Miguel Navarro
Staff Writer
The Ontario Museum of History and Art has an exhibit, “Built on Water,” as part of its permanent collection.
The exhibit featured interactive games for kids, information on the history of water in Ontario, and exhibits honoring tribes that resided in the Ontario area years ago.
“The goal is to educate our community about water preservation, conservation, and how it established Ontario and the agricultural region,” Curator of Exhibits Samantha Herrera said.
The history of water in Ontario dates back to the late 19th century.
Settlers like George and William Chaffey put in place unique methods of bringing water from the mountains.
Once they developed this piping in the area, water became an integral part of Ontario and served as a necessity for expansion.
The engineering of water in the region led to people forming communities and moving to the area.
Although the Chaffey brothers helped expand the water industry, key water practices had taken place years prior.
An integral part of the exhibit was honoring the life and practices of the Native tribes who resided in the region.
The Cahuilla, Tongva and Maara’yam tribes are known as the “Water Guardians.”
Throughout the exhibit, there were walls explaining their water connection and how they used it for their survival.
The “Water Guardians” developed methods of irrigation and used rocks to help the water flow to their crops.
“Key components were making sure we acknowledged the local regional tribes which were the Water Guardians,” Herrera said.
Displayed throughout the exhibit were artifacts related to the history of water.
The artifact of the trolley dated back to the 1800s, and these types of carts were used to help gather water.
Collections Assistant Alcira Mendoza worked closely with the trolley, cleaning it to make sure it was in good condition to display.
The opportunity to handle an artifact with so much history was something Mendoza valued.
“I was literally touching a piece of history, and a piece of history that is going to be in an exhibit for a long time,” Mendoza said.
Other displays of the exhibit included another artifact of a redwood pipe, information about the water cycle, and the timeline of how water grew to be so essential for Ontario.
Water opened the door for Ontario to become an agricultural hub and a thriving city.
For the kids, there were virtual reality headsets to educate them and games that taught them how to preserve water.
For each guest, they also had the opportunity to take a pledge card and pledge a positive lifestyle change on water usage.
For the group of people it takes to make sure the exhibit is possible, there is a lot of work to honor the history and the story they are trying to tell.
Educating the guests and growing the exhibit is the goal.
“It’s an opportunity for us to see if we can continue bettering our museum … it’s a great way to really get community input,” Museum Assistant Jasmine Gutierrez said.
Overall, the main message the exhibit is trying to convey is the history of water and the people who helped shape it, such as the Guardians of Water and Chaffey Brothers.
It was also important to educate the community about water conservation.
“The most important part is knowing that this is a prestigious resource that we all need and have to take care of,” Herrera said.
The exhibit offered their guests a unique opportunity to learn about water and leave with a new understanding.
“I like how it was presented, it was presented in a way that was easy to understand,” resident of Riverside Humberto Perez said.
The museum, at 225 Euclid Ave., is open from noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is free.
For more information, visit ontariomuseum.org.
Miguel Navarro can be reached at miguel.navarro@laverne.edu.
Miguel Navarro is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism, and is a staff writer for the Campus Times. He also serves as a broadcaster at the University of La Verne, and he hopes to one day work in sports media.
Natalia Rodriguez is a senior creative writing and communications major. She is a member of ULV's The Blank Page Writer's Club and has served as a staff member for the school's literary magazine, Prism Review. She is currently arts editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and previously served as a staff writer.
