City of San Bernardino California

First People Living in the Area (Serrano and Cahuilla Native Americans)

1772

First Europeans in the Valley (Spanish Soldiers and Priests) 

1810

First Time Area Called "San Bernardino" (by Padre Dumetz on May 20th)

1819

First Documentation of a Settlement Named "San Bernardino"

1820

First Zanja (irrigation ditch; 12 miles long; for Mission Rancho San Bernardino)

First Time "Bernardino" annotated on a map of California (Jose M. Narvaes)

1827

First Visit by the explorer Jedediah Smith to Mission Rancho San Bernardino

1830

First Caravan on the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe, NM, to Los Angeles, CA, stops at San Bernardino

1835

First Time "S. Bernardino" annotated on a California Map (by Thomas Coulter)

1839

First Time "San Bernardino" appears on a map of the United States (David Burr)

1842

First Time American Flag is flown in San Bernardino area (Daniel Sexton)

1842

First Mexican Land Grant encompassing San Bernardino (given to the Lugo Family)

First African people (26 of them) arrive in San Bernardino (with the Mormons)

1851

First Jewish Settlers arrive in San Bernardino

1851

First Fort (Mormon Stockade, on Arrowhead Avenue, between 3rd and 4th Streets)

1852

First Law Officer was Bud Rollins

1852

First Public Building - Mormon's adobe Council House (3rd and Arrowhead Avenue)

1852

First Store (operated by Marcus Katz & he conducted business on a barter basis)

1852

First Law Officer (Bud Rollins)

1852

First Direct Mail Service from the East arrives in town

1852

First U.S. Post Office in San Bernardino (Postmaster drew no salary)

1853

First Public Park was established (between 5th and 6th, and E and F Streets; now called Pioneer Park)

1854

First Hotel (Bishop William Crosby's Log Cabin)

1854

First Time City of San Bernardino is Incorporated

1854

First Municipal Election and First Mayor (Amasa Mason Lyman)

1854

First Parcel of Land (148.5 feet x 297 feet) Purchased in the City (sold to Ira S. Miles for $125)

1854

First Permanent School (Warm Springs School)

1857

First Oranges in the County (Six trees planted by Anson Van Leuven )

1858

First Bank (Bank of San Bernardino, started by Lewis Jacobs, 4th and Arrowhead Avenue)

1858

First Regular Bi-weekly Stagecoach Service between San Bernardino & L.A.

1858

First Drugstore (Adobe building erected by Dr. Benjamin Barton, 4th & Arrowhead Avenue)

1860

First Discovery of Gold in Holcomb Valley (discovered by William F. Holcomb)

1860

First Newspaper in the County - "The San Bernardino Herald"

1860

First Jail was built in the City (now located at the Heritage House, 8th & D Streets)

1860

First U. S. Census as a City (pop. City - 940; County - 5,551; State - 379,994)

1861

First Jewish Cemetery, "Home of Eternity Cemetery" (9th and Sierra Way)

1863

First Time the City Dis-incorporated (probably due to administrative expenses)

1864

First Visit by Wyatt Earp (camped with family just east of Sierra Way & Court Street)

1865

First Fire Protection Company was organized (with 4 men & $103 of equipment)

1866

First Fire Station (located at Third and Arrowhead Streets)

1867

First Chinese people arrive in the area (1870 census shows 16 men, ages 19 to 31)

1867

First Brickyard in the area (established by Henry Goodall, Sr.)

1867

First Brick Building (erected by John H. Stewart at the corner of 3rd & D Streets)

1868

First Arrowhead Springs Hotel was built (burned down in 1885)

1869

First Artesian Well in the City

1873

First Telegraph sent from San Bernardino - Sept. 18th by De La M. Woodward

1874

First Permanent Court House built in the County (Court Street, east of E Street)

1878

First Fire Vehicle (Rumsey Hand Pumper)

First Two Story Brick Hotel (Starke's Hotel, located at 3rd and Arrowhead Avenue)

1880

First Catholic School (St. Catherine's Convent School, 5th Street, between E & F)

1881

First Time City of San Bernardino lighted by gas lamps

1881

First Telephone Service established between the City of San Bernardino and the City of Colton

1882

First Opera House (Court and "D" Streets, built 4 years before Los Angeles had one)

1883

First Passenger Train arrives in San Bernardino (California Southern Railroad)

1884

First "Steam Powered" Fire Engine (first hand drawn, then horse drawn)

1885

First Horse-Drawn street cars, San Bernardino's Early Mass Transit

1885

First Y.M.C.A. (started in Garner Hall on D Street between Court Street and 4th Streets)

First Official City Seal of San Bernardino was embossed on San Bernardino City Ordinance No. 1

1886

First Appearance of the Salvation Army

1886

First Train of the Southern California Motor Road begins operating between San Bernardino and Colton

1886

First Permanent Railroad Depot was built (destroyed by fire in 1916)

1887

First Stewart Hotel was build (located on the corner of 3rd and "E" Streets)

1887

First Streetcar Line in the City put into operation

1887

First Santa Fe Train to operate on the San Bernardino and Los Angeles Railway

1887

First Amusement Park - Harlem Springs (Base Line Street and Victoria)

1888

First Train Runs to Harlem Hot Springs on the San Bernardino, Arrowhead & Waterman Railroad

1888

First Train from San Bernardino to Redlands & Mentone on the San Bernardino & Redlands Motor Road

1888

First Members of the San Bernardino Society of California Pioneers

First Hose Wagon built for the Fire Department (restored in 1997)

1891

First Use of Water Under Pressure in the City

1891

First Citrus Fair in San Bernardino in the new "Pavilion" in Lugo (Pioneer) Park

1891

First Electric Street Lights in the City of San Bernardino

1892

First Permanent High School (8th & E, now the site of Sturges Auditorium)

1892

First Paving of Downtown Streets completed (parts of D, E, Second and Third)

1893

First Free Public Library in San Bernardino (at I.R. Brunn residence on 4th St.)

1894

First Edition of The Sun Newspaper is published

1901

First Permanent City Hall is built (on the corner of Third and D Streets)

1901

First "Street Fair" downtown (with queen, grand ball, races, etc.)

1902

First Electric Trolley Service by the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company

1903

1904

First Permanent Library (Carnegie Library, located at 4th and D Streets)

1905

First Harris Store Opens (in the old armory at 462 Third St)

1905

First "Police Department" established under the new City Charter

1906

First Juvenile Court (Committee Organized to Establish It)

1908

First (and last) "Festival of the Arrowhead" Street Fair (May 19-23)

First Automobile to Drive to Big Bear & Pinecrest, and return in one day

1910

First Motorized Vehicle for the Fire Department (a Pope-Hartford Hose Wagon)

1910

First Chamber of Commerce organized

1911

First Commercial Flight (biplane flown by Didier Masson from Los Angeles to San Bernardino)

1911

First "Red Cars" appear in San Bernardino when Pacific Electric buys San Bernardino Valley Traction Co.

1911

First National Orange Show (opened March 6th in two tents on 4th & E Streets)

1913

First Y.W.C.A. (5th and Arrowhead Avenue)

1914

First Passenger Bus Line in California (San Bernardino Mountain Auto Stage)

1914

First Electric Railway line between San Bernardino and Los Angeles

1916

First Auto Garages in town

First Permanent Jewish Synagogue (847 E Street)

1925

First Civil Service Board appointed by the Mayor

1926

First Junior College (San Bernardino Valley College)

1928

First Movie shown at the California Theater ("Street Angel")

1929

First Rail-to-Air Transfer in San Bernardino, from the "Los Angeles Limited" to a Goodyear Blimp

1938

First One-Way Police Radio used at Police Headquarters to dispatch calls                                              

1938

First Female Flight Instructor in the Country (Evelyn Pinckert "Pinky" Brier)

1939

First use of the current City Seal (designed by Lois Campbell)

1941

First Military Base opens (in 1950, renamed Norton Air Force Base)

1942

First African American Teacher in San Bernardino County (Dorothy Inghram)

1947

First African American Police Officer joined the SBPD (Officer Johnny Epps)

1948

First McDonald's Restaurant in the country opened (14th and E Streets)

1948

First Bell's Burgers opened by Glen Bell (founder of Taco Bell in 1962)

1952

First San Bernardino resident to earn the Medal of Honor (Joseph C. Rodriguez, Korea, 21 May 1951)

1952

First Baker's Double Burgers Restaurant in the country (was at 164 W. Highland)

1954

First Taco Tia in the Country (on Base Line next to Sage's market)

1964

First Rolling Stones' concert in America (at National Orange Show, June 5th)

1965

First State University founded in San Bernardino (California State University, San Bernardino)

1966

First Shopping Mall Under One Roof (Inland Center Mall)

1971

First Game Played at New Western Regional Little League Park

1977

First Time San Bernardino Named an "All-American City"

1978

First Rose Parade Float Trophy won by the City of San Bernardino

1985

First Woman Mayor elected (Evelyn Wilcox)

1990

First Route 66 Rendezvous (300 cars and 4,000 spectators)

1993

First Metrolink Train (Metrolink No. 865 with a test train) that arrived in San Bernardino

1997

First Latino Elected Mayor (Judith Valles)

2002

First Winter Olympic Gold Medal won by a San Bernardino native (Derek Parra)

2006

First Police Helicopter (a Robinson R44) joined the SBPD Patrol Fleet

2008

First History and Railroad Museum in the City, opened on July 12th (1170 West Third Street)

2012

First Time the City of San Bernardino files an Emergency Petition for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy

2022

First African American Police Chief hired (Darren Goodman)

2022

First Asian American Elected Mayor (Helen Tran)