Almanac note · History and culture
Ontario has a local history room for the Model Colony story
Ontario's Model Colony History Room keeps books, maps, photos, yearbooks, directories, oral histories, and local records tied to Ontario and western San Bernardino County.
Euclid Avenue gives Ontario its big Model Colony look. The library history room keeps the small details close. The Robert E. Ellingwood Model Colony History Room has been part of Ontario City Library since 1970.
It focuses on Ontario and the western part of San Bernardino County. The collection includes books, newspaper articles, brochures, photos, maps, yearbooks, city directories, building surveys, oral histories, and other local records.
That may sound quiet, but it can help with real questions. An old house, a local business, a school yearbook, a family name, or an old photo can all become easier to trace here.
It also fits Ontario’s beginning. The Chaffey brothers planned the colony around water, land sales, irrigation, and a strong idea of what a town could become. A city with that much planning history benefits from a place that cares for the paper trail.
It is not the loudest stop in town. For people who like old maps, local photos, and the story behind a street name, it can be a small treasure.
Where to see it
Robert E. Ellingwood Model Colony History Room at Ontario City Library.
Official sources
Official source trail
Reviewed July 3, 2026
California Porch explains the path. The official source is still the place to confirm the current rule, fee, form, map, deadline, or office decision.
Use the official page before you spend money, file paperwork, rely on a deadline, or change a property.
Connected places
Where it fits on the map
Open a place page for the county layer, nearby places, and other California entries tied to that local page.
Related notes
Keep following this thread.
These are picked from nearby places, shared tags, and the same California topic shelf.
Ontario's Model Colony was built around water, roads, and citrus
Ontario began as the Chaffey brothers' Model Colony, where water rights, Euclid Avenue, citrus, and careful planning shaped the city.
Read next →Graber Olive House keeps Ontario's farm roots close
Graber Olive House began from an early Ontario Model Colony farm lot, grew into a long-running olive business, and still helps the city remember its agricultural side.
Read next →Ontario's museum lives in the old City Hall
Ontario Museum of History and Art is housed in the city's former City Hall, a WPA-funded landmark on Euclid Avenue.
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