ROOTED HERE
Behind the downtown streets.
A whole city’s story.
A railroad city at the foot of the mountains, shaped by migration, local enterprise and generations of neighborhood life.
People made the city.
Railroad workers, migrant families, Indigenous communities and local entrepreneurs belong in the story alongside civic milestones. The city and county collections offer starting points for deeper research.Read the local historical account.
- Before the townsite
Indigenous homelands
The valley’s history predates the American city. Indigenous communities, Spanish mission expansion and Mexican ranchos form part of the context for its later growth.
City local-history collection ↗ - 1851
A new settlement
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased rancho land and established a settlement that became downtown San Bernardino.
San Bernardino County ↗ - 1853
A new county
San Bernardino County was created in 1853. The city’s civic role developed alongside the new county government.
San Bernardino County ↗ - 1854
The city incorporates
San Bernardino incorporated in 1854 and became the county seat.
San Bernardino County ↗ - 1857
A changing community
Many Mormon settlers returned to Utah after Brigham Young’s recall. Other families stayed as the community continued to change.
City of San Bernardino ↗ - Today
Railroad memory and local life
The History and Railroad Museum at the Santa Fe Depot connects visitors with railway and community history. Confirm museum visiting arrangements before traveling.
San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk downtown to see surviving commercial architecture, then explore the Historical Preservation Society’s museum and visiting information. Check current opening dates before setting out. Historical Preservation Society.
For deeper research, the San Bernardino library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.