The one-year program offers full tuition, a $32,000 stipend, mentorship, and a guaranteed job—training diverse educators to meet urgent staffing needs in local schools.
Olivewood Cemetery Tour a Unique Way to Hear Riverside's Story
The Mission Inn Foundation's new walking tour invites visitors to discover local history, from pioneers to influential figures across eras and social classes, told directly from the gravesides at the often-overlooked Olivewood Cemetery.
The Mission Inn Foundation will offer a new experience next month: a visit to Olivewood Cemetery. This large memorial park, established in 1888, offers a unique, tangible connection to Riverside’s past. Stories of those who shaped the city are told directly beside their graves.
Unlike Evergreen Cemetery, which sits Downtown and is visible near Mount Rubidoux with stop signs right on 14th Street through its grounds, Olivewood often goes unnoticed. Though much larger, it's a place many pass quickly on Central Avenue. This new tour highlights Olivewood's history, which is the story it has to tell. For just over an hour, visitors will see more than 40 graves, getting a wide sample of Riverside's growth from the late 1800s to today.
The tour has no single theme, focusing instead on the lives lived, providing a broad range of stories from different eras and social backgrounds. The only common condition for inclusion on the tour is that the person died and was buried at Olivewood.
Among the stories shared are those of two brothers, buried before the cemetery officially opened due to smallpox, at a time when no other place would accept them. The tour also covers the distinct traditions within Olivewood's Jewish section, reflecting the Jewish community that began settling in Riverside in the 1880s.
Names encountered on the tour will be familiar to Riverside residents, many appearing on streets and in neighborhoods throughout the city. Key figures include the family of George E. Dole, of Dole Pineapple fame, and the mausoleum designed by Henry L.A. Jekel in 1930. This structure houses the Jekel family and other notable individuals, showcasing historical architecture. The tour also explores the lives of citrus barons, politicians and architects, such as Franz Hosp, the landscape designer responsible for Victoria Avenue.
Visitors will also see the 1890 Dyer vault, the only one of its kind at Olivewood. The tour will feature founders of the auto mall and the founders of Olivewood Cemetery, the Perrine family.
One notable story, according to Leah Collier, general manager at Olivewood, is that of Juana Ramirez Trujillo, Olivewood's oldest “resident.” She was 118 years old at the time of her death. Her grave was unmarked until recently.
The Olivewood Cemetery tour provides more than facts about the deceased; it offers a morbid but entertaining link to the pioneers and people who built Riverside. While not as famous as its Downtown counterpart, Olivewood was founded with an endowment for grave maintenance. This ensures its beauty—as well as its stories—will continue for generations. A spooky version of the tour is also reportedly being developed, adding another layer of intrigue for those seeking a different kind of historical encounter.
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