Early Owners

The origin of the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District dates back to the latter part of the 1800’s when the Southern California Investment Company was the owner of the land that currently is the City of Beaumont and the Community of Cherry Valley.  The Company was owned by a gentleman named F.P. Sigler, who intended to build a system of water lines for the purpose of developing subdivisions throughout the Beaumont and Cherry Valley area.  In February of 1887, Mr. Sigler recorded his first subdivision which later became the City of Beaumont.  In the 1890s following recordation of the subdivision map Mr. Sigler, a Southern California Investment Company, sold all holdings, including its water rights and the water system, to Murray F. Vandall in 1896.  Mr. Vandall held the property for only two months, and sold all interest to the German Savings and Loan Society of San Francisco.  The German Savings and Loan Society held the property until 1907 when it was sold to Mr. C.B. Eyer and Mr. K.R. Smoot.




This picture was taken in the late 1800’s, showing
the original Beaumont Land and Water Company in the background.
 


Mr. Eyer and Mr. Smoot began work through the Beaumont Land and Water Company to bring irrigation water to the subdivisions in the area.  The Beaumont Land and Water Company established its first point of diversion at the confluence of Wallace and Edgar Canyon.  A second diversion was established along the north line of sections 10 and 11, T2S1W which was the northern limit of the property Beaumont Land and Water Company had purchased from Thomas Mellon, comprised of 160 acres. Along with the diversions in Edgar Canyon, a small diversion point in Noble Canyon at the upper reaches of the Noble pressure zone area was developed.

These diversions allowed surface water to be taken into the system for irrigation and domestic uses.  With the construction of the diversions, two downstream users (Hannon and Roach) entered into litigation against the Beaumont Land and Water Company which will be discussed later herein.

C.B. Eyer’s home is still standing at the corner of 6th Street and Magnolia.

 

The predecessors to the Beaumont Land and Water Company had also developed six wells in Edgar Canyon in two groups of three. Three of the wells were located in an area which is currently known as the Old Shop, at an elevation of ± 3,030 feet near the current day intersection of Avenida Mira Villa and Edgar Canyon Road. The other 3 wells were located at a point approximately 600’ to 1200’ north of the Upper Edgar Canyon Reservoir, at elevation ±3,650 feet northeast the present day intersection of Wildwood Canyon Road and oak Glen Road. As those wells were added and began pumping, water was delivered from the lower group of wells to the Noble system (Cherry Valley), water from the upper well field was delivered to the Upper Edgar Canyon system through a steel pipe that paralleled a gravity concrete line from the upper diversion point.




 
The German Savings and Loan Society building in San Francisco California.