From the “History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties” Volume One, published by the Western Historical Association in 1922, under the section “Beekeeping in Riverside County,” and written by beekeeper L.L. Andrews.

“About 1872, there was an apiary in the Temescal Valley, a few miles east of what is now Glen Ivy and Cold Water Canyon. The bees were brought in by a negro from Mexico or a district near the Mexican border. These are the first bees of which we can find any trace.

“In the year 1874, Mr. James Boyd hauled bees for Mr. D. McLeod from near where Escondido now stands to the Temescal Valley. This apiary was later sold to Morse and Compton as was noted in the Riverside Press of December 28, 1878. Mr. Compton at this writing, January 1922, still resides in the Temescal Valley and keeps an apiary on the same location one quarter of a mile from Lee Lake. This territory is near where the San Diego and San Bernardino County line crossed the valley before Riverside County was cut off.

“There was honey on exhibition from San Diego County at the fair of the Southern California Horticulture Society held in Los Angeles in October 1878. There was also honey from the apiary of Captain Webb of Box Springs and it was pronounced as “white as paper.” In the Riverside Press of December 27, 1879, is an item which reads: “Anderson Brothers of Temescal have received returns from their honey crop of 14,400 pounds. This honey has been kept for two years for a better market and was sold in San Francisco for 15 cents per pound. The cash receipts were $2,160.”

“Temescal Valley, like other vast tracts of land throughout Southern California, was covered with wild brush of all kinds. Black sage, white sage, wild buckwheat, sumac, wild alfalfa, etc., were found in abundance, and furnishing plenty of nectar offered promising locations for the apiarist.”