Before John C. Fremont trekked up the Mojave River with his Indian guide in 1884, in search of a route to open the West, Father Garcias, the Spanish missionary, and Jedediah Smith, the explorer, were the only white men to have entered this part of the high desert. Later, the miners came in great numbers (some of the old mine shafts can still be seen in the surrounding hills).
Prior to this, the valley was inhabited by Indians, many of whom challenged the white man for command of the land. In January 1867, the last Indian battle was fought a few miles east of Apple Valley at a place called Chimney Rock, now marked by a state registered historical monument. Today, people of many ethnic cultures live together in the peaceful surroundings of the valley.
Mrs. Ursula Pates, an early settler who came to the valley about 1893, is credited with having named the valley. Mrs. Pates claimed that the area was called "Appleton Valley" at the time. She is quoted as saying, "there were apples being grown along the river, but not by the "ton," so I just called it Apple Valley".
In the years that followed, the fruit orchards increased until hundred of acres were planted with fruit trees of many kinds that produced an abundance of fruits.
The years following World War I brought many changes that affected the ranchers, and gradually the orchards died and the valley returned to its original landscape of quiet desert beauty.
The area's developers were Newton Bass and B. J. Westlund, oil field wildcatters who settled here in 1945. They pioneered a land development that today sees Apple Valley as one of the desert's most prosperous areas.
Apple Valley Today!
The Town of Apple Valley is not just a place. Apple Valley is an experience. Here a family can have a real home, un-crowded and sun drenched. The air is clean and the neighbors friendly. The community was incorporated on November 28,1988 with a population of more than 48,000 persons. More that 300,000 persons populate the Victor Valley, in which Apple Valley is located.
One of the most centrally located cities in Southern California, Apple Valley is tucked quietly away in the High Desert, nestled on the Mojave River. While valley residents enjoy an unhurried, un-crowded existence, a multitude of recreations from sand to snow are within a short drive. Snow skiing, summer camping and boating are just 45 minutes away in the Big Bear and Wrightwood areas. If theater, surfing or Disneyland are to your liking, all can be reached within 1 1/2 hours of Apple Valley in the Los Angeles basin. And the gamblers among you can travel to Las Vegas in three hours by car or less than one hour by plane.
Apple Valley: "A Better Way of Life"
Since the days of Gable and Lombard when rumors of their stolen visits to the Yucca Loma Ranch were whispered in Hollywood, Apple Valley has been known as "a better way of life."
People who settle here do so by choice and not out of necessity. They are attracted by the clean air, hometown feeling of the High Desert and especially of Apple Valley. Apple Valley was started back in the late 1930's by Newton Bass and B. J. Westlund, two oil catters from the coast. About 40 years ago, Bass and Westlund bought 20,000 acres east of Victorville from the Union Pacific Railroad. Known as a retreat for movie stars and the sight of several movie productions, Apple Valley became world famous. Among celebrities who came up to make movies or to just get away from it all were Red Skelton, Fred Mac Murray, Jonathon Winters, Ceasar Romero, Anthony Quinn, Dorothy Malone, Raymond Burr, Chuck Connors, Lawrence Welk, John Charles Thomas, Dean Martin, Dale Robertson and Desi Arnas. Even Apple Valley's most famous citizen, Roy Rogers, got involved, opening up the Roy Rogers Museum and running the Roy Rogers Apple Valley Inn.
Several "Dude Ranches" dotted the area in which everyone would sit around the campfire and sing songs. You really felt like you were in a wagon train, camping out. Considering how the area is growing, it's a bit hard to picture now. Bass, who died in 1983, was once asked why he wanted to build a city out in the middle of nowhere. He said, "I had the vision to see, the faith to believe and the courage to do it."
