Mt. Rubidoux
Recreation
Mount Rubidoux is a hill within the city of Riverside, California, United States, that has been designated a city park and landmark.
The isolated, 1,337-foot high granite hill towering above the city’s western edge has long been a landmark to travelers and residents alike, ever since the 1880s when Riverside emerged as the quintessential Southern California citrus town. The mountain was named for one of its 19th century owners, wealthy ranchero Louis Rubidoux.
With the help of the deep pockets of Southern Pacific Railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington, Frank Miller, owner of the lavish, pride-of-Riverside Mission Inn, purchased the mountain in 1906. Their intention was to use the mountain as an attraction to sell residential lots at its base.
Mt. Rubidoux was landscaped and a road constructed to the summit, where a cross was planted. Some historians believe America’s first Easter sunrise service took place atop Rubidoux in 1909 and inspired similar observances around the continent.
Location: 4706 Mt. Rubidoux Street
Riverside, California 92501
Website: www.mt-rubidoux.org
