The Long Way
San Bernardino County
A tray of freshly baked pies in a kitchen.
Plate I. Fresh apple pies in Oak Glen. From oakglen.net
A scenic view of mountains behind apple trees.
Plate II. Apple orchards, Oak Glen. From oakglen.net
A photo of an apple tree laden with ripe red apples amongst green leaves.
Plate III. Apple trees, Oak Glen Apple Growers Association. From oakglen.net
A stone building with a flagpole flying an American flag in front.
Plate IV. Historic stone building, Oak Glen. From oakglen.net
A rocky mountain framed by trees with autumn leaves.
Plate V. Mountain scenery, Oak Glen Apple Growers Association. From oakglen.net
An orchard in full bloom with mountains in the background.
Plate VI. Apple blossoms in spring, Oak Glen. From oakglen.net

Oak Glen Apple Growers Association

Oak Glen, San Bernardino County, California. Historic agricultural community.

Details

Map. Oak Glen, San Bernardino County, California. Larger map
Where
Oak Glen, San Bernardino County, CA. No street address stated. Directions
Season
Apple harvest runs from Labor Day Weekend through Thanksgiving Weekend.
Getting there
Oak Glen Road returns to Interstate 10 in Beaumont; the whole stretch is a 20-mile scenic loop, with Oak Glen forming a 5-mile section.
Managed by
Oak Glen Apple Growers Association (OGAGA).

A historic agricultural community in the San Bernardino Mountains centered on apple farming and related agritourism.

Notable Events

  1. 1866Enoch Kidder Parrish arrived in Oak Glen and traded four mules and a wagon for 160 acres of land. parrishranch.com
  2. 1867By 1867 Parrish had planted the first full-scale orchard in Oak Glen, just over an acre of mainly Rome Beauty trees. parrishranch.com
  3. 1877Shortly after Parrish's apples were planted, Joseph E. Wilshire arrived with his family, acquired 3,000 acres, and planted apples, cherry and pear orchards. cvindependent.com
  4. 1898Redlands orange rancher Isaac Ford moved to Oak Glen, bought 100 acres and subsequently founded the popular Snow-Line Orchard. cvindependent.com
  5. 1906Brothers Howard Rivers and Ernest Rivers bought 320 acres from the Wilshires and planted apples, becoming Southern California's largest apple-producing and shipping operation. cvindependent.com
  6. 1927Joseph Wilshire's son, C.J. "Blackie" Wilshire, had a stone schoolhouse built on the ranch, which is still there; the first Oak Glen School House had been built on skids and pulled around the glen. cvindependent.com
  7. 1940sAlthough Oak Glen primarily grew apples for export, it became a boomtown overnight in the 1940s when several farms began to sell apples, apple pies, apple butter and apple cider. main.sbcounty.gov
  8. 1966In 1966, a wildland trust came to Oak Glen, offering a picnic area, hiking trails and many activities that made the area more appealing to visitors. main.sbcounty.gov
  9. 1978Dennis Riley, his wife and three sons bought 12 acres from the Wilshires; Dennis Riley is credited with the open-to-the-public U pick concept. cvindependent.com
  10. 1996The Wildlands Conservancy opened the 909-acre Oak Glen Preserve on the Los Rios Rancho, part of which was slated for residential subdivision. cvindependent.com

People

  • C.J. "Blackie" Wilshire, son of Joseph Wilshire; had the stone schoolhouse built on the ranch (1927).
  • Enoch Kidder Parrish, first outsider to settle in Oak Glen; planted the area's first acre of apple trees and established the Parrish Pioneer Ranch (1860s; apple trees planted 1876).
  • Ernest Rivers, co-founder of Los Rios Rancho with his brother Howard (Between 1906 and 1909).
  • Howard Rivers, co-founder of Los Rios Rancho with his brother Ernest (Between 1906 and 1909).
  • Isaac Ford, founded the Snow-Line Orchard (1898).
  • Joseph E. Wilshire, settler who acquired 3,000 acres and planted apple, cherry and pear orchards (1877).
  • Enoch Parrish, opened the first apple orchard in Oak Glen (1876).

Sources

  1. oakglen.net
  2. oakglen.net/what-is-oak-glen
  3. oakglen.net/farms
  4. oakglen.net/seasons
  5. oakglen.net/what-we-do
  6. countywideplan.sbcounty.gov/community/mountain-unincorporated/oak-glen
  7. oakglen.net/events
  8. oakglen.net/apple-butter-festival
  9. oakglen.net/appleblossomfestival
  10. main.sbcounty.gov/2025/05/22/san-bernardino-county-history-oak-glen
  11. cvindependent.com/2026/05/cv-history-forty-miles-from-palm-springs-oak-glen-offers-four-seasons-and-150-years-of-apple-orchards
  12. parrishranch.com/about-the-ranch
  13. oakglen.net/about-index