A 1930s Childhood on a Ranch in Lamb Canyon

At the Feb. 14 meeting of the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society, Mary Lamb Flake shared stories about her family, which settled in the hills south of Beaumont in what would become known as Lamb Canyon, and the memories of her childhood there in the 1930s.

Flake’s family ranched in the canyon for nearly 100 years, beginning in the mid-1800s, and she spoke about the hard work of tending the cattle, including the arduous task of managing the artesian wells, and an uncle who was paid $50 for each lion kill in an effort to protect the herds. Her father and grandfather were also stagecoach drivers, and her grandmother was the first postmistress of Summit, which later became Beaumont.

Her father and eight siblings were born and lived in the canyon, and the extended family, including her 35 first cousins, gathered monthly for barbecues. In addition to historical family photos, Flake also displayed her family’s branding iron, which is believed to be the first branding iron registered in Riverside County. It is shaped in the initials “ML,” for her grandmother, who was also named Mary Lamb.

At the next meeting of the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society, the evening’s guests will be Beaumont Mayor Julio Martinez III and City Manager Todd Parton participating in a conversation about the city’s historical priorities and concerns. The meeting will be Thursday, March 14, at 7 p.m. at the Beaumont Woman’s Club, 306 E. 6th St., Beaumont. A similar meeting with Banning’s city leadership will be hosted by the society on June 13.

The historical society museum, located in the Beaumont Woman’s Club, will be open to the public on Saturday, March 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and admission is free.

Information about the society’s ongoing activities may be found on the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society Facebook page.