Hotel Edinburgh the Legacy

Hotel Edinburgh leaves legacy for fire protection in Beaumont

For more than a century, the weathered brochure for the Hotel Edinburgh has survived in a throwaway, often paperless world.

It was neatly tucked away in the belongings of former Beaumont mayor Guy Bogart (1883-1957.)

Now, the pocket-size, four-page brochure is being preserved for posterity by the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society.

As you look at those pages, it’s like entering a time machine and hurtling back to the dawn of cityhood. (In 1887, the three-story Victorian-style building opened as the Beaumont Hotel, but later closed, according to a book by local historian Elmer Wallace Holmes. In 1907, the ornate-looking building reopened as the Hotel Edinburgh and came to a fiery end in Aug. 1909 — about three years before cityhood.) The old hotel was located where the El Rancho Restaurant and Best Western Rancho Motel are on Beaumont Avenue

Grand hotel

Early 20^th century accounts tell us that steam engines puffed their way into town and disgorged a sea of passengers at the train depot. Many stayed at Hotel Edinburgh, with its big, inviting front porch, and its tall towers with shuttered windows where guests could survey the landscape. The hotel guests were drawn by advertisements in out-of-town newspapers and by sales pitches delivered in packed rooms in downtown Los Angeles.

They came to Beaumont searching for a much-touted agricultural paradise—a place in the sun where land and water was cheap and plentiful.

By gently turning the page, we glimpse a hospitality industry that helped settle the Pass. It was a time before Highway 99 and motor courts. It was a time before the freeway and modern hotels with their Wi-Fi, Jacuzzis and complimentary breakfasts.

It was an era when Hotel Edinburgh guests could stay for a week and enjoy three-meals-a-day for a mere $9-to-$15 weekly. “Unsurpassed For Health, Rest And Recreation,” proprietor David Cochrane proclaimed in the age-old brochure.

The guest brochure also touted wintry, snow-capped mountains that were said to have “views as beautiful as anything in Switzerland.” It was a place with the “most healthful” climate in the state, and grounds that boasted tennis and croquet courts.

Rising from the ashes

But like many early hotels in the 20^th Century, the Edinburgh was not destined to survive. The Victorian structure cost $40,000 to build, according to Holmes.  A calamitous fire destroyed the grande dame of Beaumont hotels before cityhood. (The cause of the fire has been lost to history.) But the red hot flames couldn’t stop the hotel from making one last contribution.

Newspapers in the early 1900s recount how many incorporation supporters rallied the town after watching the Edinburgh go up in flames. The town needed more fire protection, so neighbors banded together, and the notion of a fire department was one of the priorities on their minds when supporters campaigned for cityhood. On Nov. 18, 1912, local townsfolk voted for incorporation—the charred memory of the Edinburgh Hotel still fresh in their minds.

Ringing up the past for the future

In the old days, you could ring up your neighbors in a jiffy to chat about the latest goings on in town.

More than seventy years ago, local numbers had just three digits instead of today’s seven, and Beaumont’s portion of the phone book was a whopping 2 ½ pages long.

Many farmers, ranchers, and merchants knew important numbers by heart and often dialed:

• 844 for Dr. Howard A. Wood

• 656 for M & M Market

• 501 for Armstrong Dairy.

• 832 for Cox Seed and Feed

• 332 for Stewart Ranch

• 363 for Union Ice Co.

• 722 for Zook Hospital

Calling up history

As we flip through the 1939 Telephone Directory that belonged to former mayor Guy Bogart, it reveals a snapshot in time. He underlined important numbers like Annis Drug Co., the Justice of the Peace, City Hall, and names like F.S. Hirsch, Bill Hale, and W.C. Sutter. This harkens to a bygone era in Beaumont, when agriculture was king and you could set your watch by the passenger trains arriving at the depot.

(Bogart’s vintage telephone book, preserved by the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society, is a window into the days before push-button phones, texting, voice mail, and Skype. In those days, you dialed 696 for the Fire and Police departments and 01 for long distance. The pamphlet-sized directory with 71 pages covered a dozen communities, including Banning, Beaumont, Elsinore, Hemet, Moreno, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Perris, San Jacinto, Temecula and Twenty-Nine Palms.)

Party lines and Person-to-Person

Inside the phone book, there’s a half-page advertisement on the back cover for typewriters. For $5, you could rent one for two months. Or if you’re horse needed shoeing, you could call a blacksmith in neighboring Banning.

Back in a time when there were “Party Lines,” and “Person-to-Person” calls, staying in touch cost a lot more. In the late 1930s, a three-minute daytime call between Beaumont and Los Angeles cost 70 cents, including federal tax. (With a “party line,” several families shared the same line. A “Person-to-Person” call was where the operator dialed a number, asked for a specific person and you were connected only if that person answered.)

And while this might seem like a long time ago, especially today when the phone book for just the Pass itself stretches to more than 400 pages, it’s a reminder about where we’ve been and where we’re headed. In our region, progress and even better days are always just ahead.

Wedding contest winners get a “second chance at love”

A couple’s deep love and close bond will help Beaumont celebrate its 100^th anniversary.

Anna Flores and Jerry Johnson Jr. won the “Centennial Happy Ever After Wedding Contest” with their poignant story about a second chance at love. They grew up in the Pass, and their families knew each other. But they only got acquainted a few years ago through tragedy and misfortune.

Johnson had been engaged, but his fiancé was tragically killed by a drunken driver. Meanwhile, Flores’ 15-year marriage had ended in divorce. But life kept drawing them closer together. Johnson had seen a beauty—inside and out—in Flores, and they dated and often talked on the phone for two hours at a time. Johnson began coaching her children in baseball, softball and football. On Oct. 6, 2011, Johnson got down on bended knee, handed Flores two dozen roses and asked for her hand in marriage as her children and brother looked on.

“It’s a miracle,” Flores said. “I really do thank God.”

Wedding plans

Flores and Johnson had joined several other couples in writing a story or preparing a DVD about their personal “love stories” in a wedding contest sponsored by the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Recreation and Park District. A panel of judges selected Flores and Johnson from a half-dozen couples. The contest winners will be married on Saturday, June 16 and will receive a complete, one-of-a-kind wedding package from the recreation and park district and local merchants. It will include free use of a new park district facility for their wedding, a cake, flowers, photos and a tuxedo for Johnson. Family members will bring a touch of home by catering a reception at the Noble Creek Community Center.

“It’s just a blessing this is happening,” said Flores. “Prayers are answered.”

When they pledge their love, Flores and Johnson will be the first couple married in the new Donna Franco Gardens at Noble Creek Park. It has a meandering stream overlooked by wooden walkway bridges. With Pastor Juan DelaFuente officiating for the New Creation Church, the couple will be joined by a party of more than 100 family and friends.

Giving thanks

Flores, 42, grew up in Beaumont, and now helps pre-school youngsters with special needs at Three Rings Ranch Elementary School and also works with Sundance Elementary School students in the After School Education Safety (ASES) Program. Johnson, 36, is a carpenter at work on a construction project at Los Angeles International Airport. They are both residents of Banning.

As they await their wedding, the couple thanks the park district and local merchants for helping fulfill their dream on this very special occasion. It will truly be a wedding of the century for a very deserving couple! And it is one of the many fun, informative, and otherwise meaningful centennial festivities leading up to the city’s 100^th anniversary on Nov. 18.

Cowbells strike a perfect chord in Beaumont

The cowbells are gone, meaning they’ve all been given away. But don’t worry if you did not get your free bell this year. We’ll make sure to order more for next year’s bike race!

Fans of this Friday’s professional cycling event, the Beaumont Road Race, quickly snapped up about 140 free cowbells that the city promised to give away—and did—in less than a week.

Because of high demand, City Hall will double the order of cow bells for next year. Cowbell or not, you can still catch the thrills and excitement of professional cycling in your hometown.

“I would like to invite everyone to come out and enjoy this world-class event and catch 300 professional racers in action as they wind their way through the streets of our community,” said Mayor Roger Berg.

Race details

The one-day Beaumont Road Race is part of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, which starts this Thursday and runs through Sunday. The Beaumont portion of the cycling event consists of three separate races this Friday that will take riders throughout Beaumont and Cherry Valley. At 7:45 a.m., a special hand-cycling race for disabled athletes will follow a modified route. At 9:15 a.m., the men’s race will consist of five laps through Beaumont and Cherry Valley. (The men’s route will cover about 120 miles.) At 9:25 a.m., the women’s race will start with three laps through Beaumont and Cherry Valley, covering about 72 miles. All races start and finish at the Beaumont Civic Center, located at 550 E. 6^th St.

If you’re looking for a great spot to see the start and finish of all the races, the lawn in front of City Hall is the perfect location. Bleacher seating will be available.

During the race day, there will be rolling street closures and “No Parking” zones throughout the course. The areas most affected within the city of Beaumont will be along 6^th Street, Beaumont Avenue, Oak Valley Parkway, Brookside Avenue, Highland Springs Avenue and Palm Avenue. For a complete list of closures visit www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/bikerace

So whether you have a cowbell in hand, another noisemaker, or just your own hands to clap and voice to raise a ruckus, let’s cheer the cyclists on Friday as they race through our hometown streets on the way to the finish line!

Ring Them Cowbells—Never Mind the Moos!

In the olden days, they kept track of herds on the open range. Now, the distinctive clang of cowbells will reverberate throughout Beaumont. The city is giving away about 140 cowbells to ring and cheer on cyclists during a March 23rd race through city streets and Cherry Valley.

The one-day Beaumont Road Race is part of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, which runs from March 22-25. Beaumont is one of the toughest rides in the four-day, world-class cycling event. And now the local race will have cowbells too!

“It’s great to see the City of Beaumont adding excitement and energy to the race,” said Dan Rendler, president of the Redlands Bicycle Classic. “The racers love the encouragement and cowbells are great souvenirs.”

Bells for bikes

Cowbells actually have a long tradition in sports. From hockey to cross-country skiing to professional cycling, sports fans have cheered on their teams and favorite players with cowbells. Soon, cowbell ringers will serenade riders as they speed through Beaumont and Cherry Valley. So if you need a prescription for fun and excitement, gather up the herd, and stop by City Hall for your very own Beaumont cowbell. They are free while supplies last, so pick one up and make some noise!

(City Hall is located at 550 E. 6^th St., and hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. until noon on Friday.)

For more information on the race, click this link: www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/bikerace