R.L. Louthian (b. 1841) was one of the first settlers at Etiwanda Colony in San Bernardino County, Calif. (1882). Louthian bought 40 acres in this early irrigated land development and planted them to oranges and grapes. His daughter, Laura, was a teacher at Throop Polytechnic Institute in Pasadena, ancestor of the California Institute of Technology. She apparently leased the family lands to farming tenants after her parents' death. One of these tenants failed to make lease payments, occasioning a severe dunning letter from Ms. Louthian (1932). Etiwanda was developed by George Chaffey (1880-81), who also installed world's first urban electric lighting system in Los Angeles (1882), founded Ontario, Calif. (1882), and invested in many southern California land development schemes, most notably in the Imperial Valley. Chaffey's involvement with Etiwanda is described to some extent in the title abstract to the Louthian property that forms a part of the collection.
From the description of Louthian family papers, 1882-1932. (University of the Pacific). WorldCat record id: 36860263
