Museum of Riverside

First Things First

Present - June 2017

First Things First:

Astounding First Facts You Never Knew About Riverside’s Past

 

We say it all the time:“There is a first time for everything.”  Towns and cities everywhere have their sources of pride, as well as embarrassment; stories that make you laugh and those that make you cry. Riverside is no different. 

 

All of the stories in First Things First are local.  Some of them are known to a few, but will generally be new to most people, even longtime residents. Did you know that hometown hero John Tortes “Chief” Meyers played in four World Series, hometown diva Marcia Craft was a European Opera star or that Riverside’s first African-American Policeman served in the 1880s - 1890s.

Unique to these stories is that they happened in Riverside first.  Small stories.  Big stories.  Important stories.  Not so important stories.  There really is something to interest everyone —from sports, to culture, to murder, to stories best told around a camp fire.