Murrieta Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 50 Years
By Rex Oliver
In 1873, the Murrieta brothers, with partner Domingo Pujol and lawyer Francisco Sanjurjo, bought 52,000 acres of the Temecula and Pauba Rancheros from Jacob Snyder and his associates. After three years, the partnership dissolved and the land was divided, with Juan and Ezequiel Murrieta receiving 15,000 acres in the northern portion of the holdings, which included the mineral hot springs. Pujol leased out his land and returned to Spain, where he died in 1881. His widow sold his properties to the Pauba Land and Water Company. In 1882, Ezequiel Murrieta had returned to Spain when Juan Murrieta sold Ezequiel’s holdings to the California Southern Railroad Company. In 1884 Juan sold all but 1,000 acres around his home to the Temecula Land and Water Company and moved his family to Los Angeles where he joined the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department, becoming the first Deputy Sheriff in 1886.
The area was originally named Murrietaville by developers, but after a short promotion the last syllable was dropped. When the application for a post office was written, the applicant (unknown) spelled the name wrong with two ‘ts’. This remained unchanged until 1924 when it was changed to reflect the correct spelling of the name of the two brothers who founded the region.
In 1882 the Southern California railroad came to Murrieta and Temecula, and trains came through the region until 1935 when overland trucking took over freight hauling.
The first pictures of Murrieta Chamber of Commerce activity came in 1914 when John Beeler, the founding president of the Chamber, was photographed holding some of his wares ― he was a baker (E-Hale Curran Collection).
Much of the early activities of the Chamber revolved around promotion of the region at the Riverside County Fair. Murrieta was noted as a “dry farming district” and for its fruits and vegetables. Lettuce was boxed and shipped as far away as Chicago and New York.
Over the years, most of the business activity in the area revolved around the railroad, the gangs of thrashing crews, vegetable, fruits and nut picking. The area did not see any substantial growth until the 1960s when developers proposed the Rancho California Master Plan community.
In 1960, five local businessmen, one of whom was Victor Garrison, owner of the Murrieta Machine Shop located on Washington, began the process of incorporating the Chamber of Commerce. In May of 1960, the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce became an official California Corporation. As well as being a machine shop owner, and first president of the incorporated Chamber, Victor Garrison was also a member of the local Volunteer Fire Department. This was true of many of the business owners of the day. Fifty years later, Victor’s wife, Eileen Garrison, still lives in the house they owned next to the Machine Shop.
There is little information about Chamber activities in the 60s, 70s and 80s; most of the records have been lost. The Executive Director of the Chamber in the early 90s was able to provide the Chamber with its first permanent location on Beckman Court. This was an arrangement with the building owner for 750 square feet for $500 a month. The Chamber began to grow as the City grew, and in 1991, when the City of Murrieta was incorporated, City Councilors provided the Chamber with its first contract to help the City with its Economic Development program. In the ten years following, the Chamber had three different Executive Directors and grew to over 500 members by the turn of the century.
The focus of the Chamber also changed. Previous chamber activities revolved around the three “ps”: Parades, Pageants, and Pancake Breakfasts. As the business climate became more global, members’ needs became networking activities, promoting the community, economic development, being the voice for business before government, and legislative advocacy at the state level.
Today, the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce is a strong voice in the community. It provides opportunities for members to network and expand their businesses. It helps the City of Murrieta with economic development. It is the voice for business at the County, State and Federal levels of Government. Business members represent over 15,000 employee positions. This size, when partnered with the other Chambers in the area, gives it a very large voice.
As it looks forward, it is here to help members weather the current challenging economic climate. 2009 was a very tough year and the Chamber lost many of its members. However, as it looks to 2010, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and this time it is not a train, but a bright future for the Chamber and the City of Murrieta.