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Neighbor News

Historical Society Honors Dowling Family at Beaumont Cherry Festival

For more than a century of service to the community, the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society honors the Dowling family and Dowling Orchard

Laurie McLaughlin, Neighbor
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The original Dowling Orchard stand opened in 1952. (Courtesy of the Dowling Family)
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Francis Dowling Jr., left, with Francis Dowling Sr. (Courtesy of the Dowling Family)
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Shelly and John Dowling were the most recent proprietors of the Dowling Orchard, which was started more than 100 years ago by John's great-grandparents. (Photo by Sean Balingit)
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Estella and Francis Dowling Jr. were the third generation within the family orchard business in Beaumont and Cherry Valley. (Courtesy of the Dowling Family)
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Francis Dowling Sr. married Iola Stowers in 1922. Iola was an educator, and the couple was immersed in service to the community both through their church and their vocations. (Courtesy of the Dowling Family)
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The Dowling Orchard fruit stand was opened in 1952 and stood as a beloved institution on Highway 60 on the west end of Beaumont until its closing in 2021. (Courtesy of San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society)
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dowling Orchard store was the go-to for customers looking for fresh produce. (Courtesy of the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society)

The San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society will honor Beaumont's Dowling family and Dowling Orchard for more than 100 years of service to the community during the Cherry Festival this weekend.

The society's history exhibit at the festival will include a tribute to the family, and the society's float, depicting a Dowling cherry orchard, will carry the family in the Cherry Festival parade on June 4.

As early as 1907, Alexander Campbell Stowers arrived in Beaumont. He's the great-grandfather of John Dowling, the most recent owner of the Dowling Orchard business, established by Stowers' daughter and son-in-law: Iola Stowers and Francis Marion Dowling, who married in 1922.

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Their son, Francis Dowling Jr., his wife, Estella, and his son, John, and his wife, Shelly, carried on with the orchard enterprise through successive generations, and operated the popular Dowling Orchard store on Hwy. 60, which opened in 1952 and closed in November 2021, when John and Shelly retired.

Well known for their philanthropic support of the community, the Dowlings were foundational in the city Beaumont for decades. John Dowling is also honored with the Cherry Festival Association's Heritage Award this year.

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The historical society is very pleased to recognize the Dowlings and thanks them for their important contributions to the San Gorgonio Pass.

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