) Roberts and brother Lerner. The goat is in a stanchion to facilitate milking.

#menifeehistory

Alice Roberts is milking her goat (front left) and is joined by her mother, Callie (Walker) Roberts and brother Lerner. The goat is in a stanchion to facilitate milking.

#menifeehistory

03/05/2021

1890 School Monument Video

Ready for our second video?
Click on the photo for a short video about the 1890 Menifee Schoolhouse.
#MenifeeHistory

https://youtu.be/X6L9-sO6N88

1890 Menifee School Historical Monument Video, one of Menifee's Historical Monuments located in Menifee, California.

02/26/2021

About 1948 Tom Conley built a little market on Murrieta Road called Tommy’s Market.
Many residents bought bread, milk, the local newspaper and other groceries. They were relieved as they previously drove 13 miles to Perris or headed about the same distance to Elsinore. After several owners, it was bought by Alex Valentine in 1988 and became Mountain View Ranch Supply Market and Liquor Store. The adjacent garage and gas station were operated by various owners. School children remember the bus driver stopping and letting the riders go in and buy candy or a snack.
#menifeehistory

About 1948 Tom Conley built a little market on Murrieta Road called Tommy’s Market.
Many residents bought bread, milk, the local newspaper and other groceries. They were relieved as they previously drove 13 miles to Perris or headed about the same distance to Elsinore. After several owners, it was bought by Alex Valentine in 1988 and became Mountain View Ranch Supply Market and Liquor Store. The adjacent garage and gas station were operated by various owners. School children remember the bus driver stopping and letting the riders go in and buy candy or a snack.
#menifeehistory

02/19/2021

This is the wedding photo of John Henry and Marie Harrison.

Marie Twinem married John Henry Harrison in 1929.
They had two children - John Richard and Barbara. John farmed in Menifee and Arvin near Bakersfield. Marie was a school teacher and was a charter member of the
Antelope-Menifee Home Department.
#menifeehistory

This is the wedding photo of John Henry and Marie Harrison.

Marie Twinem married John Henry Harrison in 1929.
They had two children - John Richard and Barbara. John farmed in Menifee and Arvin near Bakersfield. Marie was a school teacher and was a charter member of the
Antelope-Menifee Home Department.
#menifeehistory

02/19/2021

Did you know that several Menifee residents also had bee apiaries and sold honey?
The Harrisons, McGraths, Zeiders, Walkers, Wickerds (whose son’s bee business later became the Happie Bee Company at Wickerd Farms) and Roberts to name a few. Perhaps it was the local buckwheat, sage and wildflowers that gave honey from Menifee its wonderful flavor and color.
Charles Roberts is pictured here with his bee colony.
#menifeehistory

Did you know that several Menifee residents also had bee apiaries and sold honey?
The Harrisons, McGraths, Zeiders, Walkers, Wickerds (whose son’s bee business later became the Happie Bee Company at Wickerd Farms) and Roberts to name a few. Perhaps it was the local buckwheat, sage and wildflowers that gave honey from Menifee its wonderful flavor and color.
Charles Roberts is pictured here with his bee colony.
#menifeehistory

02/14/2021

ChristensenFamily

Historical Monument - Christensen Family
MVHA is pleased to announce the first of twelve educational videos that support the Historical Markers placed at locations of historical significance in Menifee, California.

We hope you enjoy these short video clips. We are working on the others now and will be announced when completed.
Stay tuned.
#MenifeeHistory

Christensen Family Historical MonumentOne of Menifee's Historical Monuments located in Menifee, California

02/12/2021

D'Artagnan was a Percheron stallion purchased by the Leon Percheron Horse Company in 1906. The purpose was to buy a stallion and breed workhorses for sale. D’Artagnan came by ship from France at age three. He was taken off the ship and allowed to exercise at each port of entry. The trip took almost two weeks.
He was stabled at the home of William Brown located at Antelope and Garbani Road. The Leon Horse Company was composed of A.S. Baxter, J.A. Holland, W.H. Brown, John Rawson, E.H. Drake and George M. Simmons. About 10 years later machinery was invented that replaced the horses and the Leon Horse Co. was disbanded.
#menifeehistory

D'Artagnan was a Percheron stallion purchased by the Leon Percheron Horse Company in 1906. The purpose was to buy a stallion and breed workhorses for sale. D’Artagnan came by ship from France at age three. He was taken off the ship and allowed to exercise at each port of entry. The trip took almost two weeks.
He was stabled at the home of William Brown located at Antelope and Garbani Road. The Leon Horse Company was composed of A.S. Baxter, J.A. Holland, W.H. Brown, John Rawson, E.H. Drake and George M. Simmons. About 10 years later machinery was invented that replaced the horses and the Leon Horse Co. was disbanded.
#menifeehistory

01/31/2021

Enjoy this 1968 advertisement in the LA Times for our community of Sun City.
#menifeehistory

Enjoy this 1968 advertisement in the LA Times for our community of Sun City.
#menifeehistory

01/29/2021

SAMUEL WALKER FAMILY. Samuel came from Illinois and his wife Alice Wickerd from Michigan. They married New Year's Eve in 1875 and came to Menifee about 10 years later.
Pictured, from left to right, are Samuel, Alice, John, Zona, Callie and Claude Walker.

The Walker Ranch was located on Haun Road, south of Holland. The sons never married, but the girls united the Drake and Roberts' family.
#menifeehistory

SAMUEL WALKER FAMILY. Samuel came from Illinois and his wife Alice Wickerd from Michigan. They married New Year's Eve in 1875 and came to Menifee about 10 years later.
Pictured, from left to right, are Samuel, Alice, John, Zona, Callie and Claude Walker.

The Walker Ranch was located on Haun Road, south of Holland. The sons never married, but the girls united the Drake and Roberts' family.
#menifeehistory

01/22/2021

This is a family photo of David and Leona Wickerd with their 12 children. The couple were married August 1900 and came to Menifee ten years later. His brother John Wickerd arrived in 1907 with his wife and eight children. Both families had lived previously in Eagle Rock, California.
Their combined properties in Menifee extended north from Scott Road to Wickerd Road and west of Bradley Road.
Pictured, left to right, are, David, Margaret, Frank, Austin, George, Jack, Ina, Walter, Clara, Ruth, Winona, Erma, Karl and Leona. Winona was their first child born in Menifee in 1910. The children married, built houses and raised families on the same land.

The area was nicknamed Wickerdville because their property was so large and inhabited by the Wickerd families.
#menifeehistory

This is a family photo of David and Leona Wickerd with their 12 children. The couple were married August 1900 and came to Menifee ten years later. His brother John Wickerd arrived in 1907 with his wife and eight children. Both families had lived previously in Eagle Rock, California.
Their combined properties in Menifee extended north from Scott Road to Wickerd Road and west of Bradley Road.
Pictured, left to right, are, David, Margaret, Frank, Austin, George, Jack, Ina, Walter, Clara, Ruth, Winona, Erma, Karl and Leona. Winona was their first child born in Menifee in 1910. The children married, built houses and raised families on the same land.

The area was nicknamed Wickerdville because their property was so large and inhabited by the Wickerd families.
#menifeehistory

01/15/2021

Visitors to the Charlie Bailey Ranch at the northwest corner of Haun and Scott Road in 1918 pose on sacks of newly harvested grain. Before the advent of the self-propelled combine, grain went into burlap bags and was hand stitched by the man riding on the harvester. Then the 100 pound sacks were loaded onto wagons for the trip back to the storage area.
#menifeehistory

Visitors to the Charlie Bailey Ranch at the northwest corner of Haun and Scott Road in 1918 pose on sacks of newly harvested grain. Before the advent of the self-propelled combine, grain went into burlap bags and was hand stitched by the man riding on the harvester. Then the 100 pound sacks were loaded onto wagons for the trip back to the storage area.
#menifeehistory

01/10/2021

Menifee Valley Historical Association educates about area’s past

In today’s 1/10/21 Press Enterprise Newspaper, MVHA applied for and was awarded a grant to make videos of the 12 Historic Monuments around the city. Stay tuned 😀
#menifeehistory

https://www.pe.com/2021/01/08/menifee-valley-historical-association-educates-about-areas-past/.

The all-volunteer group runs a museum and has historic resources available online

01/10/2021

Harrison Family Ranch (Scott and Antelope) was visited by Larry Englehart, metal detector in 2019. We took this photo from a picture hanging on the wall at the ranch before Mrs. Harrison moved. Date unknown. Antelope Road is on left. Link to Larry’s hunt: https://youtu.be/0to7arQY6sU

01/09/2021

This inkwell about 4 inches tall was found on the site of the 1890 Menifee School which was located on the southwest corner of Newport and Bradley Roads near the Arco gas station.
Discovered while metal detecting and donated to the Menifee Valley Historical Association by Larry Englehart in 2016.

01/08/2021

The Kirkpatrick family was one of the first families to homestead land in Menifee in 1882 under the Homestead Act of 1862. According to family sources the Kirkpatrick home was built around 1890 and was one of the most majestic homes in the valley.
The local paper wrote at Christmas time one year that “when guests of the Kirkpatrick’s came to call, the guests were welcomed in the comfortable old fashioned home with its spacious rooms and cherry fireplace. The lovely Christmas tree stood in the corner with packages distributed to latecomers. A sumptuous holiday dinner was served, two turkeys
gracing the feast with the table decorated in red candles. In the evening, all gathered on the living
room and sang carols. The mother of the Kirkpatrick’s was the happiest of them all.’
The red line on the aerial delineates access to the Kirkpatrick home.
#menifeehistory

12/25/2020

CALLIE KIRKPATRICK'S CHILDREN. Gathered around their mother on Christmas are her nine children, Lula, Robert, Wert, Bettie, Mary, Jennie, Felix, Lloyd and Leonard standing in the back on the porch. Most of the children attended the 1890 Menifee School.
#menifeehistory

Happy Holidays to all!
Elinor Martin, Bill Zimmerman, Betty Bouris, Ina May Zeiders, Julie Zimmerman, Lesley Stevens, Katie Keyes, Mike and Shirley Vaughn
Menifee Valley Historical Association Board Members

12/23/2020

The Antelope-Menifee Home Department, founded in 1931 served the Menifee Valley continuously until February 2012. This group, among others, lobbied the Public Utilities Commission and was successful in getting a telephone line into the southern part of the Menifee Valley in 1958.

The Antelope-Menifee Home Department's name was changed to Antelope-Menifee Women's Club in the 1980s to encourage new residents to join the club. This photograph was taken at the Wrightview Ranch in 1947. Some of the women shown here are Hazel and Norma Brown (3rd & 4th from left), Christine Wright with her baby and Rolann Sanders. Next is Nan Sanders, Alice Roberts Brown and Callie Roberts. All others are unknown.
#menifeehistory

12/18/2020

KARAKUL FUR FARM. This new business introduced into the Menifee Valley in the late 1940s did not last long but residents were fascinated with this different breed of sheep.
The Karakul, native to central Asia, were introduced to the United States between 1908 and 1929 for pelt production. They were also a source of milk, meat, tallow and wool. When born the lamb's fleece is coal black with wavy curls. As it grows, the curls open and the color starts to change. The fleece comes in a variety of natural colors. The photograph shows the sheep coming down the lane towards Newport Road from their coralls on the property in the area now known as Audie Murphy Ranch. J.B. Ferrell was the first to homestead on this property in 1887.

The Christmas card is a close up of the ewe and her lambs.
We wish you a happy holiday and look forward to seeing you in 2021 when we can reopen the Menifee History Museum safely.
#MenifeeHistory