Business Guide - San Dimas Chamber of Commerce

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4 San Dimas Chamber of Commerce Long before 1960, when San Dimas was incorporated, the heart of the local government was the San Dimas Board of Trade. Established in 1909, it helped solve many of the needs of public interest including establishment of street grades and street paving, fire protection, a public drinking fountain, a library, telephone service, street lighting, and many other important requirements of a growing town. The Board of Trade promoted San Dimas as “The Frostless Belt,” a reference to the citrus industry and the chosen motto was “Pioneering a new era.” In 1914, the Board of Trade changed its name to the Chamber of Commerce and community activities took the spotlight, including award-winning entries in the 1925 and 1926 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade—a mere 35 years old. Despite the local decline of the citrus industry in the 1950s, the town continued to grow and expand. Records dating to 1912 document the chamber’s discussions and active promotion of the incorporation of San Dimas, and in 1960 the chamber was on board to host the first meeting of the newly elected city council. The chamber was operating smoothly. Dwight Eisenhower was President. The local economy was booming. Gasoline was 31¢ a gallon, grapes were 10¢ a pound, bread was 21¢ a loaf, and you could buy a three-bedroom house for $13,725. Local businesses numbered 266. Interestingly, of the original 266 businesses, 146 are still in business and 102 are still located in San Dimas. With incorporation of San Dimas the role of the Chamber changed. Promotion of the city became a major drive, along with civic and community activities. A program was initiated to welcome new residents and promote city businesses and the chamber launched the annual Western Days Celebration and City Birthday Barbecue. Rapid growth and urbanization focused the chamber’s attention on business development issues, including the Festival of Arts, San Dimas Marketplace, and San Dimas Rodeo. Today city growth continues with more than 1,400 diverse businesses and services thriving. Now is a good time to become a chamber member and be part of the rich history, heritage and bright future of San Dimas. San Dimas Chamber of Commerce Located at 246 E. Bonita Avenue in the historic Martin House P.O. Box 175, San Dimas, CA 91773 (909) 592-3818 Fax (909) 592-8178 www.sandimaschamber.com E-mail: info@sandimaschamber.com San Dimas Chamber of Commerce Staff Ted Powl, President/CEO Sandra Neas, Executive Secretary Clinton Romero, Office Assistant San Dimas Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors 2009-2010 Joe Fransen (Awards by Champion), Chairman of the Board Margie Green (Rock-Kats by Margie), Vice Chairman of the Board Mitchell Crawford (Individual Chamber Member), Secretary Nancy Hasbach (Hasbach & Seiler, CPAs), Treasurer Carolyn Anderson (Waste Management), Immediate Past Chairwoman of the Board Rhonda Beltran (McKinley Children’s Center), Director Denis Bertone (Individual Chamber Member), Director Cindy Bollinger (Edward Jones Investments), Director Bob Cruz (The Gas Company), Director Tim Hughes (Hometown Rentals), Director Michael Kelly (San Dimas High School), Director Nicole Morales (Sam’s Club), Director Laura Smolka (Fairplex), Director Maureen Tracy (Sheraton Suites Fairplex), Director
History of San Dimas The bronze statue of Jedediah Strong Smith, the first American explorer to lead a party overland to the valley in 1826, sits on the southeast corner of the City Hall property, proclaiming it to be “A Welcome Sight.” At this time, the area was known as “Mud Springs” and was part of the 23,000 acre Rancho San Jose, the last Spanish land grant. It was a swamp, several acres in size, and a regular stopping place for early Indians, as well as later explorers. The Santa Fe Railroad came through in 1887, and the San Jose Land Co. was formed. The company chose to call the new town San Dimas, which was then the name of the canyon to the north. Every little town from South Pasadena to San Bernardino built a hotel for the expected rush of settlers. The hotel in San Dimas is the only hotel surviving. When the land boom collapsed in 1889, the J. W. Walker family from Kentucky purchased it and it was occupied by six generations of their family. Now known as the Walker House, it is located just north of the intersection of Bonita and San Dimas Avenues. After trying different crops, the San Dimas area was found to be especially favorable to lemon and orange groves, and to lesser extent, avocados. Water was available from both the old Mud Springs swamp and from San Dimas Canyon. For many years, San Dimas boasted a “frost-free” climate, and R.M. Teague established his citrus nursery, which became the world’s largest. The San Dimas Lemon Association was said to be the largest packing plant in the world and was responsible for many innovations. At one time, four citrus packing houses were located in San Dimas, as well as a marmalade factory. The San Dimas Feed Company, established in 1897, is the oldest business in town. In the 1950’s, burgeoning housing tracts, coupled with a disastrous disease affecting the citrus trees, changed the town and the surrounding area forever. From the early years of this century, there were attempts made to incorporate, but the Board of Trade (now the Chamber of Commerce) could not get the residents to agree. That changed when the surrounding cities began to annex areas in San Dimas’ “sphere-ofinfluence”. The citizens became sufficiently alarmed to vote in favor of incorporation in 1960. In the early 1970s, the “Western Village” concept for the downtown core area was developed. Now, with about 35,000 residents, our community stretches from Interstate 10 Freeway in the south to the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains in the north. San Dimas . . . The Legend Behind the Name For many years, it was commonly accepted that Don Ignacio Palomares gave the name “San Dimas” to the canyon because of the practice of horse thieves hiding their booty there. It was said that, in exasperation, the Don made reference to St. Dismas, the crucified, repentant thief on the Cross, and wished that the horse thieves would also repent and stop the depredations of his livestock. However, in researching his book, San Dimas, Preserving the Western Spirit, Dr. Nicholas Polos discovered that Don Ignacio Palomares had come from the little town of San Dimas in northern Mexico. Although it is not as romantic a legend, local historians now feel that the probability is that the Don named his new home after his old one in Mexico. The canyon, now called Horsethief Canyon, lies to the west of San Dimas Canyon and was formerly known as Sycamore Canyon for the multitude of sycamore trees growing there. The name Horsethief Canyon has no historical basis except for the Palomares legend. Beginning in the fall of 1998, the new Horsethief Canyon Park became the permanent home for the annual San Dimas Rodeo, held as a part of Western Days in early October. 5
Page 1 and 2: 2010-2011 $10.00
Page 3 and 4: Exquisite Dining in a beautiful Vic
Page 5: Major Annual Community Events Janua
Page 9 and 10: San Dimas Historical Society The So
Page 11 and 12: City Council & Staff Mayor Curtis M
Page 13 and 14: Where to Contact Your Legislators P
Page 15 and 16: P U B L I C S C H O O L S PRIVATE S
Page 17 and 18: Recreation Recreation opportunities
Page 19 and 20: Accountants - Certified Public Hasb
Page 21 and 22: Carpet, Tile & Flooring A & M Carpe
Page 23 and 24: Healthy Teeth and Gums for Life! Sa
Page 25 and 26: Hair and Nail Salon Kathleen’s Ha
Page 27 and 28: Laser Skin Care Prism Laser and Day
Page 29 and 30: Friends of the San Dimas Library 63
Page 31 and 32: Processing Equipment Sales Machiner
Page 33 and 34: Service CPS Signage & Marketing Cor
Page 35 and 36: Sally Aiken Laura Alvarado Charles
Page 37 and 38: Larry Walterscheid Electric, Inc. C
Page 39 and 40: A Great Place for People! SHERATON

Business Guide - San Dimas Chamber of Commerce

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