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The Gateway City
Early San Bernardino Postcard Views
Following are early postcard views from various locales in San Bernardino. These picturescue scenes reveal a city that was once abundant in both its natural beauty and unique architecture.
Note: Most of the images here were scanned from original, early postcards and are thus public domain. These are intended to be provided for free for educational purposes. You may save them on your computer for your own personal collection or even use them in your own website if you wish. However, some real photographs I may include later may still hold a valid copyright, and in such cases I will indicate this. I will make every reasonable effort to obtain permission to use copyrighted photographs or other media on this site. In all cases, please do not charge for or otherwise use these images for commercial purposes.
Third and D Street. 1909.
Circa 1909; SBVT trolley car at 'E' and Third Street, in front of Stewart Hotel.
Circa 1906. E Street, looking north towards Third Street. Trolley track and overhead wire visible. The Stewart Hotel is on the right, and the County Courthouse can be seen in the far background. (This was taken from a real photograph.)
Circa 1906. Looking west on Third Street. Intersection of Third and 'E' Streets, trolley "wye" track (Urbita Springs E Street line junction with Third Street main line) seen in street. Stewart Hotel at corner.
San Bernardino had grown into a thriving city by this time! Here is another, later postcard view of Third and E Street. Circa 1915.
Early 1900s. Third Street, looking east (from F Street perhaps?).
Early 1900s. Third Street, looking west.
Date unknown. Southern Pacific and Salt Lake Railroad Depot on Third Street, between E and F Streets. Also later served as Pacific Electric Railway San Bernardino station.
This view is of the Santa Fe Railroad Station on Third Street, circa 1915, prior to it being rebuilt into the present larger mission revial style structure in 1918.
1909. Carnegie Library on D Street.
Circa 1915, Urbita Hot Springs Park. Urbita Springs was in south San Bernardino, where the Inland Center Mall is now.
Early 1900s. Urbita Hot Springs
Hot Springs and Creek at Meadowbrook Park, circa 1920s.
As well as being a major transportation hub, in earlier times San Bernardino had always been an advanced cultural and educational center, with many schools and colleges, parks, libraries, and theaters. This view is of the Polytechnic High School, circa 1915.