Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Welcome to the San Bernardino County Dairy Preserve, home to the USA's top "dairy farm" industry. While many picture Hollywood, this video reveals the surprising "history" of "farming" and "agriculture" just east of Los Angeles. Discover the local significance and hidden stories of this vital part of the "inland empire", contrasting it with the more famous Southern California image. It's a captivating look at the area.
Find the websites and socials of all 6 states here: AbandonedAtlas.com/links
Feature Documentary on a really cool abandoned hotel!
amazon.com/Forever-Majestic-Caitlen-Taylor/dp/B09VB6R4J7
Producers: Prairie Nation Creative - prairie-creative.com
Urbana Preservation & @CityofOntario
Credits and Sources
Directed By: Michael Schwarz & Emily Cowan
Archival Materials
Engelhardt, Zephyrin. San Diego Mission. San Francisco: James H. Barry Company, 1920. Internet Archive, archive.org/details/SanDiegoMission/page/n137/mode/2up.
Mariposa Indian Encampment. Albert Bierstadt. In Time and Place, intimeandplace.org/El%20Dorado/people1.html.
Photographic Collections
Homestead Museum
Spring Street, Los Angeles, Looking North from Just South of Fourth Street, c. 1905. Homestead Museum Blog, 23 Apr. 2020, https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2020/04/23/photo-gallery-of-the-week-23-april-2020/.
Los Angeles Historic Photos
Posterazzi, posterazzi.com/.
Library of Congress
Various materials, loc.gov.
California Revealed
Harold Cecil Musser Collection, californiarevealed.org/do/221ed584-0ca4-4af5-91d5-0b6c36f9291a.
Wisconsin Historical Materials
Herald Times Reporter (Manitowoc, Wisconsin), https://www.htrnews.com.
Badger History Group, badgerhistorygroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Threshing-near-Denzer-Sauk-County-Hist-Soc-photo-DZ6.jpg.
Wisconsin Life, wisconsinlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/dairy_farm.jpg.
Wisconsin Historical Society, images.wisconsinhistory.org/700011270025/1127000484-l.jpg.
Portuguese American Cultural Heritage
Portuguese Historical Museum, portuguesemuseum.org/?page_id=1808&category=&exhibit=29&event=240.
Substack image archive, substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faedadbe6-0bec-4319-94ea-3300c9daca31_2000x1546.jpeg.
PBS SoCal / KCET
Easter Family, 1977. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/.
Uncle Mike and Dad, 1984. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/.
Easter Mom with Peaches, 1977. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/.
Kaneko, Ann. In 1976, the author's parents bought a ranch-style home and moved to Chino, where they planned to retire in ten years and live a rural life. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/shows/earth-focus/warehouses-pave-over-historic-dairy-lands-in-ontario-and-chino.
Maps
Google Maps, google.com/.
Vintage map collection, Etsy, https://i.etsystatic.com/8306577/r/il/89a9e6/2986596714/.
Film and Video
Fairbanks (Jerry) Productions. Triple Goodness. 1948. Internet Archive, archive.org/details/TripleGo1948.
JerryJames. Ontario California – Rare Footage of Ontario Circa 1950's. YouTube, youtube.com/watch?v=WY3rkct9dz4.
CityofCerritos. From Dairy Valley To Cerritos. YouTube, youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1cCyVmX4c.
Gamez, Joe. @joegamestv Drone Video. YouTube.
Lima, Jason. Drone footage. City of Ontario.
Ontario in Focus: The Dairy Agricultural Preserve. Produced by City of Ontario, Public Information Division, 1994. VHS. Ovitt Family Community Library, Ontario, CA.
Television Programming
Land of Milk and Money. California Stories, narrated by Tom Thompson, produced by KCET Los Angeles and KQED San Francisco, 1994. PBS.
Dairy Farms. Visiting with Huell Howser, hosted by Huell Howser, produced by KCET Los Angeles, 2002. PBS.
Dairy Industry. California's Gold with Huell Howser, hosted by Huell Howser, produced by KCET Los Angeles, ca. 1994. PBS. Ovitt Family Community Library, Ontario, CA.
Newspapers
All newspaper articles accessed via Newspapers.com.
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Express
Los Angeles Herald
Los Angeles Record
The Daily Report (Ontario, California)
Chino Champion (Chino, California)
Sponsor a future episode of Abandoned Atlas!
abandonedatlas.com/sponsor-aaf
Want to support the Abandoned Atlas Foundation? Think about donating to our cause or buying a book as a different form of donating! Our shop is equipped to accept all major credit cards, Afterpay, Cash App, Venmo, and Paypal.
Shop Our Books - AbandonedAtlas.com/shop
Donate to our Cause!
Venmo - @AbandonedAtlas
Cash App - $AbandonedAtlas
Paypal - paypal.com/donate/?token=ovemMoyczre9Oailu8_IMrDXPf8rOergEEnJOhyoJfQ8PN_8aQUEQS0rsQc79EIBHKhzCGBhSXe0lIAS&locale.x=US
Welcome to the San Bernardino County Dairy Preserve, home to the USA's top "dairy farm" industry. While many picture Hollywood, this video reveals the surprising "history" of "farming" and "agriculture" just east of Los Angeles. Discover the local significance and hidden stories of this vital part of the "inland empire", contrasting it with the more famous Southern California image. It's a captivating look at the area.
Find the websites and socials of all 6 states here: AbandonedAtlas.com/links
Feature Documentary on a really cool abandoned hotel!
amazon.com/Forever-Majestic-Caitlen-Taylor/dp/B09VB6R4J7
Producers: Prairie Nation Creative - prairie-creative.com
Urbana Preservation & @CityofOntario
Credits and Sources
Directed By: Michael Schwarz & Emily Cowan
Archival Materials
Engelhardt, Zephyrin. San Diego Mission. San Francisco: James H. Barry Company, 1920. Internet Archive, archive.org/details/SanDiegoMission/page/n137/mode/2up.
Mariposa Indian Encampment. Albert Bierstadt. In Time and Place, intimeandplace.org/El%20Dorado/people1.html.
Photographic Collections
Homestead Museum
Spring Street, Los Angeles, Looking North from Just South of Fourth Street, c. 1905. Homestead Museum Blog, 23 Apr. 2020, https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2020/04/23/photo-gallery-of-the-week-23-april-2020/.
Los Angeles Historic Photos
Posterazzi, posterazzi.com/.
Library of Congress
Various materials, loc.gov.
California Revealed
Harold Cecil Musser Collection, californiarevealed.org/do/221ed584-0ca4-4af5-91d5-0b6c36f9291a.
Wisconsin Historical Materials
Herald Times Reporter (Manitowoc, Wisconsin), https://www.htrnews.com.
Badger History Group, badgerhistorygroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Threshing-near-Denzer-Sauk-County-Hist-Soc-photo-DZ6.jpg.
Wisconsin Life, wisconsinlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/dairy_farm.jpg.
Wisconsin Historical Society, images.wisconsinhistory.org/700011270025/1127000484-l.jpg.
Portuguese American Cultural Heritage
Portuguese Historical Museum, portuguesemuseum.org/?page_id=1808&category=&exhibit=29&event=240.
Substack image archive, substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faedadbe6-0bec-4319-94ea-3300c9daca31_2000x1546.jpeg.
PBS SoCal / KCET
Easter Family, 1977. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/.
Uncle Mike and Dad, 1984. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/.
Easter Mom with Peaches, 1977. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/.
Kaneko, Ann. In 1976, the author's parents bought a ranch-style home and moved to Chino, where they planned to retire in ten years and live a rural life. PBS SoCal, pbssocal.org/shows/earth-focus/warehouses-pave-over-historic-dairy-lands-in-ontario-and-chino.
Maps
Google Maps, google.com/.
Vintage map collection, Etsy, https://i.etsystatic.com/8306577/r/il/89a9e6/2986596714/.
Film and Video
Fairbanks (Jerry) Productions. Triple Goodness. 1948. Internet Archive, archive.org/details/TripleGo1948.
JerryJames. Ontario California – Rare Footage of Ontario Circa 1950's. YouTube, youtube.com/watch?v=WY3rkct9dz4.
CityofCerritos. From Dairy Valley To Cerritos. YouTube, youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1cCyVmX4c.
Gamez, Joe. @joegamestv Drone Video. YouTube.
Lima, Jason. Drone footage. City of Ontario.
Ontario in Focus: The Dairy Agricultural Preserve. Produced by City of Ontario, Public Information Division, 1994. VHS. Ovitt Family Community Library, Ontario, CA.
Television Programming
Land of Milk and Money. California Stories, narrated by Tom Thompson, produced by KCET Los Angeles and KQED San Francisco, 1994. PBS.
Dairy Farms. Visiting with Huell Howser, hosted by Huell Howser, produced by KCET Los Angeles, 2002. PBS.
Dairy Industry. California's Gold with Huell Howser, hosted by Huell Howser, produced by KCET Los Angeles, ca. 1994. PBS. Ovitt Family Community Library, Ontario, CA.
Newspapers
All newspaper articles accessed via Newspapers.com.
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Express
Los Angeles Herald
Los Angeles Record
The Daily Report (Ontario, California)
Chino Champion (Chino, California)
Sponsor a future episode of Abandoned Atlas!
abandonedatlas.com/sponsor-aaf
Want to support the Abandoned Atlas Foundation? Think about donating to our cause or buying a book as a different form of donating! Our shop is equipped to accept all major credit cards, Afterpay, Cash App, Venmo, and Paypal.
Shop Our Books - AbandonedAtlas.com/shop
Donate to our Cause!
Venmo - @AbandonedAtlas
Cash App - $AbandonedAtlas
Paypal - paypal.com/donate/?token=ovemMoyczre9Oailu8_IMrDXPf8rOergEEnJOhyoJfQ8PN_8aQUEQS0rsQc79EIBHKhzCGBhSXe0lIAS&locale.x=US
