Ford, Isaac (1862-1959)

Born in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1862, Isaac Ford lived in the City of Brotherly Love until 21 years of age.  Before coming to Redlands, in 1884, he took an engineering course in the University of Pennsylvania, and has since practiced civil engineering in this city and vicinity.  He was employed in the original surveys for the Bear Valley Irrigation System, on its reservoirs, ditches and pipe lines, and other hydraulic work.  In 1888 and 1889 Mr. Ford was city engineer.  In 1890 he published the first and only lot and block map of the city and surrounding county.  Having made a specialty of hillside irrigation, Mr. Ford has planned and laid out some 800 acres of hill orchards, by surveying on contours, the only practicable method of irrigation on hillside ground; and has made many subdivisions of broken or irregular ground in Redlands, Redlands Heights and East Highlands.  His home is on a ten-acre ranch, and handsomely located, on West Cypress Avenue.

 

(Source: Illustrated Redlands, 1897, p. 29)