California note
La Verne began as Lordsburg, a railroad land-sale town
La Verne's early story starts with Lordsburg, the Santa Fe Railroad, a big 1887 land sale, and a hotel that became a college building.
La Verne started with a boom-town idea and a railroad bet. In 1887, Isaac Wilson Lord pushed for the Santa Fe Railroad to reach land he owned, then hosted a huge land sale for the new town of Lordsburg.
The promotion worked at first. Bands were sent through Los Angeles and San Bernardino to invite people for a free ride to the new town. Thousands came, lots were sold, and building started quickly. A large hotel with more than 60 rooms went up as one of the main projects.
Then the land boom cooled. The hotel waited for guests who did not really come. A few years later, the building found a better use when a Church of the Brethren college opened there in 1891. That college became part of the city’s long identity.
That backstory gives La Verne a clearer shape. Under the foothill-city surface is a railroad, land-sale, hotel, and college story.
Where to see it
Old Town La Verne and the University of La Verne area.
Sources
Sources for this story
Reviewed July 1, 2026
Public sources for the places, events, and details above.
Connected places
Open the local directory
Related notes
Related California notes
Culver City's film history spins in seven downtown zoetropes
Moving Pictures turns Culver City's studio past into seven public artworks that show how still images can appear to move.
Read next →Walker House began as a railroad hotel that missed its boom
San Dimas built the grand Walker House for railroad travelers in 1887, but the hoped-for land boom never arrived.
Read next →Mentryville gives Santa Clarita an old oil-canyon story
Mentryville and Pico Canyon add an early California oil layer to Santa Clarita, with trails, old buildings, and the story of Pico No. 4.
Read next →