Kaawchama (''

Hispanicized Hispanicization () refers to the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by Hispanic culture or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-Hispanic becomes Hispanic. Hispanicization is illustrated by spoken ...

'' to Guachama), alternatively referred to as Wa’aachnga ("plenty to eat"), was a significant

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...

village in the

San Bernardino Valley The San Bernardino Valley () is a valley in Southern California located at the south base of the Transverse Ranges. It is bordered on the north by the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains; on the east by the San Jacin ...

located in what is now west

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is located a ...

. The village became referred to by the Spanish as the Guachama Rancheria in 1810 after a supply station was constructed at the village for

Mission San Gabriel Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality *Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * O ...

, which then became part of

Rancho San Bernardino Rancho San Bernardino was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José del Carmen Lugo, José María Lugo, Vicente Lugo, and Diego Sepulveda. The grant included a l ...

following the secularization of the missions in 1833.

History

Tongva village

Kaawchama was located in the far eastern reaches of

Tovaangar Tovaangar (''Tongva'': "the world") refers to the Tongva world or homelands. It includes the greater area of the Los Angeles Basin, including the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, northern Orange County, parts of San Bernardino County and ...

, or the Tongvan world. Various maps of Tongvan villages place it as the easternmost village of the Tongva. The

Mohave Trail The Mojave Road, also known as Old Government Road (formerly the Mohave Trail), is a historic route and present day dirt road across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert in the United States. This rough road stretched ...

connected Kaawchama to a vast trade network that extended from villages in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

to the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

. When

was constructed by the Spanish colonizers in 1771, Kaawchama was located fifty miles east from the mission, yet soon began to be eyed as a potential outpost for the mission. The village had been known by Spanish missionaries since the 1770s, yet no European structure had been constructed in the area. This was noted as a problem by the missionaries, who would travel the

without a place to refill supplies: "As travel over this road increased it was arranged to establish a supply station at some intermediate point between the Sierras on the north and the mission." In 1810, approximately one-thousand

Mohave Mojave or Mohave most often refers to: *Mojave Desert *Mojave River *Mohave people *Mojave language *Mohave County, Arizona, a county in the U.S. state of Arizona Mojave or Mohave may also refer to: Places * Fort Mojave Indian Reservation * Mo ...

raiders traveled through the village, initially with plans to attack Mission San Gabriel. However, the raid party decided against destroying the mission and instead captured three thousand sheep. On May 10, 1810, Francisco Dumetz, a padre of Mission San Gabriel, came to the village of Kaawchama, and established the sought after supply station at the village:

They found an ideal location, in a place called Guachama, which means "plenty to eat." The valley was well watered and luxuriant with springtime verdure. The Guachama Indians had here a populous rancheria. A number of other rancherias were scattered about the valley, each bearing a name significant of the place it was situated. Many of the names were retained by settlers at a later day and applied to ranches granted by the government.

Guachama Rancheria

It was believed by some authorities that after 1812, many of the Guachama, who were associated with the Tongva people, "migrated back to Los Angeles," which opened the settlement to be occupied by the

Cahuilla The Cahuilla, also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California. ...

and Serrano. Rancho San Bernardino became the headquarters of farming and cattle ranching in the area. The Guachama were taught to farm and care for cattle. Zanja trenches were made to bring water to more farm land. Guachama Rancheria from this time was called San Bernardino. In 1819 it was officially renamed San Bernardino Rancho of the Mission San Gabriel. Due to flooding from San Timoteo Creek, the mission was moved to higher ground in 1830. Some ruins remain at the site.Marker Database, 'Guachama Rancheria
/ref>San Bernardino, Pageant of History Begins to Unfold, By L. BURR BELDEN, Sun-Telegram Historical Writer, 1960
/ref>Schuiling, Walter C. ''San Bernardino County: Land of Contrasts, Windsor Publications'', 1984, p. 26

Rancho San Bernardino

In 1842, Mexico Governor Juan B. Alvarado gave a

Mexican land grant In Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California, ranchos were concessions and land grants made by the Spanish and Mexican governments from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an indu ...

to José del Carmen Lugo, José María Lugo, Vicente Lugo, and Diego Sepulveda, forming the

. The grant covered of what today is part of the San Bernardino valley,

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone * Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi ...

Rialto The Rialto is a central area of Venice, Italy, in the ''sestiere'' of San Polo. It is, and has been for many centuries, the financial and commercial heart of the city. Rialto is known for its prominent markets as well as for the monumental Ria ...

, Redlands and Colton. Caballeria y Collell, Juan, HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY, from the padres to the pioneers, 1810-1851, Times-Index Press, San Bernardino, Cal., 1902.
/ref>

Memorialization

In 1933, the site was designated a

California Historic Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

(No.95), listed as ''Guachama Rancheria'', on March 29, 1933. A marker was placed at 25894 Mission Road, Loma Linda, California. Translated from the

name, "Guachama" means a "place where there is plenty to eat". There were fresh springs and creeks in the area, thus providing ample food. Marker at the site reads: *''NO. 95 GUACHAMA RANCHERIA - Guachama Rancheria, renamed San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, by Francisco Dumetz, became the San Bernardino Rancho of the Mission San Gabriel in 1819. The adobe administration building stood 70 yards north of this spot, an enramada served as the chapel, and a zanja was constructed to bring water from the mountains for irrigation. Control by mission fathers ended in 1834." Erected 1932 by Arrowhead Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.

References