The Serranos were the first people of today’s Yucaipa. Yu’Kaipa’t was one of the village of the Serranos during the 18th and 19th centuries. Serranos’ origin/ creation story starts by Lake Baldwin.
They were hunters, fishermen, and gatherers, who moved around the territory to harvest and hunt. They did not do agriculture( grow crops) except in a few areas by the Colorado River, where oak trees did not grow. They had everything they needed in the mountains, valleys, and deserts. They traded with other tribes from Southern California.
Another important thing to note is that there were many different Serrano villages like in the picture below. Villages were usually near a water source. Here is one of the villages in the San Timoteo Canyon. The dotted lines represent the Yucaipa Creek. This map is from the book, Historic San Timoteo Canyon: A Pictorial Tour, Myths, and Legends written by Peggy Christian. One of my favorite books in my collection of local history books.
