1784

Manuel Nieto, a retired captain who served in the Portola Expedition, was granted 300,000 plus acres by the King of Spain, stretching from the hills north of Whittier to the sea, and from the Santa Ana River to the San Gabriel River .

1835

Juan Crispin Perez received the grant for the Rancho Paso de Bartolo land that was initially property of the San Gabriel Mission.

1850

California became a US State

1850 -1852 

Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California , purchased the Perez Grant in five parcels. Pico built his home east of the San Gabriel River and south of Whittier Blvd. , now the Pio Pico State Historic Park .

1867

Harriet Russell Strong and her husband Charles purchased their ranch from Pio Pico.

1868

Jacob F. Gerkens, a German immigrant, paid $234 for public land on the southern slope of Puente Hills. These lands were not surveyed as a part of the Rancho Paso de Bartolo.

1879

R.M. Town lost the land, which he had purchased in 1870 from Gerkens, in a foreclosure.

1880

John M. Thomas acquired 1,259 acres of land for $4,002 at public auction.

1885

The Evergreen School was built and opened the following year on the corner of Painter and County Road (Whittier Blvd.).

1887

The Pickering Land & Water Co. purchased 1,259 acres of land for $69,890 from J. Mill Boal.
The town was named by Aquila Pickering and other Friends for Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier.
Jonathan and Rebecca Bailey, Whittier 's first settlers, moved into the old ranch house on the Thomas Ranch.
First Whittier Newspaper started by Whittier pioneers.
Whittier experienced its first depression due to lack of water and lack of commerce. Not until 1894 does Whittier make a comeback.

1888

The Southern Pacific Railroad completed its first line to Whittier
Whittier pioneers build the Greenleaf Hotel

1889

Alva Starbuck was appointed Whittier 's first postmaster.

1890

The cornerstone for the administration building of the Fred C. Nelles School was laid on February 12. The school opened in 1891 and provided work for many Whittierites.

1891

The Whittier Academy (later known as Whittier College) was officially establish. Several attempts had been made since December of 1888 prior to this.

1892

Simon Murphy hired A.L. Reed to build the flume that carried water to East Whittier and the Whittier Colony.

1894

The first Founder's Day Celebration was held on May 11 in Central Park .

1898

Whittier was incorporated as a sixth-class city.

1900

Municipal water bonds were sold to build a water plant.
The Sunset Telephone & Telegraph Company was established in Whittier .
The Whittier Board of Trade was organized.

1902

Manufacturing of automobiles began in Whittier by Al Bowe, a blacksmith, and H. H. Hooper, a jeweler, who made two cars.

1903

Whittier granted a 50-year franchise to the Pacific Electric Company.
Southern Pacific's second railroad line, known as the "Whittier Branch," was built by the Pacific Electric.

1904

Permanent telephone service was installed by Home Telephone Co., which began service to 80 homes, was located on the corner of Bright Avenue and Philadelphia Street .
The first "Red Car" comes to Whittier. Lines were on Whittier Blvd., Philadelphia St., and Greenleaf Ave.

1905

The first automobile agents were established in Whittier, Saunders Brothers and Charlie Gordon.
Residents voted to build Union High School (now Whittier High School ) on Philadelphia Street .

1906

Pacific Electric ran 27 cars to Whittier , which now had two national banks and two savings banks. Whittier 's output of oil was 96,000 barrels a month. Approximately 80 men were employed in the oil industry.

1907

The Carnegie Library opened at the corner of Greenleaf Avenue and Bailey Street with a $12,500 grant from Andrew Carnegie. It was later torn down in the 1950's.
The City of Whittier began paving Whittier Boulevard .

1910

City band concerts were held in Central Park .

1912

Whittier organized election precincts and polling places.

1914

The Pio Pico Mansion was donated to the state. The property was administered as California 's first historic state park. The Whittier Police Department was organized.

1915

Thomas Edison visited Whittier .

1921

Santa Fe Springs oil fields were discovered.
The Murphy Memorial Hospital site was donated by Colonel Simon J. Murphy, Jr. in honor of his parents, and opened its doors on May 21st at 7:00 am.

1922

The first junior high school, John Muir School , was built on Hadley Street and Whittier Avenue.

1930

The Sunset Club was established as a social "keep acquainted" organization for older citizens in Whittier .

1932

Albert Einstein spoke for Whittier College in the Whittier High School Auditorium.
The Whittier Symphony was founded.

1936

A Federal Building was built to house the Whittier Post Office.

1937

  Whittier celebrated its Golden Jubilee.

1949

The City adopted a Charter form of government.
Snow was seen for the first time in Whittier since 1932, when the temperature dipped below 27 degrees.

1955

The new City Hall was dedicated.

1957

Whittier Hospital opened.

1959

The new Whittier City Library on Washington Avenue and Mar Vista Street was built as part of the Civic Center .
The Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital opened.

1961

A portion of East Whittier was annexed to Whittier , adding 28,000 people to the population, which now totaled 67,487.

1963

Redevelopment planning for uptown was started.
Murphy Memorial Hospital closes its doors. It is completely demolished 20 years later.

1964

The Rio Hondo Symphony was established from the existing Whittier Symphony.

1968

Founder's Park was created from two neglected cemeteries on Broadway Street (see our Broadway and Mt. Olive Cemeteries page for more info)
Founder's Hall burned down (Located on the hill at Whittier College) on Friday, December 13th.
Whittier's own Richard Milhous Nixon is elected as the 37th President of the United States

1970

Whittier 's population surpassed 73,000.

1973

The Whittier Redevelopment Agency was formed.

1976

A Bicentennial Memorial Dedication of Fountains was held at Beverly and Norwalk Streets in honor of the United States Bicentennial.

1977

The Whittier Redevelopment Agency adopted a village concept for Whittier .

1979

William Penn Hotel was destroyed by fire.

1981

The Whittier Museum was acquired for $250,000.00 at Newlin and Philadelphia Streets.

1983

The Whittier Museum opened to the pubic.

1984

Band Concerts in Central Park were resumed for the first time in 30 years.

1987

Whittier celebrated its 100th Anniversary with festivities and parades throughout the year.
The Cultural Arts Commission of Whittier was formed.
A 6.5 earthquake in the city of Whittier, originating from the Whittier-Narrows fault.

2000

Whittier High School celebrates its centennial.
April 7th a 110 year old historic Train Depot was moved from Philadelphia St to Greenleaf Ave. (see our Train Depot page for more information)

2004

Fred C. Nellis youth correctional facility closes.

2008

New Student Life Center at Whittier College opens.