"A piece of -- a ray of -- light coming down through the late twilight sky as I drove home on the 60 freeway about a week ago." (Michael J. Elderman) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Sunday Gazette: October 19, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! We know Sunday evenings can bring that familiar flutter of nerves about the week ahead. Whether it's taking a mindful walk, setting a positive intention for your week, or simply spending time with loved ones, there are gentle ways to ease into Monday.
Why not take a peaceful stroll through your favorite Riverside spot this evening? Snap a photo of where you go to unwind – whether it's a cozy corner of your home, a bench at Fairmount Park, or that perfect sunset view from Mount Rubidoux – and tell us what makes it special. Send your photos and stories to newsroom@raincrossgazette.com.
We're all in this together!
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Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Charlotte Waggoner and Emily Warmann. Your ongoing financial support is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves!
From Swedish Immigrant to Mount Rubidoux Master Builder: The Gunnar Kjellberg Story
How a 17-year-old zanjero became the foreman who shaped Riverside's most iconic landmark and built the infrastructure that still serves the city today.
Gunnar and Francisca Kjellberg in front of their home at 4411 Rubidoux Ave. (Courtesy of Jensen-Alvarado Ranch and Museum)
In 1877, at the young age of 17, Gunnar immigrated from Sweden to the United States, settling in Galesburg, Illinois, where a Swedish enclave was already established. In Galesburg, he became acquainted with a group of people who planned to move to Riverside, California. Among them were S. H. Ferris and the Johnson brothers, O.T. and A. T., all of whom became prominent in early Riverside history. Arriving in Riverside in 1885 by the private train car of Ferris and Johnson, he took a job as a zanjero or ditch tender. He soon rose to the position of a superintendent on the irrigation systems of the Riverside Water Co.
In 1887, Kjellberg oversaw the project that brought water from the artesian wells in the San Bernardino basin to the city of Riverside. The Hotel Rubidoux Association carried this out. This association obtained a portion of the mountain and the surrounding area in exchange for this work. The plan was to subdivide lots below the mountain and construct an elaborate tourist hotel rivaling the Del Coronado in the area above Pepper (now Redwood) between Ninth and 11th streets.
As part of our special weekly tradition, we recognize Riverside residents who help make our city stronger, kinder and more connected. This week, we honor Dr. Arturo Gómez-Pompa as our Neighbor of the Week, celebrating an extraordinary life of scientific achievement, environmental stewardship, and community building.
Dr. Gómez-Pompa, who passed away on September 17, 2025, at age 90, transformed UC Riverside into a West Coast center for tropical plant science during his more than two decades as University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Botany. Born in Mexico City in 1934, he was among the first voices to sound the alarm about rainforest destruction worldwide. After earning his doctorate at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), he brought his expertise to UCR, where he became not just a researcher but an institution-builder. He founded the UC Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS), creating lasting bridges between California and Mexico that strengthened collaborative research and cultivated generations of graduate scholars.
This week, we’re coming back to earth, specifically the demands and resources of our day jobs. Our hard work is supported by many people, and countless types of office supplies, but today our focus is staples. Sure, staples are a white-collar worker’s tool, a solution to a paperwork problem, but they are also a source of pure frustration. When you need a staple and don’t have one, irrational anger is one of my reactions.
There are few things more annoying than an empty stapler, especially when the supply closet is two floors down, and yet, it seems there might be enough half-empty boxes of staples to keep offices running for 900 more lifetimes. This curious paradox of abundance and absence is where our creative nudge begins.
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