Anton Badillo, a Costa Rican, once owned this whole section. He had 6600 acres, which was part of the original "Rancho La Puente,” an old Spanish Grant.  One of the chief difficulties experienced by Mr. Badillo was that he had absolutely no water for irrigation.

He was honest, upright, and a hard worker, but several consecutive years of drought, coupled with his utter lack of business experience and poor management, trapped him in debt.  He borrowed large sums of money from the Hollenbecks, a banking firm in Los Angeles, in order to carry on farming.  He had to mortgage his property to secure the loans.  Unable to repay them, the mortgage was foreclosed by Hr. Hollenbeck, who thus acquired title to the entire tract of land.

In appreciation of Mr. Badillo's integrity, Mr. Hollenbeck deeded back to him the 100 acres of land lying south of San Bernardino Road and Hollenbeck Street.  Mr. Daniel Houser bought this 100 acres from Mr. Badillo in the latter part of 1885, paying' $12,000 cash.  After the sale, Mr. Badillo returned to Costa Rica with his family, where he purchased a coffee plantation.

In May 1886, Mr. Daniel Houser sold his son, J. O. Houser, that part of the 100 acres adjoining San Bernardino Road and containing the old Badillo home.  Mr. J. O. Houser has greatly improved the property and still owns it.

Mr. J. S. Phillips, the founder of Covina, bought 2000 Acres of the land from the Hollenbecks in 1882. The purchase was made on very easy terms: "15.00 per acre and a long time on the payments.” This tract, still known on the records as "The Phillips Tract," extends from San Bernardino Road on the north to the land on the south and from Lark Ellen Street on the west to Grand Avenue on the east. Mr. Phillips planted his newly acquired land to barley the first two years. The plowing was done with six mule teams and as he expressed it, "It took lots of hard work as well as swearing to get the work done.”

Mrs. Amon, who came to the valley January 1885, says the sunflowers were so tall on part of the tract that she could not see over them when riding on the high spring seat of a big wagon.  Mr. Amon cut some down for wood and the pieces made very satisfactory fuel. In 1884, Mr. Phillips had the tract subdivided and laid out 10 acre lots arranged in blocks of 80 with streets on all four sides.  The land was sold for 65.00 per acre.  The surveyor employed by Mr. Phillips was Mr. Fred Eaton.  Afterwards he became mayor of Los Angeles and was prominently connected with the Owens River Project, now in course of construction. Mr. Phillips set apart 120 acres of land for a town site and named it Covina, meaning "little cove. From First Street on the east to Fourth Street on the west and from Puente Street to the south, north to the alley just past the Empress Theater the original lots in the townsite were 60 ft. x 175 ft. to the 18 ft. alley and were sold to the first purchasers for $50.00 per lot, with domestic water free.

The streets were laid out and named. Citrus Avenue was named for the Citrus Post Office, the first Post Office in this part of the valley. It was located in a building on the north east corner of Cypress and Citrus. The building was built by E. C. Griswold in 1876. Mr. Griswold kept a grocery store and served as the first Postmaster. The mail was brought across the hills by "pony post" from Spadra by one of Mr. Griswold's young sons.

Badillo Street was named for Mr. Badillo, the Costa Rican, who once owned this large tract of land. Hollenbeck Street was named for the bankers who had to take the land on the mortgage. Rowland Street and Workman Street were named for men who owned large tracts of land near Covina and whose names were prominently connected with the development of Los Angeles County. Puente Street got its name from the town of Puente, then the largest railroad station. The Santa Fe Railroad came to Azusa in April 1887 and until 1895, when the Southern Pacific built a line here, mail and freight had to come from Azusa.

Azusa Avenue came from "Azusa Valley" as this whole section was called in the early days. Azusa means skunk.

San Bernardino Road has kept its original name. It was the main traveled road between Los Angeles and San Bernardino and it was very crooked in the early days. It has been straightened several times but still refuses to follow the points of a compass.

Here, as everywhere else in Southern California, the water question was one of the most serious problems which the pioneers had to solve. There were more bitter contentions over this one question than anything else. The eastern tourists (of which there were but a few in those days) used to facetiously remark that "We had to climb for our water and dig for wood", all of the water coming from over the mountain streams and most of the fuel consisting of greasewood roots which were taken from the ground.

When Mr. Phillips bought this tract, he immediately began making plans for getting water to it. There were no pumping plants in those days and all the water had to be brought from the San Gabriel River. The ranchers on the side of the valley who were getting their water from the Old Azusa Irrigating Company recognized the shortage of water early on. So, on June 7, 1882 they organized a water company called the Azusa Water Development and Irrigating Company. The purpose of this new company was to develop more water in the San Gabriel.

Mr. Phillips recognized this new company as a means for securing a steady water supply for his new tract and so he acquired a large block of the stock. He was consequently elected a director and became the manager and moving spirit of the new company for a number of years.

Under his energetic management, the large cement ditch, which extended from the canyon to the Phillips Tract together with the reservoir (still in use on San Bernardino Road west of Grand Avenue) and a system of lateral ditches were constructed at a cost of about $100,000. All expenses were met by assessments on the stock. A number of the "old users" owning land north of and adjacent to the Phillips tract and also owning water in the San Gabriel canyon but being without adequate ditches of their own, entered into a 50 year contract with the company to carry water through the "big ditch" from the canyon to their land.

The balance of the "old users" fearing that their own rights might be jeopardized by allowing any water from the San Gabriel River to be run through the ditches of the new company, entered into a rigorous protest, and forcibly shut off the water on numerous occasions. For several years there was the most bitter feeling between some of the "old users" and the new water company.

The courts finally decided that as the Azusa Water Development and Irrigating Company had actually filed on and recorded claims to "the waters heretofore unappropriated,” they were entitled to take such waters from the river.

In 1888, a compromise agreement was reached, by which the rights of all parties claiming water from the San Gabriel River were definitely fixed. "Old" and new users have worked in harmony ever since. On June 6, 1898 (16 years less one day after the A.W.D. & I. Co. was formed), the courts gave the company permission to change the name to the Covina Irrigating Company, now so known. The capital stock of the company is now 300,000 and the entire value of their property, including pumping plants, pipe lines, etc., amounts to about 1.25 million dollars. Mr. J. Moxley made the first purchase in the Phillips Tract in the spring of 1884. He selected twenty acres on the corner of San Bernardino Road and Barranca Street. He paid "50.00 per acre, and received 20 shares of water stock. [In] 1887 [he] sold [everything] for $5000". In 1897, Mr. Griswold bought this same 20 acres at a bargain price of $2250 and in an unusual turn of events, he wound up selling them back to Moxley.

Mr. M. Baldridge had the first nursery in the valley on a ranch now owned by Mrs. Chapman on Cypress Ave. The first orange groves planted on the tract were the twelve acres owned by Mr. Phillips on his home place (part of the orchard). The Phillips' house was located on the corner of Hollenbeck and San Bernardino Road, Walter's present home.

The next groves planted were the fifteen acres by Overholtzer, and then five acres by Mr. Joe ____ on Azusa Avenue and San Gabriel Road; These first orchards were successful and soon many orchards were planted.  The marketing of the fruit was a very serious question at first and some sad experiences resulted. The Azusa, Covina, and Glendora Fruit Exchange was the first company operative movement with headquarters at Azusa.

On May 28, 1898, the Covina Fruit Exchange was organized. The first year there were 299 cars of fruit shipped through this exchange bringing $143,688 to the growers. There have been steady increases; in 1910 and 1911 there were 1050 cars shipped with the growers receiving $737,367.

The first building in the Covina townsite was a small one erected in 1884 by J.E. Eckles on the corner of Badillo and Citrus. This was the printing office where the first newspaper was published, The Covina Independent. The second building was Potter's blacksmith shop on Badillo, still standing. The lumber was hauled by mule team from San Gabriel. The office and workshop at the rear of the blacksmith shop was the first "Civic Center" of the town. Here, hair was cut, teeth pulled and the events of the day and nation were discussed.

The first dwelling in the Covina townsite was the small cottage built by Mr. Conlee on the site of Mr. Potter's present home on the corner of College and Third Street.

The first church services were held in the skating rink, a large tent erected by Conlee and Harrison in the lot where Mr. Samson's bicycle shop now stands on Citrus.

Mr. Knott, a Southern Methodist, preached the first sermon on May 17, 1885, assisted by B.F. Edwards, who became the first pastor. At Union Sunday School mornings, meetings were truly cosmopolitan. Among the teachers were Mr. Eye, a Mormon, Mrs. Phillips, an Episcopalian, Mrs. Lee, a Methodist, and Mrs. Amon, a Christian, all working in harmony. The Dunkards also held services in the skating rink, only at a different time.

The skating rink blew down on October 10, 1885. The first hall, still standing, now the Park Restaurant, was built by the Covina Social Club, a company of young men. Mr. Phillips told the club that he would furnish the lot and the lumber if they would do the work. They were so delighted with the offer and they worked so enthusiastically and so energetically, that on Christmas Eve 1885, just ten days after the first load of lumber (hauled from Puente) was placed on the ground, the building was finished and papered and the Social Club gave a delightful dancing party. Church and Sunday School services were held in this hall after the skating rink was blown down. The first church building, the Methodist Church, was erected in 1887.

The first resident physician of this section was Dr. J. D. Reed, the kindly and popular gentleman who is still practicing here. Dr. Reed also owned the first drug store in one room of a concrete building on the south side of Badillo.  It is still standing.  The greatest catastrophe that has ever visited this valley was the hard wind of Dec. 10, 1891. Large trees were uprooted and those that were left standing had the leaves and bark literally stripped from them.  Houses and churches were blown down and wreckage of every description was scattered for miles.

The first Postmaster was B.F. Eastman from the Post Office on the corner of Badillo and Citrus. The mail was brought from El Monte.

Second Postmaster, Mr. J. Mosley
Third Postmaster, Arthur Wellington
Fourth Post-Master, T. F. Griswold
Fifth Post Master, F. L. Mathews

Another indication of the great growth of the valley is seen in the public schools. In the early days, about 1880, there were only three little school buildings in the whole valley. One was in Lower Azusa, one was at Center, and one was in the oaks near Mr. Preston’s, on the site now owned by Mrs. L. M. La Fetra. When the Covina townsite was started in 1885, Mr. Phillips deeded the school district the lots on San Bernardino Road and Citrus. Mr. M. Baldridge built the little white school building that stood for so many years on that corner.  The building cost $1000. The district had $700 on hand at that time and the trustees, J.C. Preston, T. F. Griswold, and Mr. Reaves, urged the district to raise the additional $300 to buy the building from Mr. Baldridge, but they refused. They said that there was no need for another school "way out there on the edge of civilization. The school was started however, and the district paid Mr. Baldridge $20 per month rent for the building. The district afterwards purchased it.

The first teacher in the school was Miss Sherman of Oakland. The school opened on the first of December with about 30 pupils. Miss Sherman was replaced by Miss S.A. Brown, who finished out the second term for her. Then came Mr. Plitcher, a scholarly gentleman of rare culture and refinement whose health had broken down in the east by too close application to his studies. He took the position in this small school to try to regain his health out here in sunny Southern California. All of the pupils who had the privilege of studying under his direction will never forget it. He made a brave struggle, but died in June 1888. All of his pupils lovingly united in raising money for a stone to mark his grave.

After Mr. Plitcher came Miss Foley, Miss Way, and finally Miss Ava Way (now Mrs. W.M. Griswold); the last teacher who used the historic little old white building. Five teachers staffed the whole district in 1893. High school pupils went to Citrus High on Citrus Avenue and Gladstone Avenue. The new high school building, which looked so large to us then, was opened in January 1895. Now, in 1912, there are 34 teachers in the district and the buildings are equipped with every modern convenience. The Covina High School district was organized in 1899. There was one graduate that year, Miss Lillian Harris (Mrs. Robert Adams).

The first newspaper published in Covina was the Covina Independent in 1885. Mr. Short was the editor. Later, Mr. Conlee bought an interest, changes were made and Mr. S. Eckles bought Mr. Short's interest. Mr. Conlee then took over the whole plant, returned to Covina, and changed the name of the paper to the Covina Argus as it is still known today. Mr. Conlee has had several editors since he took over; S. W. Taylor, Mr. Vail, Mr. Clark and Mr. Matthews.

The Southern Pacific Railroad was completed to Covina in September 1885. To celebrate this event, the railroad gave a free ride to Santa Monica to all. Afterwards, Covina citizens celebrated the railroad's arrival with a big barbecue on the school grounds. About 1,500 people came.

When the Pacific Electric was completed (another stepping stone in our progress), another barbecue was given on July 1st, 1907. 10,000 people came to the celebration.

The first bank began operation as a branch of the Azusa Valley Bank of Azusa, Oct. 15, 1895. On May 1, 1898, the stock was sold to a local company of people and named the Covina Valley Bank. The bank operated under the laws of the State of California until September 1901, when its operation fell under the National Bank laws of the United States and its name was changed to the First National Bank of Covina.

The great growth of the city warranted a second bank and on May 21, 1906, the Covina National Bank was opened for business. In the fall of 1896, deposits in both banks aggregated $800,000 (?).

Covina was incorporated as a city on August 14, 1901.  E. G. Clapp was the first mayor. He was succeeded by Mr. Lakee, and he by Mr. L. L. Ratekin

The Woman's Club started with a small circle of women, seventeen in number.  The first meeting was on Wednesday evening, September 21, 1898. It became a Federated Club in 1900, was incorporated in 1908, and had its first assessment in 1912

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(The following section appears to be from a separate document, but was included as part of the copied document entitled Local History, and so has been included here, as presented.)

Local historical associations are always of interest to the thinking mind. One way of judging the mental condition of a people is by taking note of their mental attitude toward their past. Only the mentally poor live wholly for the present. The significance of the past and its bearing on the future, makes the most trivial things interesting, from their relationship, to the mightier matters. The place where the battle is fought and the thousand little remembrances that cluster about it, must be second only in importance to the battle itself. Many who are California born and bred cannot understand the feelings of "Yankees" born and bred, toward the old historical spots dear to our Revolutionary ancestors.

I was very fortunate in my early associations in the San Gabriel Valley. Almost the first people I knew were relatives of Mrs. Antonio Coronel. They included Mrs. Charles Griffiths, who was then Miss Olive Pollard, and Miss Louise Williamson; one was the niece and the other was the sister of Mrs. Coronel. Mrs. Coronel was Miss Mary Williamson and her father was the overseer of the great Dalton Ranch. When we remember that Mrs. Coronel was the friend of Helen Hunt Jackson, and assisted her in gathering material for the articles on the Mission Indians in 1881, and Ramona in 1883, we immediately enlarge our vision of the past and add another link to memory's chain. (Davis to publish "Aunt Mary").

Mr. Dalton, the owner of the great Azusa ranch, was an Englishman and I could but wonder what a difference there might have been in many lives had the English custom of handing down property entailed and prevailed in America as in England. Dalton owned 5000 acres, from the San Gabriel mountains south to San Bernardino Road and from the San Gabriel River on the west, eastward, to no one can remember how far. Luis Arenas secured the land, probably from the Mexican Government, and Mr. Dalton bought the land from Arenas. It seems fitting that the high school in Azusa should stand on the knoll that was the first home of the Daltons. The only school house from the San Gabriel Mission to Pomona, was situated on this same knoll, built of Alder poles, dirt floor and backless benches.

The only landmark east in the valley (to my knowledge) was torn down a couple of years ago. It was the old adobe house at the head of Azusa Avenue and was once the home of Mrs. Gordon, who now lives a few hundred feet north in a little home built many years ago. From this elevation, one has a view of the whole San Gabriel Valley. About 200 yards east of the old adobe was once a gristmill for the ranch. The grain raised on the ranch was here converted into flour. A sawmill attachment utilized the logs, which the San Gabriel river brought down from the canyon.

Large vineyards were cultivated, from which the finest raisins were produced. Mr. Dalton was the first one to introduce raisin curing into Southern California. Wine and brandy were made in no small quantities. These lands were all fenced with stakes, a few feet apart, the space being filled with brush so thick that it was practically impassable. Some of the stakes grew to trees as those sycamores below the old reservoir testify. Mr. Dalton built a road directly from his home to Los Angeles by way of the San Gabriel Mission. It was staked out through the brush and river by mile stakes.

In a paper by Mrs. Emma Gordon, written for the Azusa Woman's Club, she said, “I regret my lack of descriptive powers to bring before your minds eye just how the little old adobe appeared in the early seventies, when it first sheltered John and me, nestling as it were, under the spreading branches of the tall alders, with its large arbor in front, reaching to the roof, supporting a mass of vines laden with immense clusters of rich purple grapes, welcoming all approaching travelers, which by the way were not a few, as all who sought justice knew where it was liable to be found, my husband having served in the capacity of Justice of the Peace for a number of years, within the cool walls of the adobe. From the south window, pomegranate trees and flourishing fields of alfalfa quieted the eye to say nothing of the long rows of a variety of vegetables, too numerous to mention, with patches of melons, all brought to a state of perfection by the aid of this same Justice who held the first court in Azusa.”

“Another attractive feature was the sparkling water flowing by the door in an open ditch, some ten or twelve feet in width, most beautifully protected by tall alders on either side, whose generous branches interlocked so closely as to exclude every ray of blessed sun shine from the swiftly running stream. These trees lined the banks of the ditch from the mouth of the San Gabriel to some distance beyond the old mill and to me were the crowning glory of the whole vicinity.”

This same stream of water became the bone of contention among the settlers as soon as Mr. Dalton began to allow them on the land.  When the government surveys were made in 1853, it was found that 2,500 acres that was supposed to be part of the Azusa ranch was government land, and upon this the Dalton tenants immediately filed, and became squatters. In 1880, the squatters were given their legal rights to the land. The water rights were more valuable than the land, as land was of no value at that time without water.  The water was brought to each land owner in an open ditch. There were two divisions of this ditch, one carried water to the immediate district, and one let it flow to the eastern part of Covina as far as the old Michael Baldridge ranch.

There are many who remember the first store in the San Gabriel Valley. In 1866, a Jew named Adolph Goldsmith first located at the point we now speak of as the old Azusa Winery. Here also one of the first Post Offices was located. Mr. Gordon was a government mail carrier in 1882. Twice a week he gathered mail from each of the Post Offices (Alosta, Gladstone at the corner of Broadway and Citrus, Four Corners at the corner of Cypress and Citrus, and Azusa at Old Winery Way) and took it to El Monte, a distance of twelve miles. Wouldn't it be interesting to see a list of names of those receiving mail in those days! We know there were the Vaughns, Reickards, Griswolds, Caseys, Pollards, Roberts, Shoreys, Prestons, etc.
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(The following citation was found at the top of page 9 of the copied document entitled LOCAL HISTORY. The information was skewed to the rest of the text on the page, indicating it may have been part of another page, which was perhaps copied out of order. It is unknown whether the continuing story below the citation is part of the source donated or even part of the original Local History document, but both are presented here as they were presented to the transcriber.)
Donated by Luis B. Morse, Cloverdale, CA

Handwritten Note enclosed:

"I found this among my Mother's papers. Probably when she was a member of D.A.R. when we lived in Covina--years ago. Her name: Louise Bushby."

Edited by Rosemarie Lippman

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In Mrs. Reichard's paper written for the Covina Woman's Club a few years ago, she tells us of the early history of Covina.

"The Rancho La Puente was granted to John Rowland [and William Workman] by the Mexican government in 1843 with boundaries extending from San Bernardino Road to the Puente Hills on the south and from the Hollenbeck Hills to the San Gabriel River on the west. After the great drought in 1870-71, the settlers became so discouraged they left their claims. At this time John Reed and William Rowland, each owning 600 acres of La Puente Rancho, came to the rescue of the poor settlers by offering to furnish the money to repair and enlarge the ditches if they were allowed the privilege of extending the ditch across San Bernardino Road to their lands. In 1875, John Rowland sold 5,000 acres of the Puente ranch to Señor Badillo, a Costa Rican, for $4.00 an acre. Señor Badillo purchased it for a coffee plantation, but neither soil nor climate proved suitable and the land under a mortgage passed into the hands of Los Angeles Bankers. It was then sold to Mr. Hollenbeck, who later sold 2000 acres to Mr. Phillips for $15.00 an acre. Covina is located in this Phillips tract.”

ALL OF THIS-history in detail is of interest to us, that we may know how the Badillo Inn got its name, or why there is the Phillips' School and a Rowland Avenue

One of the most exciting incidents in the history of the San Gabriel Valley is that of the Gladstone Company's wild cat scheme. This company, composed of Los Angeles promoters, proclaimed throughout the valley that a new city was to be started at the corner of Broadway and Citrus. The company is said to have paid "120.00 for one acre where the Post Office is located.” Thousands of dollars were paid to the ranchers to bind contracts for their land all along Citrus Avenue, to the hills on the North. Mr. McNeil received $30,000.00 and as the plans of the company never materialized, the ranchers kept their land and the contract money. Electric lights shone all along Citrus avenue for two nights and moonlight ones at that. Men stood in line all night waiting for a chance to buy town lots. The Brunjes Hotel in Azusa was the hotel in "Gladstone" (the city that never was) and was moved to its present location since I came to the valley.

Of Mr. Dalton's eleven children, two are living in Azusa, quite near the place where the old adobe was located.  (Mrs. Dalton died a few months ago). How different their outlook on the valley was from that of their father. The huge stone crushers making into fine road building material the great boulders brought down from the mountains in ages past, orange trees where once was sage brush and cactus. The water system was enlarged and extended by wells put down at great expense to the farmers. It is interesting to note that even to this day, the ranches that came under the old Azusa irrigating system are of the best, for water goes with the land and always is to be had if there is any in the San Gabriel River.