Following the establishment of the Reservation, the federal government would continue to make decisions on our behalf, dictating what we could and could not do as an independent nation.The Act of Relief for Mission Indians was passed in 1891, which recognized the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ inherent rights to self-govern as a sovereign nation, as bestowed upon them by the Creator. We first settled near what is now the National Orange Show Event Center, moved on to Meadowbrook Park, and then made our way to the Harlem Springs area before being completely removed and placed on the San Manuel Reservation in 1891. Over the next few decades, our people ventured through the valley along Warm Creek, running into unwelcome settlers who reacted harshly to our presence.

Our Kiika’, (Tribal Leader) Santos Manuel, led the remaining Yuhaaviatam - numbering only 20-30 people - away from our mountainous homelands into the San Bernardino Valley. In 1866, as anti-Native American sentiment ran high, a skirmish between settlers and non-Maara’yam (Serrano) Native Americans in the Summit Valley triggered a month-long killing spree of our peoples across the Big Bear area by a San Bernardino militia.

One such group of people was our clan, the Yuhaaviatam ('People of the Pines”) of Maara’yam (Serrano) people, who had remained in our homelands across the Big Bear Valley.

As a result, indigenous people who remained on their ancestral lands were viewed as a nuisance and were often the victim of harsh treatment and violence. Not only did these newcomers want to establish ownership over the land, they also wanted to use it without obstruction. In addition to the Mission system and the agricultural industry, opportunities related to mining and the Gold Rush drastically changed California, bringing in new settlers who created ranches, farms, mines, and logging camps. This feature supported agriculture across the region and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the notation that it was built by Serrano men. One notable feat was the building of the Mill Creek Zanja, a massive irrigation system that extends from the base of the San Bernardino Mountains through Mentone, Redlands, and Loma Linda.

This outpost held many Maara’yam (Serrano) people as well as other indigenous people from nearby regions, using them as labor for mission support. An estancia in Redlands, modernly known as the Asistencia, was established in 1819.

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