William Alvord

January 3, 1833 – December 21, 1904

Our school and district are named after William Alvord.  William Alvord was involved in many important commercial ventures and civic and educational organizations.  He was the mayor of San Francisco in the 1870s; he was a trustee of the College of California from which grew the University of California school system; and he was the President of the Bank of California until his death in 1904.  William Alvord died at 71.  He was never married.

William Alvord may never have set foot in Riverside County; however, a planned town was named after him as well as the Alvord Unified School District and a 3,456 foot high mountain in San Bernardino County off Interstate 15.

On February 17, 1876 , a Deed of Conveyance was filed for the Riverside area, and on this legal transfer of ownership, one square mile was reserved for the “Townsite of Alvord”. This town was named by S. C. Evans, President of the Riverside Land and Irrigating Company, in honor of William Alvord, President of the Bank of California and also a director of the San Jacinto Tin Company. Evans’ company became the full owner of the San Jacinto Tin Company when William Alvord, at the September 17, 1885 meeting of the Tin Company’s Board of Directors made the motion that a quitclaim deed be executed in favor of the Riverside Land and Irrigating Company, thus amending the original Deed of Conveyance. This land extended roughly from Arlington to Temescal Wash. According to Jane Davies Gunther in, “ Riverside County , California , Place Names” , Mr. Alvord showed his appreciation of having this new town named for him by commissioning a flag for the Alvord Townsite and sending a letter of thanks to his long time Riverside friend, Mr. Evans.

The letter of appreciation sent by Mr. Alvord in San Francisco to Mr. Evans on April 11, 1889: “Accept many thanks for the delicious oranges, which were in my rooms when I went home last evening; filling them with fragrance of your own delightful groves. Your kindness, like your own raisins and oranges, is perennial, and fully appreciated. … I trust (this flag) will wave over land growing the finest oranges in the state, and over people blessed with abundant prosperity and contentment. Yours sincerely, William Alvord.”