Updated: October 14, 2006
he
mission influence extended
beyond the square city block
boundaries of the hotel. To
the west of downtown Riverside
is Mount Rubidoux. According
to historian Tom Patterson,
the mountain (sometimes referred
to as the high detached hill)
was the source of the stone
for the Miller’s home built
at 7th and Main Streets. The
small mountain had been
owned by the Miller family
until the property was deeded
to the City of Riverside
for a park in 1955. In
1907 a cross and a plaque
dedicated to Father Junipero
Serra (the founder of California’s
Franciscan missions) were
erected on the mountain. A
new cross was erected on
Mt.
Rubidoux in 1959.
In
October 1909 another plaque
honoring Father Serra was
dedicated. President
William Howard Taft, on a trip
to the west visited Riverside
on October 11, 1909. The
President was driven to Mount
Rubidoux, where he unveiled
the second plaque in honor of
Father Serra as an “apostle,”
“legislator,” and “builder.” A
dinner was held at the Mission
Inn following the unveiling
ceremony. Taft
is quoted as saying,
I think it is fitting that the journey should end in a building like this, constructed to commemorate the Missions that form so important a part of this region which we have been privileged to visit today (Hutchings, n.d. p.12).
The wooden cross on Mt. Rubidoux deteriorated over the years, and a concrete cross was erected in its place in 1959. Frank Miller's Mission influence is still alive in Riverside. |
