Corona Founders Monument

Tunnels under Corona, that’s an option they’re considering to relieve the congestion on the 91 freeway through this former lemon capitol of the world. Since such burrowing doesn’t address the inevitable junction with interstate 15, it would likely just provide more parking for hapless commuters. Oh well, out of sight, out of mind.

Back when the 91 was known as route 18, it was a casual highway for costal types to occasionally investigate the Inland Empire, winding through the canyon along Green River as the hills washed KRLA then KFWB from the radio. A quick strike on the Wonderbar (GM cars) brought in KFXM at 590 on the dial with the music and pulse of these curious natives. Then, crazed commercial hype of the merits of a Corona burger stand, yields a detour down

6^th street

to sample native cuisine and quite possibly the best chocolate malt in the world.

Self promotion here in the crown city goes back a long way to the great circle auto races held on

Grand Boulevard

nearly a hundred years ago. The purpose was to attract potential home buyers and investors by having Barney Oldfield’s ‘Old 999’ and other select Americans defend our honor against the French and their Peugeots and the Italians with their Alphas. Panning the old slide-shutter cameras recorded the duels of those cars with dirt and dust flying from the forward stretched wheels, defining pure speed.

When Corona was founded the concept of

Grand Boulevard

’s shape was to encircle homes and businesses with orchards and farms outside the perimeter. 

Plaque inscription: NO. 738 CORONA FOUNDERS MONUMENT - R. B. Taylor, George L. Joy, Samuel Merrill, A. S. Garretson, and Adolph Rimpau, after purchasing lands of La Sierra Rancho and El Temescal grant, founded the citrus colony and town of Corona on May 4, 1886.
Location: Corona City Park, 100 block of

6th St

(Hwy 71), Corona. Google maps: 33.874647,-117.555653

The call and response song Corona is on the Inland Empire album. There is no online video at this time.

CORONA                   © Radio Flier Music

Corona, Corona, Corona, Corona my home
Corona, Corona, Corona, Corona my home

First in the area - Native Americans
The Luiseno Indians – Corona my home

First called South Riverside – then they had a change of mind
To leave the name behind – for Corona my home

Called the circle city – and from the planting committee
Citrus trees made it pretty – Corona my home

Thank you Mr. Taylor – he was the town’s founder    
He made the town rounder – Corona my home

Is Spanish for crown – Hey what’s three miles around?
A circle on the ground – it’s

Grand Boulevard

Gonna have some races – invite all the aces
Attract a million faces – to Corona my home

Most famous in appeal – was Barney Oldfield
He was a real big wheel – to Corona my home

And this locale – it was the lemon capitol
There was no lemon cap at all – at Corona my home

So now you know the story – of the town and all its glory
And the moral of the story – make Corona your home

Corona, Corona, Corona, Corona my home
Corona, Corona, Corona, Corona my home