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Mentone's Gazebo Gazette: Volume 10
| Posted on January 6, 2015 at 5:52 PM |
Mentone’s Gazebo
Gazette Volume 10 November 2014 The Buried Treasure
of Mentone Have you heard the
legend?  First, I should lay a little background foundation for the
story… Years ago there used to be a saw
mill up in Mill Creek Canyon near where Forest Home is now. The original mill
works, machinery, and all, came from Maine, along with some of the original
lumber. The mill was built by the Mormons in 1849. The Mormons operated it for
three years before Brigham Young called all of them home and the mill was
abandoned. But during the three years of
operation, some of the lumber produced was used to build the old mission in San
Bernardino. The exact location of the mill was not discovered until after the
flood of 1862. There also was a stone quarry in Mill Creek canyon as well. In
fact, the stones used for the building of the San Bernardino Court House came
from the Mentone stone quarry. Mill
Creek was much bigger than it is today, and it was a great fishing resource.
When the Zanja was built it diverted much of the water away. It’s
interesting that Mill Creek canyon was covered with pine trees until the flood
washed most of them away. It rained for forty days and nights (Biblical to say
the least!). The whole San Bernardino Valley was under water. Houses were swept
away, and everything was carried downstream. One observer stated that he saw a
hay-stack sailing downstream with a big pig standing on top of it (Maybe this
was the first “surfer”). Prior
to the flood, Santa Ana Canyon was filled with beautiful groves and meadows
along each side of the river. The flood left it piled up with sand and
boulders. Many
Indian relics and artifacts were unearthed by the flood and folks gathered them
up. Marian Cram Jones and the family had quite a few of them. When she passed,
they were donated to the San Bernardino County Museum. The
Piute Indians would venture into the San Bernardino Valley from the Mojave
Desert and often the white settlers paid the price with their lives. This was
around 1850-1865. The Cahuilla Indians who lived in this area were peaceful and
many of them were also slain by the Piutes. It was
the mission fathers who used the Cahuilla Indians to originally dig the Zanja. The
Greenspot area was originally called “The Bench”. The “Bench” or “high land”
between Mill Creek and Santa ana River is now known as “Greenspot”. It received
its name because the area was swampy, and willow trees grew everywhere. The
willow trees grew in “spots” that made them visible to the naked eye from miles
away, and they made up the original “green spots”.  On one
such Piute venture into the San Bernardino Valley, they attacked the mission
between San Bernardino and Redlands. The Spanish priests gathered up all of the
valuable artifacts which included gold vessels, coins, and various other
treasures, and fled with them up into the Mill Creek area and buried them in
soft clay. Over the years, however, the clay hardened into rock. When the priests
made their way back to the Mission, they were slain by the Indians. The legend
says that one priest fled towards the San Diego Mission but was killed before
he left the valley. The other priest fled towards the Mojave Desert but was
slain before he got half- way up the mountains. No one
knew where the priests buried the treasure, except an Indian that accompanied
the two priests. The Indian later confessed that the priests buried it up on
the “Bench” but he could not recall exactly where. Whether or not he later
bought a condo in Laguna is unknown. Well,
that’s one story….but there’s another: Some
say a new priest came to the Mission and he stole all the treasure, and with
the aid of two Indians as guides, made his way to the Bench, where he buried
it. The legend then says that he killed the two guides so they wouldn’t
disclose the exact location. But he didn’t get far before an Indian war party
captured him, and before they killed him, he confessed that he had buried the
treasure in the Greenspot area (apparently they understood English). Do the
Piutes have their own Casino?  Well,
no one left a map, but that hasn’t stopped many a folk (who believe in the
legend) to dig for the treasure. Many a prospector has spent many years,
equipped with metal detectors and such to find the buried gold, but no one, as
of yet, has been successful. So maybe you, dear reader, will be the one to find
it. Around
the year 1884, Greenspot was settled by a colony of German immigrants. They
planted peaches, apricots, and other deciduous fruits. They watered their trees
with water that they carried in buckets from Mill Creek. Later, orange trees
were also planted. A school house was built in 1893. It was located half- way between Mill Creek and the Santa Ana Canyon. Prior
to a road being built, the only way up to the bench was by horseback or
walking. The first real road to the area was built in the early
1900’s, and remained a dirt road until the 1920’s. It was originally paved only
up to Barton Flats. Many
nationalities have contributed to the area growth since the early years. Among
the most notable are the Portuguese people. They first gathered in this area in
191, along the Santa Ana Canyon area. In 1921
they began celebrating a Fiesta in honor of Queen Isabella of Portugal. Queen
Isabella was a saintly woman who fed the poor and hungry. The Portuguese people
still gather in May for the celebration of the Feast in her honor, which coincides
with the Feast of Pentecost. They originally celebrated the Fiesta along the
banks of the Santa Ana River but moved it alongside the Zanja in Mentone in
open fields. The land was very primitive but it was a joyful and happy
gathering. In
1922, the Portuguese people bought the property on Crafton Avenue in Mentone
which is now called The Portuguese American Club. The building had previously
been a grocery store and the original Crafton post office. In May
of 1923, they instituted their first charter for the Club and included
Portuguese folk from the surrounding areas. Many of them had originally
migrated to this area as early as 1889. The Portuguese people have contributed
to this area in farming, dairy, agriculture, orange groves, etc. They have
shared their love of the land in producing, growing, charitability, and are a very
proud people. We have been blessed by their presence.  So
whether or not you believe the legend, a lot of folks do. If the treasure has
not already been uprooted (either by an over-eager Indian, years ago) or by a
lucky prospector over the last 100 years or so…it still might be up there, just
waiting for the right person to come along. On the
other hand, it may be buried under Mill Creek Road, covered over by twelve
inches of asphalt. In any case, it’s a colorful story. Kind of goes along with
the other colorful stories of our little community. By the way,
many a gold prospector mined the Crafton Hills during the 1800’s. Along with
the gold, there was a Mentone Opal Mining Company which was located in the
mountains just a few miles up the road from the present Ranger Station. One of
their discoveries was “the Mentone Opal” which was a beautiful stone, unlike
any other opal. Be proud Mentonites! You live in a great and colorful area. |
Categories: history
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