Timeline
Manuel Nieto
Manuel Nieto, a retired captain who served in the Portola Expedition, was granted 300,000 plus acres by the King of Spain, stretching from the hills north of Whittier to the sea, and from the Santa Ana River to the San Gabriel River.
Juan Crispin Perez
Juan Crispin Perez received the grant for the Rancho Paso de Bartolo land that was initially property of the San Gabriel Mission.
Pio Pico
Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California, purchased the Perez Grant in five parcels. Pico built his home east of the San Gabriel River and south of Whittier Blvd, now the Pio Pico State Historic Park.
Harriet Russell Strong
Harriet Russell Strong and her husband Charles purchased their ranch from Pio Pico.
Bailey House Land
Jacob F. Gerkens, a German immigrant, paid $234 for public land on the southern slope of Puente Hills. These lands were not surveyed as a part of the Rancho Paso de Bartolo. The small house he built would later become known as the Bailey House.
Bailey House Land
R.M. Town lost the land, which he had purchased in 1870 from Gerkens, in a foreclosure.
Evergreen School
The Evergreen School was built and opened the following year on the corner of Painter and County Road (Whittier Blvd).
Depression
Whittier experienced its first depression due to lack of water and lack of commerce, which would last until 1894.
Whittier naming
The Pickering Land & Water Co. purchased 1,259 acres of land for $69,890 from J. Mill Boal. Whittier was named by Aquila Pickering and other Friends after the well-known Quaker poet, John Greenleaf Whittier.
Whittier Reform School
The cornerstone for the administration building of the “Reform School for Juvenile Offenders” was laid on February 12, 1890, an event attended by 10,000 people. The school opened on July 1, 1891 and provided work for many in the community.
Whittier College
The Whittier Academy (later known as Whittier College) was officially established. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made in prior years.
Lights Turned on at Whittier Reform School
On Oct. 21, 1891, The Whittier Reform School was the first building in Whittier to have electric lights. The dynamos and turbines used to generate electricity were housed onsite in the powerhouse building. The Los Angeles Times reported on Oct. 22, 1891, “Last evening the machinery for the power in Trades building, the steam heating and the electric lighting at the State Reform School at Whittier was completed and the power turned on. The lights could be seen plainly from this city [Los Angeles]. Quite a number of visitors went out from the city and were entertained by the superintendent. There are now seventy-three children in the school.”
Simon Murphy
Simon Murphy hired A.L. Reed to build the flume that carried water to East Whittier and the Whittier Colony.
Pio Pico Dies
Pio Pico died on September 11, 1894 at the home of his daughter Joaquina Moreno in Los Angeles.
Auto manufacturing
Manufacturing of automobiles began in Whittier by Al Bowe, a blacksmith, and H. H. Hooper, a jeweler, who made two types of cars.
Whittier Branch
Whittier granted a 50-year franchise to the Pacific Electric Company. Southern Pacific’s second railroad line, known as the “Whittier Branch,” was built by the Pacific Electric.
Home Telephone Company
Permanent telephone service was installed by Home Telephone Co., located on the corner of Bright Avenue and Philadelphia Street, servicing 80 homes.
Red cars
The first “Red Car” comes to Whittier. Lines were on Whittier Blvd., Philadelphia St., and Greenleaf Ave.
Auto agents
The first automobile agents were established in Whittier: Saunders Brothers and Charlie Gordon.
Whittier High
Residents voted to build Union High School (now Whittier High School) on Philadelphia Street.
Oil
Whittier’s output of oil was 96,000 barrels a month. Approximately 80 men were employed in the oil industry.
Pio Pico Mansion
The Pio Pico Mansion was donated to the state. The property was administered as California ‘s first historic state park.
Murphy Hospital
The Murphy Memorial Hospital site was donated by Colonel Simon J. Murphy, Jr. in honor of his parents, and opened its doors on May 21st at 7:00 am.
John Muir School
The first junior high school, John Muir School, was built on Hadley Street and Whittier Avenue.
Harriet Russell Strong Dies
On a trip back to her ranch in September of 1926, Harriet Russell Strong was involved in a fatal car accident.
Sunset Club
The Sunset Club was established as a social “keep acquainted” organization for older citizens in Whittier.
Post Office
A Federal Building was built to house the Whittier Post Office. Construction was facilitated by President Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Post Office and other buildings around the country were built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Nixon’s first political office
Richard Milhous Nixon was elected to his first political office for California’s 12th district in the House of Representatives.
Snow
Snow was seen for the first time in Whittier since 1932, when the temperature dipped below 27 degrees.
Salih Car Wins Indy 500
The Belond-AP Special, built by George Salih in the garage of his Whittier home, wins the Indy 500 race.
Library
The new Whittier City Library on Washington Ave and Mar Vista St was built as part of the Civic Center.
East Whittier
A portion of East Whittier was annexed to Whittier, adding 28,000 people to the population, which now totaled 67,487.
Murphy Hospital
Murphy Memorial Hospital closed its doors. It was completely demolished 20 years later.
Founder’s Hall
Founder’s Hall burned down (Located on the hill at Whittier College) on Friday, December 13th.
Nixon elected President
Whittier’s own Richard Milhous Nixon was elected as the 37th President of the United States.
Redevelopment Agency
The Whittier Redevelopment Agency was formed. They adopted a village concept for Whittier in 1977.
Bicentennial Fountains
A Bicentennial Memorial Dedication of Fountains was held at Beverly and Norwalk Streets in honor of the United States Bicentennial. The fountains honor First Ladies Lou Henry Hoover and Pat Nixon.
Vic Lopez
Vic Lopez, Whittier’s first Latino councilman, was elected to the City Council three times, serving between 1978 and 1990. The Whittier High School auditorium is named after him.
Whittier Museum
The Whittier Museum was acquired for $250,000.00 at Newlin and Philadelphia Streets. It opened to the public in 1983.
Centennial
Whittier celebrated its 100th Anniversary with festivities and parades throughout the year.
Nelles Groundbreaking
Brookfield Residential Inc broke ground on the redevelopment of the Fred C Nelles site on April 4, 2018.