Riverside, California, boasts a rich and diverse history that dates back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when the Cahuilla and Serrano people originally inhabited the area. Spanish settlers, including Bernardo Yorba and Juan Bandini, later established ranches, shaping the region’s early agricultural landscape.

In the 1860s, entrepreneur Louis Prevost attempted to introduce silk production through the California Silk Center Association, but the venture was short-lived. Following its failure, John W. North, a temperance-minded abolitionist from New York, purchased the land and founded the Southern California Colony Association in 1870. His vision for a structured and prosperous community led to rapid development, with Riverside maintaining strong Republican and temperance values. The city even raised licensing fees to push out saloons, reinforcing its commitment to a sober and orderly society.

Riverside also became a center for elite recreational activities, thanks to British and Canadian investors who brought golf and polo to Southern California. The city soon became known for innovation in leisure as well as agriculture.

The defining moment in Riverside’s history came in 1871, when the first orange trees were planted. The city's citrus industry took off in 1874, when Eliza Tibbets introduced Brazilian navel orange trees, a gift from William Saunders, a horticulturist with the United States Department of Agriculture. While these oranges struggled to grow in Florida, Riverside’s climate proved ideal, leading to an agricultural revolution. The Bahia orange flourished, turning Riverside into the birthplace of California’s citrus industry and setting the foundation for its economic success.

From its Indigenous roots to its pioneering role in agriculture and community planning, Riverside’s history is a testament to resilience, innovation, and transformation.