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Rights Holder and Contact
Upland Public Library Local History Collection For more information on the copyright or about this image, please contact the Upland Public Library at (909) 931-4205 or ci.upland.ca.us/#Local_History
Description
These recordings are of an interview with Clifton Chappell, who was born in 1910. The interview took place in 1977 and discussed Chappell’s relationship to the Cucamonga Mutual Water Company and how the water company came to have bonding rights that operate similarly to a company that is owned by the city and district. The interview discussed how Chappell came to work as a Zanjero for the Cucamonga Mutual Water Company. As the interview examined the collection and extraction of water, Chappell reflected on the number of housing being built near the mountains. He suggested that those homes may change the water cycle because the water cannot seep into the ground. The interview discussed how the Cucamonga Mutual Water Company dissolved into the County Water District. After the water companies came under one head, Chappell discussed the process of digging tunnels and wells as water seeped lower and lower into the ground. He also recounted a time where the control of a pipe valve broke and how the company addressed the problem. Chappell discussed the flood of 1938 and 1969; he recounted a story of a family losing their home to the 1969 flood. The interview discussed how Chappell was a member of the Elks Lodge and Cucamonga Service Club. Chappell also discussed the incorporation of Alta Loma, Cucamonga, and Etiwanda under Rancho Cucamonga. The end of the interview discussed how the newly incorporated tri-city community might face problems in the future despite the success of the Water Company, fire department, and industry. The interview ends on tape 2, side 1.
Audio cassette tape, 2 cassette tapes, Oral History #53 and #54: San Antonio Water Company Oral History Collection, Upland Public Library Local History Collection.
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