History Renamed With Highway Dedication : Veterans Honored with Highway Dedication : History Restored with Historic Highway

MORENO VALLEY >> The City of Moreno Valley celebrated a milestone on Memorial Day this year with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a two-mile stretch of the Old 215 Frontage Road in Edgemont, commemorating its true name: Historic Route 395. U.S. Highway 395 has existed for years and was used during World War II by troops as a link between San Diego and Moreno Valley. With the introduction of other highways like Interstate 215, however, the 395 fell off the face of the map in the Inland Empire. Gradually, cities like Riverside, Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, and Perris began to put signs up along the route, remembering the history of the highway and its official namesake, which in essence runs all the way from the Mexican to the Canadian borders. Moreno Valley, however, did not jump on the bandwagon until very recently with the help of two Moreno Valley residents—Bob Miles and Keith Mullins—the Moreno Valley Historical Society, and the City of Moreno Valley. Miles frequently drove along the road and saw the signs labeling it as the Old 215. Growing up in San Diego and joining the Air Force straight out of high school in 1954, he knew that the road was really part of what used to be the 395. “I got tired of seeing it and said, ‘I’m going to do something about it,’” Miles said. Miles contacted Alice Bradley, president of the Moreno Valley Historical Society, first to see if there was something they could do. Bradley said they have already tried in previous years with the city, but nothing came of it. Miles then went to the city to see if there were signs they could put up along the two-mile stretch in Edgemont to indicate the history of the area. After not receiving support there, he then reached out to Councilmember George Price, who Miles hired back when he was on the interview committee with the City of Moreno Valley as the first parks and recreation director. Price mentioned it at a council meeting and the project received the three votes required to put it in motion. This was when Mullins jumped in, having heard about it at the meeting. Being a part of the Inland Empire Relic Hunters and the city’s Environmental and Historical Preservation Board, he helped Miles get the ball rolling. “We appreciate Bob and Keith for the work they have done,” Bradley said as she presented them with certificates of recognition during the ceremony. As per their request, signs have been placed along the two-mile stretch of the Old 215 Frontage Road in Edgemont, commemorating it as Historic Route 395. “The city has been very helpful and cooperative,” Bradley said. “We really appreciate all the time and work they put into [it].” The ceremony itself took place at American Legion Post 574, which is located right along the two-mile stretch. The post, which was dilapidated prior to the project’s beginning, according to Bradley, was renovated with the help of Melissa Martinez, founder and CEO of Neighborhood Works, Inc., and students from the Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD). “It was very important for us to give [the vets] something to remember themselves by,” Martinez said. “What better way to do that? Give (the post) a beautiful face lift.” The process took 30 days. Martinez repainted and redecorated the post, and artist Jodi Trujillo helped a group of MVUSD elementary and junior high students paint a 10-feet-tall, 42-feet-wide mural on the side of the post of an American flag. “It’s so important just to let (the vets) know that we’re so proud of them,” Trujillo, who grew up and went to high school in Moreno Valley, said in regards to the mural. “There are so many different people that take their freedoms for granted, not realizing that these people give up their lives, whether it be four years or 20 years or longer, to serve our country and protect us.” A “Garden for the Remembered” was also constructed beneath the mural, decorated with handprints, flags, and rocks purchased by donors, to celebrate the lives of the veterans who have not only served the United States, but also traveled along the 395 themselves during World War II. “We’ve got a lot of history here,” Miles said. City officials came to celebrate the ribbon-cutting and honor the veterans at the event, such as Moreno Valley City Manager Michelle Dawson, Park Commissioner Jim Baker, and Councilmember LaDonna Jempson. Amber Smalley, board assistant, represented Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley. Community members like Gayle Pena, Linda McKinley, and Sandi Harris from the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) brought their horses, who had accompanied them to the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The Moreno Valley High School ROTC did the presentation of colors at the beginning of the day. The Riverside County Fire Department came out to support the veterans, parking their fire truck by the side of the historic road. Throughout the day-long event, booths from the City of Moreno Valley Parks and Recreation Department, the Moreno Valley Historical Society, the Moreno Valley Genealogical Society, and the Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum gave information on the history and opportunity the city presents to its residents. A classic car show added to the ambience, along with appearances made by several West Coast Thunder motorcyclists showing their support. The goal of the event was to bring recognition to the veterans and the history of the 395 in Moreno Valley, and Baker said that is what it did. “In the process of growing, a city has the tendency to lose its history and where we came from,” Baker said. “We’re trying to make sure we don’t lose where we came from, the history of the area.”