FROM THE KINGSTON SPRINGS TO SAN BERNARDINO. 181 



grass, our caravan at last filed into the terminus of our 

 present journey — San Bernardino. 



This town is situated near the southern extrenaity of the 

 valley of the same name and a few miles from the foot of a 

 lofty Sierra. The origin of this city is as follows: Shortly 

 after the settlement of Great Salt Lake was founded, a com- 

 pany of Mormons emigrated to California, then a Mexican 

 province, for the purpose of selecting a place whereon to found 

 a colony, as the climate and soil of that region were deemed 

 vastly superior to those of Utah. These pioneers bought a 

 tract of land in the southern end of San Bernardino Valley, 

 for which the sum of §70,000 was paid ; and emigration soon 

 flocking thither, a flourishing colony was founded. This 

 settlement Brigham Young, by an arrangement of his own, 

 incorporated into Utah Territory, which he extended to the 

 Pacific. This arrangement, however, could not stand, and 

 soon after the Mexican war San Bernardino became a portion 

 of the Golden State, much to the disgust of the Prophet, to 

 whom California was a great eye-sore. The settlement con- 

 tinued thriving until the autumn of 1857, when all true 

 believers were summoned to repair immediately to Utah, in 

 order to resist the ingress of the Federal troops, who were now 

 on their way to Utah. The majority obeyed the summons, 

 and selling their property for what they could get, removed to 

 Utah, while the remainder, setting at defiance the thunders of 

 excommunication hurled at them by the head of the Church, 

 resolved to remain. These backsliders were called "Apos- 

 tates " by their zeal-blinded brethren, who entertained feelings 

 of the greatest contempt towards them. Several of the 

 Mormons of our party had been residents of San Bernardino, 

 and these spoke to us Gentiles in terms of undisguised disgust 

 of those of their fellow colonists who were not devoted enough 

 to the cause of Polygamy to take up the cross and follow them 

 to the realm of Brigham. But even if the Mormons had not 

 left when they did, they would soon have been routed out by 



