In the mid-1950s, the only state-run school for deaf stu­dents in Cal­i­for­nia was in San Fran­cis­co, known as the Cal­i­for­nia School for the Deaf. This insti­tu­tion became a vital cen­ter for Deaf Cul­ture in the state, but for fam­i­lies liv­ing in South­ern Cal­i­for­nia, espe­cial­ly those near the Mex­i­can bor­der, get­ting to Berke­ley was a daunt­ing task. Post-World War II, as Los Ange­les emerged as a major city, advo­cates suc­cess­ful­ly pushed for a sec­ond school in South­ern Cal­i­for­nia, cul­mi­nat­ing in the estab­lish­ment of the Cal­i­for­nia School for the Deaf in River­side in 1946, under Gov­er­nor Earl War­ren.

River­side, then a mod­est city of fifty thou­sand, was pri­mar­i­ly known for its vast orange groves. The region’s trans­for­ma­tion was large­ly due to irri­ga­tion canals that turned the arid land­scape fer­tile, par­tic­u­lar­ly with the intro­duc­tion of the sweet navel orange from Brazil in the 1870s. This fruit not only spurred local indus­try but also gave rise to the Sunkist brand, which pro­pelled River­side into recog­ni­tion as the ori­gin of Cal­i­for­ni­a’s cit­rus indus­try. By the late 19th cen­tu­ry, its oranges were prized, win­ning acco­lades at events like the New Orleans World’s Fair.

In 1948, a site for the new school was cho­sen amongst bar­ley and orange trees. Advo­cates wel­comed its dis­tance from men­tal insti­tu­tions, avoid­ing con­comi­tant stig­mas else­where. The land was pur­chased for a mere $68,500, with hopes that this school would indeed be one of the finest in the nation. Although it would­n’t receive its first stu­dents until 1953, the antic­i­pa­tion for what the Cal­i­for­nia School for the Deaf in River­side would bring was pal­pa­ble. The school boast­ed a pic­turesque loca­tion with views of the San Gabriel Moun­tains, spread out over gen­er­ous­ly land­scaped grounds, a rar­i­ty among state insti­tu­tions at the time.

As the years pro­gressed, the land­scape of River­side dras­ti­cal­ly changed. The orig­i­nal orange orchards made way for sub­ur­ban sprawl, and the pop­u­la­tion surged to 300,000 by 2022. River­side became a sig­nif­i­cant play­er in the U.S. econ­o­my through its con­nec­tion to freight and logis­tics, adapt­ing to a car-cen­tric cul­ture along­side its bur­geon­ing hous­ing devel­op­ments. Despite this trans­for­ma­tion, echoes of its past remain, high­light­ed by a revi­tal­ized down­town and parks hon­or­ing its cit­rus her­itage. River­side his­to­ri­an Vin­cent Moses apt­ly cap­tures the nos­tal­gia of these changes, reflect­ing on the region’s shift from a fer­tile par­adise to urban devel­op­ment.