ABOUT

Rancho Cucamonga is a suburban city situated at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in San Bernardino County, California. It is located 37 miles (60 km) east of Downtown Los Angeles.

History

Rancho Cucamonga's first settlers were Native American. By 1200 A.D., Kukamongan Native Americans had established a village settlement in the area around present-day Red Hill, near the city's western border. Kukamonga derives its name from a Native-American word meaning "sandy place." Anthropologists have determined that this cluster of settlers likely belonged to the Gabrielino culture, at one time one of the largest concentrations of Native American peoples on the North American continent. In the 18th Century, following an expedition led by Gaspar de Portola, the land was incorporated into the Mission System established by Father Junipera Serra and his group of soldiers and Franciscan Monks.