Accident kills founder of Ralphs

June 21, 1914: Ralphs Grocery Co. founder George A. Ralphs was at Lake Arrowhead with his wife and children when the boulder on which he was perched “gave way and rolled 20 feet down into the canyon, carrying Mr. Ralphs with it,” The Times said.

Ralphs, 64, was taken to San Bernardino, where his leg was amputated.

The shock “was too great, however, and death followed within an hour,” The Times said, noting that Ralphs had been a master bricklayer until he lost an arm in an accident. After working as a grocery clerk, he bought his first store at 6th and Spring streets in 1877.