Murrieta's hot springs helped turn a valley stop into a name

Murrieta’s story has a few sharp turns. Esequial Murrieta bought a large valley holding in the 1870s, then his brother Juan brought in a huge flock of sheep. The land had open grass, oak trees, sycamores, and natural hot springs.

The railroad changed the pace. Tracks reached the valley in 1882, and by 1890 Murrieta had grown to about 800 people. The hot springs then became the piece that made the place known well beyond the valley. For the first half of the 1900s, Murrieta Hot Springs Resort gave the town a destination name.

Then train service stopped in 1935, and the boom cooled off. Murrieta stayed quieter until Interstate 15 and new housing pushed fast growth decades later.

That history helps the modern city make more sense. Behind the newer neighborhoods is a valley story of ranch land, rail, warm springs, a resort, and one of Riverside County’s big growth waves.