Railroad Canyon
Encyclopedia
Railroad Canyon, also known as San Jacinto Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and Annie Orton Canyon, lies along the course of the San Jacinto River
at the point where the river passes south through the hills from Perris, California
, through Canyon Lake, California
, then west to Lake Elsinore, California
. It has its present name from the California Southern Railroad
that was constructed up the canyon from the Lake Elsinore Station to the Pincate Station
and what is now Perris in 1882. Flooding in 1927 destroyed the rail line in the canyon and it was abandoned. In 1928, the Railroad Canyon Dam was built, which flooded the canyon to produce the Railroad Canyon Reservoir
, also called Canyon Lake
.
On September 14, 1865, outlaw James Henry
of the Mason Henry Gang
and his gang of rustlers, robbers and murderers were camped out near San Bernardino, California
. San Bernardino County Sheriff
George T. Fulgham
and his posse, led by John Rogers (a gang member sent to town to obtain provisions and captured after drunken boasting), found and surprised Henry camped in Railroad Canyon, then called San Jacinto Canyon, about twenty-five miles from town. At sunrise the posse approached cautiously but Henry awoke and fired three shots, striking one posse member in the foot. Henry died in a hail of gunfire, sustaining 57 wounds. His corpse was taken back to town, photographed and displayed in Old West fashion.
San Jacinto River (California)
The San Jacinto River is a river in Riverside County, California. The river's headwaters are in San Bernardino National Forest, but the lower portion of the watershed is urban and agricultural land....
at the point where the river passes south through the hills from Perris, California
Perris, California
Perris is a city in Riverside County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city population was 68,386, up from 36,189 at the 2000 census. The city is named in honor of Fred T. Perris, chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad...
, through Canyon Lake, California
Canyon Lake, California
Canyon Lake is a gated community in Riverside County, California, United States. One of only five gated cities in California, Canyon Lake began as a master-planned community developed by Corona Land Company in 1968. The “City of Canyon Lake” was incorporated on December 1, 1990. It geographically...
, then west to Lake Elsinore, California
Lake Elsinore, California
For the lake see Lake Elsinore.Lake Elsinore or LE is a city in western Riverside County, California. The population was 51,821 at the 2010 census...
. It has its present name from the California Southern Railroad
California Southern Railroad
The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego,...
that was constructed up the canyon from the Lake Elsinore Station to the Pincate Station
Pinacate, California
Pinacate, , was a small settlement east of the Pinacate Mining District in Riverside County, California. It was established when the California Southern Railroad line was built between Colton and San Diego in 1882...
and what is now Perris in 1882. Flooding in 1927 destroyed the rail line in the canyon and it was abandoned. In 1928, the Railroad Canyon Dam was built, which flooded the canyon to produce the Railroad Canyon Reservoir
Canyon Lake (California)
Canyon Lake, sometimes referenced as Railroad Canyon Reservoir is an artificial lake created in 1928 by the construction of the Railroad Canyon Dam in Railroad Canyon or in Riverside County, California. The reservoir covers approximately , has of shoreline, and has a storage capacity of...
, also called Canyon Lake
Canyon Lake (California)
Canyon Lake, sometimes referenced as Railroad Canyon Reservoir is an artificial lake created in 1928 by the construction of the Railroad Canyon Dam in Railroad Canyon or in Riverside County, California. The reservoir covers approximately , has of shoreline, and has a storage capacity of...
.
On September 14, 1865, outlaw James Henry
Tom McCauley
Tom McCauley, better known by his alias as James Henry or Jim Henry , was one of the many California Gold Rush criminals in Tuolumne County convicted of murder with his brother in 1857 and imprisoned for ten years...
of the Mason Henry Gang
Mason Henry Gang
Mason Henry Gang 1864-1865, a bandit gang that posed as Confederate partisan rangers but acted as outlaws, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the southern San Joaquin Valley, Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, and in counties of Southern California.- Mason and Henry as...
and his gang of rustlers, robbers and murderers were camped out near San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
. San Bernardino County Sheriff
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department serves San Bernardino County, California, which is geographically the largest county in the lower 48 states. SBSD provides law enforcement services to the unincorporated areas of the county and contract law enforcement services to 14 of the county's...
George T. Fulgham
George T. Fulgham
George T. Fulgham, Sheriff of San Bernardino County, California from 1864-1866. Led the posse that killed Jim Henry of the Mason Henry Gang in San Jacinto Canyon on September 14, 1865.-References:...
and his posse, led by John Rogers (a gang member sent to town to obtain provisions and captured after drunken boasting), found and surprised Henry camped in Railroad Canyon, then called San Jacinto Canyon, about twenty-five miles from town. At sunrise the posse approached cautiously but Henry awoke and fired three shots, striking one posse member in the foot. Henry died in a hail of gunfire, sustaining 57 wounds. His corpse was taken back to town, photographed and displayed in Old West fashion.