CHERRY / PARR COLLECTION - A NATIVE AMERICAN LIBRARY
VaRRA is proud to own a collection of over 700 books, mainly about Native Americans and other indigenous people. Many of the books are out of print and some are rare, including an 1830 Ojibway language Bible and a signed copy of Pancho Villa's wife's memoirs.
William and Donna Cherry donated the collection to VaRRA in 2006. The books were originally collected by Clifford Parr, a pharmacist in Manteca, California. After retiring in Hemet, Mr. Parr gave the books to Mrs. Cherry, a teacher, for reference on California History.
The Cherry's knew about VaRRA through association with Darell Farnbach and asked if VaRRA would like to have the collection. VaRRA's board of directors decided to receive the collection with the idea of creating a study center.
Presently, several volunteers are cataloguing the books under the direction of librarian Joshua Fox, Dick Fox, and Rebecca Farnbach. The books will be kept in shelves in the Little Temecula History Center. Listings will be put on internet web sites for researchers to view. Historians will be allowed to study the books onsite.
We want to thank the following volunteers for their hours of work on the books: Abigail Marshall Juarez, Ann Silimperi, Brendan Casey, and Rosie Wilson.
When the books processing is completed, we plan to hold an open house to showcase the books and to honor the two families responsible for the donation, which we call "The Cherry/Parr Collection".
LIFE ON THE RANCH - A HISTORICAL COLLECTION OF EARLY VAIL RANCH
This is just two of many photographs that are on display at the Little Temecula History Center.
THE SOUTHERN EMIGRANT TRAIL THROUGH RIVERSIDE COUNTY by Anne J. Miller, Ph.D. - This unique story of the Southern Emigrant Trail through Riverside County, based almost entirely on historic records, identifies the location of the trail and tells the stories of those who traveled along the route or lived in the area during the mid-1800s. Surveyors' field notes, newspaper articles, diaries and journals, military records, censuses, and many other records provide the reader the opportunity to "experience" this exciting era in Southern California history. Detailed maps with the route and other information are included along with many historic and current photographs.
IMAGES OF AMERICA - TEMECULA by Loretta Barnett, Rebecca Farnbach, The Vail Ranch Restoration Association - In the far southwest corner of Riverside County, a center of commerce grew in the 19th century along the Southern Emigrant Trail and Butterfield Stage route brought a few travelers to Temecula who liked the place and stayed. A cattle baron grazed his stock in the rich pastureland and dominated the economy until the mid-1960s, when an investor bought the land to build a planned community. The Vail Ranch Restoration Association (VaRRA), an organization dedicated to the preservation of local history, collected the photos and information for this book from their archives. Co-authors Loretta Barnett and Rebecca Farnbach are on the board of directors of VaRRA and volunteer for the Temecula Valley Museum and the Temecula Valley Historical Society.
IMAGES OF AMERICA - TEMECULA WINE COUNTRY by Rebecca Farnbach, Vincezo Cilurzo, Audrey Cilurzo - Vineyards flourish in Temecula because of the ideal climate. The name Temecula is taken from the Luiseno words that mean "where the sun and earth were created." At an altitude of 1,500 feet, the filtered sunlight and an ocean breeze that drifts through a gap in the mountains coax the decomposed granite soil of Temecula Valley to produce high-quality grapes for premium wines today just as they did over a century ago. From the time Spanish padres entered the valley and made sacramental wines and French and Italian immigrants brought wines from the Old World, its grape harvests were unknown to the rest of the world. Vincenzo and Audrey Cilurzo have teamed up with historian Rebecca Farnbach to present this story.
THE SOUTHERN EMIGRANT TRAIL THROUGH RIVERSIDE COUNTY by Anne J. Miller, Ph.D. - This unique story of the Southern Emigrant Trail through Riverside County, based almost entirely on historic records, identifies the location of the trail and tells the stories of those who traveled along the route or lived in the area during the mid-1800s. Surveyors' field notes, newspaper articles, diaries and journals, military records, censuses, and many other records provide the reader the opportunity to "experience" this exciting era in Southern California history. Detailed maps with the route and other information are included along with many historic and current photographs. 
IMAGES OF AMERICA - TEMECULA by Loretta Barnett, Rebecca Farnbach, The Vail Ranch Restoration Association - In the far southwest corner of Riverside County, a center of commerce grew in the 19th century along the Southern Emigrant Trail and Butterfield Stage route brought a few travelers to Temecula who liked the place and stayed. A cattle baron grazed his stock in the rich pastureland and dominated the economy until the mid-1960s, when an investor bought the land to build a planned community. The Vail Ranch Restoration Association (VaRRA), an organization dedicated to the preservation of local history, collected the photos and information for this book from their archives. Co-authors Loretta Barnett and Rebecca Farnbach are on the board of directors of VaRRA and volunteer for the Temecula Valley Museum and the Temecula Valley Historical Society. 
IMAGES OF AMERICA - TEMECULA WINE COUNTRY by Rebecca Farnbach, Vincezo Cilurzo, Audrey Cilurzo - Vineyards flourish in Temecula because of the ideal climate. The name Temecula is taken from the Luiseno words that mean "where the sun and earth were created." At an altitude of 1,500 feet, the filtered sunlight and an ocean breeze that drifts through a gap in the mountains coax the decomposed granite soil of Temecula Valley to produce high-quality grapes for premium wines today just as they did over a century ago. From the time Spanish padres entered the valley and made sacramental wines and French and Italian immigrants brought wines from the Old World, its grape harvests were unknown to the rest of the world. Vincenzo and Audrey Cilurzo have teamed up with historian Rebecca Farnbach to present this story.