Family Seeks to Preserve and Share Murrieta's History

Murrieta natives Pat and Annette Jennings are steeped in local history. Both come from a long line of ancestors who have sought to protect and preserve Murrieta history.

The couple has continued that heritage by collecting and preserving the history of the Murrieta Valley in what is now referred to as The Jennings Collection. Their home and yard is filled with Murrieta history and memorabilia. American Indian artifacts line their living room floors, old Murrieta town photos line their walls and they have a separate room for stored pieces of Murrieta history ranging from old post card collections to authentic documents dating back to the early 1900s from the Murrieta Train Depot.

Pat is a battalion chief for the Murrieta Fire Department, where he worked his way up the ranks after starting as a volunteer. He is the third generation in his family to work for the local fire department, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps.

Annette speaks of loving history for as long as she can remember. Even as a small girl growing up in rural Murrieta, she gathered bits of history and was intrigued by it. 

Pat and Annette met as small children while living down the street from each other. They later married and have remained so for more than 30 years. Their daughter, Ashley Jennings, 25, also shares their love of the past and takes an active part in archiving all the historical vestiges, continuing on with this family legacy.

Alice Sotello Vose, Annette’s mother, still lives next door to them on land purchased by her grandfather, part of the first Hispanic family to own land in Murrieta. Vose has remained in Murrieta her entire life, and is one of the oldest living residents.

According to the Annette, her great uncle, John Sotello, migrated from Central Mexico, settling in Murrieta in 1915. He bought an acre of land on the corner of Second and Ivy streets, which was later discovered to once have been the site of a Luiseño Indian village. Annette’s grandfather, Eulogio Sotello, later joined him.

Eulogio worked the mine until he was subdued by silicosis, a health hazard from breathing silica dust from the mines. Silica is the substance found as a preservative in many modern day items. It is used in items such as purses to prevent moisture and also is commonly used in everyday cat liter but can be a health hazard when mined.

The mine was very lucrative and supplies were transported via the railway in town until a flood destroyed the mine and the railroad stopped in 1935, according to Pat.

“The railway was part of a transcontinental route prior to that,” Pat said.

Annette said her family tradition of collecting artifacts originated with Fred Sotello, her uncle. While working for Riverside County as a heavy equipment operator, he uncovered many artifacts and pieces to Murrieta history as he graded the area. 

“My uncle was often referred to by locals as ‘Murrieta Fred,’ who rode through town on his tractor. He began saving the items he collected and passed them down through our family, stressing the importance of preserving Murrieta’s history for future generations,” Annette said.

“This collection was passed down to me and we just naturally began acquiring more as other locals heard about us entrusting their family collections to us,” Annette said. “We have everything from small household antique items to fire trucks and tractors which are now housed next door at my mother’s.”

When the Murrieta Fire Department decided to retire one of the original fire trucks to be used as scrap metal, the Jennings personally purchased it, with the hope of someday being able to put it and other pieces of their collection into a local museum for future generations to enjoy.

Some of their sizeable collection is on loan to surrounding museums in Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Perris, the Santa Rosa Plateau and the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians. Pat and Annette both stress the need and importance of a future museum in Murrieta where they can contribute and permanently display the city’s legacy.

“We have set up many ‘weekend museums’ in Murrieta, beginning with the cityhood celebration which was visited by up to 300 people in one weekend,” Annette said.

“There is a real need for some place locally to house and display this collection for more people to view and enjoy,” Pat said.

“Another big attraction for Murrieta began in the 1900s when the Murrieta Hot Springs were discovered and brought many to the small town to use the springs,” Annette said.

Vose remembers the simpler times. In her home, she proudly displays a framed treasure from World War II.  She was recognized for her civil service hours contributed while volunteering with the Ground Observer Corps. Her job was to scour the skies for enemy or foreign planes­—something now replaced by modern technology.

“We spent many hours doing our part during the war,” Vose said. "We went outside and watched the skies for any sign of enemy planes.”

Hundreds of hours have gone into organizing and cataloging all the archaic relics from Murrieta’s past. The Jennings are also in the process of putting together a book depicting the history of the Murrieta Fire Department, which they hope to have published in the near future.

While Murrieta may not have an official historical society, this local family has taken it upon itself over the years to collect and preserve Murrieta's history, which would be otherwise lost to future generations.

To find out more about The Jennings Collection or to contribute historical Murrieta historical memorabilia, the Jennings can be reached at 951-757-4123.