"Mel Blanc often characterized a train announcer who cried out three designated stops on Track 5, “Anaheim, Azusa, and Cu…ca-monga!” This started on the January 7, 1945 Jack Benny show and became so widely recognized that a year later, Benny was awarded with three wooden keys, and named honorary mayor of all three cities by city representatives. "
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Rancho Cucamonga's first settlers were Native American. By 1200 AD, Kukamongan Indians had established a village settlement in the area around present-day Red Hill, near the city's western border. In the 18th century, following an expedition led by Gaspar De Portola, the land was incorporated into the Mission System established by Father Junipero Serra and his group of soldiers and
Friars .After a half century of political jockeying in the region, the land finally came under the control of Juan Bautista Alvarado, governor of Mexico. On March 3, 1839, Alvarado granted 13,000 acres of land in the area called "Cucamonga" to Tubercio Tapia, a first-generation Spanish native of Los Angeles, successful merchant, and notorious smuggler.
In 1913, the Pacific Electric Railway was extended through Rancho Cucamonga in an effort to improve crop transportation. Several landmarks in existence today pay tribute to the city's multicultural founding. In particular, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel remains as a relic of the area's Mexican agriculture laborers while the Chinatown House stands as a reminder of the Chinese immigrants who labored in constructing the area's infrastructure.
In 1977, the unincorporated communities of Alta Loma Cucamonga, and Etiwanda voted to incorporate, forming the city of Rancho Cucamonga...