Butterfield Valley facts for kids
Butterfield Valley is a beautiful valley in Riverside County, California. It follows the path of Temecula Creek. Today, the lower part of the valley is filled by Vail Lake. The valley starts around 33°27′39″N 116°55′34″W / 33.46083°N 116.92611°W and ends near the Vail Lake Dam. This dam is at the beginning of a deep canyon that Temecula Creek carved through Oak Mountain on its way to the Pauba Valley.
The History of Butterfield Valley
Early Settlers and Jim Hamilton
The valley is named after an important historical figure, Jim Hamilton. He was an African American man who moved to the area in the late 1860s. Jim Hamilton settled on land at the eastern edge of the Rancho Pauba.
In 1870, records show that James Hamilton was 49 years old. He was a widower living on a 160-acre farm with his four children near Temecula. His farm was valued at $5,000, which was more than other similar farms nearby. Later, in the early 1880s, Jim Hamilton lost this land because of a legal case about who owned the Rancho Pauba.
Hamilton's Legacy in Anza
Even after losing his farm, Jim Hamilton moved to the lands of the Cahuilla people. There, he and two of his sons continued to raise cattle. Their ranch was in the Anza Valley, and this area was first known as the Hamilton Plain.
Today, Hamilton Creek, which starts east of Anza, is still named after him. Hamilton School in Anza was also named in his honor. Since 2006-2007, the school has been divided into a K-8 School and Hamilton High School.
Jim Hamilton was married to a Native American woman and had three sons. Two of his sons became U. S. Marshals. The two surviving sons also married Native American women.
