Clevelin Hills facts for kids
The Clevelin Hills are a group of hills in southern California. They are part of the larger Peninsular Ranges system. You can find them in western Riverside County, within the Temescal Mountains.
These hills reach different heights. In the southeast, they are over 1,400 feet (430 m) tall. The highest point is in the northwest, reaching 1,835 feet (559 m) high.
The Clevelin Hills got their name from the Clevelin Corporation. This company was led by Henry Cleveland Schultz and Abe Corlinsky in the 1920s. They combined parts of their names to create "Clevelin."
This area is known for its special historic homes. These are Clevelin Spanish-Mediterranean style houses. They were designed by architects Dickman & Simmons. The homes have unique features inspired by the Hopi people. They also have Italianate gardens, designed by Otto Gutkaes.
You can also see hundreds of Marbelite lampposts here. These lampposts are over 100 years old! Henry Barkschat, an engineer and inventor, designed them. They are made from a special cement with sparkling white granite. Every evening, the lamps on Lakeshore Drive light up the area. This was once the lakefront of the Clevelin community.
How the Clevelin Hills Formed
The Clevelin Hills have an interesting geological story. They are a type of landform called a horst. Imagine a block of land that has been pushed up. This block sits on the edge of something called the Perris Block.
The hills are next to a sunken area called a graben. This graben forms the Elsinore Valley. The hills are very close to the shore of Lake Elsinore. This whole area is shaped by the Glen Ivy Fault, which is a crack in the Earth's crust.
Rocks of the Clevelin Hills
The Clevelin Hills are made of many different kinds of rocks. In the southeast, near Lake Elsinore, you can find Triassic Santa Ana Formation rocks. There are also Jurassic dacite and gabbro rocks.
Further northeast, the hills are mostly made of older fanglomerate. This rock is found under Cretaceous grandiorite. You can also see Eocene Martinez Formation rocks on the hillsides. Some Santa Ana Formation rocks are also found at the northwest end of the hills. You can even see them near Canyon Lake.
