The area later known as Norco is called Orchard Heights

Rex Clark, through his development company, THE NORTH CORONA LAND COMPANY, purchases Orchard Heights; 15 square miles of semi- successful farm land. Clark himself purchases 600 acres on which he plans to build a home away from home - "The Lodge". Clark's residence was actually located on the second largest property in Pasadena; only the Huntington was larger.

Clark's plan was to sell 1-10 acre parcels to individuals who wanted to enter the poultry, rabbit or agricultural endeavors.

Orchard Heights has been renamed Norco and holds a grand opening on May 13, 1923

Norco is an enormous success soon becoming the poultry capitol of California. Lettuce, melon and alfalfa output soon leads California and, at times, the nation.

The Norco Store and Grill is the site of multiple regional meetings

March/April. Tea Room is the first part of the resort to open.

Edison, new to Norco (as is electricity), outfits the first all-electric commercial kitchen in Riverside County.

October. Lake is finished (required one month to fill) May 22, 1928. Pavilion Opens. 1st event; Regional Meeting Of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce.

The Norconian Resort is built with primarily materials produced and/or manufactured in Norco.

Workman represent every state in the union and payroll hits highs of $25,000 a week.

Power Plant is most modern in California, perhaps nation, goes into operation mid year.

Oak Knoll nursery is purchased and moved in its entirety to Norco from Pasadena; establishing the largest nursery in Riverside County.

The Golf course is finished in December.

The course is designed by legendary golfer and designer John Duncan Dunn.

May 20, the American Olympic diving and swimming team participates in the grand opening of outdoor pools. At the time, the Norconian pools are the only outdoor competition pools in Southern California.

Cecily Cuhna sets the world record for the 400 meter swim on that day.

The Pacific Coast Championships in diving and swimming are held at the resort. For the next decade plus, all Olympic athletes who competed as divers and swimmers at the Olympics of 1928, 1932, 1936, and the cancelled 1940 events; trained, competed and exhibited at the Norconian.

Olympian Duke Kahanamoku was a Norconian regular who gave surfing Demos in the Lake.

February 2, 1929; Grand Opening. A huge event. In attendance, local, regional, statewide and national dignitaries. Buster Keaton, Mack Sennett, Charlie Chaplin and more.

Work is begun on the chauffeur's quarters, laundry and garage.

Marshal S. Boggs Crashes and is killed at LNC 26 Jan 1933.
Boggs was the first test pilot to use radio navigation. At the time of the crash, he was working for the Federal Aviation Administration as an inspector.

The Lake is the site of several speedboat races with the greatest drivers of the day competing.

Several films were shot at or in the surrounding area of the Norconian; "Top Speed", "Their Own Desire", "Love in the Rough", "Walking on Air", "Test Pilot".

MGM held their company picnic at the site in 1938. Fox in 1940 And Disney in 1938.

"Gone with the Wind" premiered in Riverside at a sneak preview, but, the execs, director and writers stayed at the Norconian that night.

The hotel closes in November of 1941.

The United States Naval Hospital in Corona opens December 8, 1941.

First Patients are Pearl Harbor survivors.

Captain Jensen is first commanding officer and is himself a survivor of Pearl Harbor.

Film Star Kay Francis is in charge of moral. Hollywood stars, formally guests of the Norconian, now regularly entertain patients; George Raft, Gary Cooper, James Cagney, etc.

Many radio shows aired from the site, including the Jack Benny program.

The Corona/Norco chapters of the USO, Navy Mothers, Navy auxiliary, American Legion, etc. set records for visits and bond fundraisers to the hospital.

At WW II's peak there are 5000 patients.

Isolation wards are built on the eastern portion of the golf course to care for Marine and Navy tuberculosis and malaria patients. The first usage of penicillin to treat these illnesses occurs on this site.

The site was the designated polio facility on the west coast. This was one of the first places the polio vaccine was used in the nation.

A gigantic hospital wing was added to the hotel in 1943, prompting a visit from Eleanor Roosevelt.. Two Navy corpsman from the period state President Roosevelt was a secret visitor who, in his last days, found comfort in the baths. Soon a chapel, additional barracks, gymnasium, nurse and corpsman quarters and theatre were built.

The stained glass in the chapel is commemorative of heroes.

The hospital was a pre-eminent facility for rehabilitation of wheelchair bound soldiers. Advances in prosthetics, recovery and rehabilitation were phenomenal.

The Rolling Devils was likely the first organized wheelchair basketball team in the nation and almost unbeatable.

The Hospital closed in 1949 only to re-open a few months later for Korea.

The hospital closed for good in 1957.

In 1950, many of the most intelligent people in the world were assembled to test weaponry. Decades and many name changes later, this top secret lab is known as the Naval Surface Warfare Assessment Center.