Adobe structure is the oldest standing building in Rialto.

The Rialto Adobe (1853)

Built by Michael White — A Landmark of Early Inland California
By BOB SOKOLSKY
San Bernardino Sun -- January 21, 2002
Staff photos by: La Fonzo Carter (original article)

Tucked beneath a 19th-century iron bed inside the Rialto Adobe sits an object that often surprises visitors. Short, rounded, and made of metal, it rests quietly in the corner.

“Yes,” longtime Historical Society President Bette Hughbanks would smile. “That’s a chamber pot. It was useful on cold nights when someone didn’t want to walk to the outhouse.”

It is not the kind of artifact one expects to define a historic structure — yet it perfectly captures daily life in what is believed to be Rialto’s oldest standing building.

Built in 1853 by former seaman Michael White (also known as Michael Blanco), the Rialto Adobe stands today in Bud Bender Park (formerly Lilac Park), preserved as a rare and intimate window into 19th-century frontier life in the San Bernardino Valley.

The Man Who Built It: Michael White (1801–1885)

Most historical records list Michael White as a native of Kent, England, born February 10, 1801.

At approximately 13 years of age, he went to sea aboard the whaling ship Perseverance, serving nearly three years. During a voyage to La Paz in Mexico, he suffered an injury while ashore and was cared for by a local family — an experience that shaped his future. He later embraced Mexican citizenship and immersed himself in the culture of the region.

White’s life was one of extraordinary movement and adventure. Historical accounts describe him as:

• A privateer

• A crew member aboard a Hawaiian warship

• A participant in Mexican-American conflicts during California’s turbulent 1840s

• A global voyager who visited ports across multiple continents

By the early 1850s, White established himself in what would later become Rialto.

Why was the Adobe Was Built?

Constructed in 1853, the adobe was more than a residence.

According to historical accounts, it served as:

• A shelter and lookout point

• A way station for travelers

• A protective vantage against mercenary raids in the region

• A stop for stagecoach activity

• A place to feed and shelter animals

Its thick adobe brick walls — made from sun-dried earth — provided insulation and durability. The building originally stood on the north side of Walnut Avenue between Riverside and Sycamore avenues.

Around the mid-1800s, Wyatt Earp and his family reportedly lived nearby, placing the adobe within a frontier landscape that included figures who would become nationally recognized in American lore.

Life Inside the Adobe

The interior today reflects the era in which White lived. Period artifacts help transport visitors back in time.

Among the preserved items are:

• A 19th-century oak dining table and chairs

• An oil lamp

• A Republic stove

• A saddle with rope and halter

• A wash basin and pitcher

• Oil and milk cans

• A grape press

• A strap used for a team of horses

• A section of pipe that once carried water from Lytle Creek into Rialto

• Period photographs, including an image of Michael White

And beneath the iron bed — the chamber pot that quietly reminds visitors how daily life once functioned.

White’s wife and children — eventually numbering thirteen — lived in the adobe briefly. Historical sources vary, estimating his residence there lasted between nine months and two years. Ongoing raids reportedly forced him to relocate.

Throughout his later life, White engaged in numerous legal disputes regarding land ownership and died in Los Angeles in 1885, possibly in financial hardship.

A Building That Survived Change

After White departed, the adobe continued to serve as a residence for other families. At one point it was divided into two small homes.

In 1961, when the local school district expressed interest in acquiring the property, the Women’s Club of Rialto proposed relocating the structure to preserve it. The Rialto Junior Chamber of Commerce undertook the move, completing the relocation in December 1961 to its current site at Bud Bender Park.

During the relocation, an extraordinary discovery was made.

Large quantities of 1879 newspapers were found used as insulation within the walls. Though covered with wood shavings, they remained readable and revealed:

• Names of former occupants

• Evidence of stagecoach activity

• Predictions that the coming of the railroad would end that era

That prediction proved accurate in 1885.

Restoration and Preservation

A major restoration effort began in 1995 and concluded between 1996 and 1997. The project was supported by:

• The Rialto Historical Society

• Local businesses

• Civic clubs

• Private individuals

Exterior plaques document its role in the Banning Brothers Stage Line and note that Kansas colonists used the adobe as temporary housing in 1887.

The surrounding grounds feature:

• Native cactus and succulents

• Oleander and desert landscaping

• A hitching post

• A water trough

Today, the structure remains secured for preservation but is available for educational visits and group tours through the Rialto Historical Society.

A Rare Frontier Survivor

The Rialto Adobe predates the City of Rialto’s 1911 incorporation by nearly sixty years. It stands not merely as a building, but as a layered record of:

• Early Mexican-era influence

• Frontier defense and transportation networks

• Stagecoach and rail transition

• Agricultural settlement patterns

• Community preservation efforts in the 20th century

Few structures in the Inland Empire carry such a continuous thread of history.

Visiting Information

The Rialto Adobe is located at the end of Millard Avenue within Bud Bender Park (formerly Lilac Park), Rialto, California.

Visiting arrangements can be made through:

Rialto Historical Society
(909) 875-1750

Educational tours and group visits are welcomed by arrangement





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