Console Springs was a natural spring in
Reche Canyon
Reche Canyon (historically known as Homhoa Canyon, Homoa Canyon, and Homuba Canyon) is a canyon in the far northwestern foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains, northwest of The Badlands in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The Ton ...
,
Riverside County
Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...
(originally San Bernardino County), California, United States. The waters were bottled for sale in the early 20th century.
History
The springs were named for the Console family that owned them. John Console (~1862–1926) settled in the canyon in 1894. Console built the canyon schoolhouse; water for the students was toted from the spring. Console sold the bottled water out of a "wagon on 3rd Street" but "sales were slow." He also sold holly (possibly actually native
toyon
''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (, more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a perennial shrub native to Coastal California. It is the sole species in the genus ''Heteromeles''.
Description
Toyon typically grows from , r ...
) out of his wagon around Christmastime.
A native of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, Console was a
stone mason
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...
by trade.
There was no associated resort hotel but circa 1914 there were campsites nearby for visitors.
California boosters claimed the spring water had medicinal value and would be beneficial for people with
rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...
,
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...
, and liver disorders.
[ ] In 1976, Console's son recalled, "We used to have a tent set up at the spring and doctors would bring patients in to recuperate beside the mineral water. Everything was green and there was a flower garden out there."
[ & ] According to John Console Jr. "city people would drive up in horse-drawn buggies for picnics."
In 1925, during the
Prohibition era
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...
, John Console was arrested on charges of illegally selling liquor at dances held at the springs. According to the ''Riverside Daily Press'', "When asked at the county jail if he had any remarks to make when he was being booked, Console said, 'Seventeen kids and no money in the bank.'"
Water profile
According to a U.S. government geologist in 1915, "On the
granitic
A granitoid is a broad term referring to a diverse group of coarse-grained igneous rocks that are widely distributed across the globe, covering a significant portion of the Earth's exposed surface and constituting a large part of the continental ...
slopes a few miles east of Riverside there are a few small springs that have been utilized. One of these, which is known as Console Spring, issues in Reche Canyon, about 9 miles in a direct line east of Riverside, and yields perhaps 7 gallons a minute. The water was placed on the local market in 1906 as a table water. A partial analysis, published in advertising matter, indicates that the water contains about 250 parts per million of solids in solution, sodium, carbonate, and sulphate being the principal constituents."
[ ]
See also
*
References
{{commons category
Springs of Riverside County, California
History of Riverside County, California