USA > California > Los Angeles County > History of Los Angeles county, Volume I > Part 50
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After a careful survey of numerous locations in several counties in the state, the association purchased the interest of Dr. J. S. Griffin, consisting of about 4,000 acres of the Rancho San Pasqual. One of the incorporators, B. S. Eaton, was already residing in the vicinity and materially aided the newcomers from Indiana, especially in the construction of the water system, by which pure mountain water was conducted from the near-by mountains
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BUSCH GARDENS, PASADENA
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and distributed over every homestead that was to be occupied. It was to Dr. Elliott that the colony from the Hoosier State was indebted for the pleasing name-Pasadena, an Algonquin word brought to our language. The local historian, in writing on this subject, states that Thomas Croft, at a critical moment in the negotiations for the purchase laid down the required amount, and was for a brief period owner and monarch of all he surveyed of that fair domain destined to soon become a great and highly attractive city. John H. Baker and D. M. Berry, the "Caleb and Joshua" of the California Colony of Indiana, were present on the bright winter morning on January 27, 1874, when the twenty-seven incorporators met for the selection of the individual homesteads. Each of the twenty-seven stock- holders in the colony fortunately received just the kind of a tract of land he desired, as to soil and location, so diversified was the topography of the country. The 1,000 feet of elevation above Los Angeles made drainage perfect, while the distance of eight to ten miles of Los Angeles city was about the proper distance to live from the bustle and noise of commercial life. The original purchase also included mountain lands upon the slopes of the Sierra Madre, and fine timber, including mammoth live oaks in a 400 acre grove, made a natural park exactly suited for picnics, camp-meetings and general holiday gatherings.
FIRST AND EARLY EVENTS
The first settlement was made in 1877 by the Indiana Colony including twenty-seven stock-holders.
The first marriage in Pasadena was that uniting Charles H. Watts and Miss Millie, daughter of Major Erie Locke, one of the pioneers.
The first male child born there was Harvey Watts.
The first church edifice was erected by the Presbyterian denomination in 1875-76, at a cost of $2,300.
The first Methodist society was formed there in 1875 and its first chapel was erected in 1886. By 1890 the churches of Pasadena were valued at $400,000.
The first school in Pasadena was taught in a private house, with only two pupils. The first schoolhouse was completed in 1878. Ten years later, official reports show that Pasadena had "the best ventilated, best lighted, and handsomest school buildings in the United States." At that date it had 1,354 pupils.
The first citrus fair in Pasadena was held in March, 1880.
The first time the name "Indiana Colony" was dropped and that of Pasadena officially adopted April 22, 1875.
The San Gabriel Valley Railroad was opened for travel September 16, 1885, between Los Angeles and Pasadena.
The first car ascended the great incline railroad to Mt. Lowe, July 4, 1893.
The Lowe Observatory was built in 1894 and the Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric (now Pacific Electric) line was incorporated.
POPULATION FIGURES
Twenty-five years growth in Pasadena is given by the following table taken from census reports. In 1880, the population was 301; 1890, 4,882;
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HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY
1900, 9,117 ; 1901, 11,500 ; 1902, 12,467; 1903, 15,950; 1904, 17,280 ; 1905, 21,250; 1910, 30,291; 1922 (including township), 57,613.
Let it be fully understood that the original idea of an Indiana Colony fell through, largely as a result of the financial panic; failure of banker, broker and projector of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in 1873, soon after the colony had been partly organized. Most of the men connected with the scheme lost about all they possessed in that great country-wide panic. D. M. Berry, on invitation of Judge B. S. Eaton, visited the locality and being delighted with the valley and San Pasqual rancho, after his return to the city of Los Angeles, with J. H. Baker and Calvin Fletcher (all that were left of the projected California Colony of Indiana) he went to work
ST NATIONAL BANK
SLAVIN BUILDING, COLORADO STREET AND FAIR OAKS AVENUE, PASADENA
to organize an association to buy the above mentioned property. At a meet- ing held in the real estate office of Berry & Elliott (site of Baker Block, Los Angeles) the following persons were present, or represented by proxy : B. S. Eaton, T. F. Croft, D. M. Berry, A. O. Bristol, Jabez Banbury, H. G. Bennett, Calvin Fletcher, E. J. Vawter, H. J. Holmes, J. M. Mathews, Nathan Kimball, Jesse Yarnell, Mrs. C. A. Vawter, N. R. Gibson, T. B. Elliott, P. M. Green, A. O. Porter, W. T. Clapp and John H. Baker.
The incorporate name chosen for this company was "The San Gabriel Orange Grove Association." The capital was fixed at $25,000, divided into shares of $250 each. In the month of December, 1873, the association purchased Dr. J. S. Griffin's interest in the San Pasqual rancho, which embraced four thousand acres. On April 22, 1875, the settlement ceased to be the Indiana Colony, and officially has ever since been known as Pasa- dena. The city now contains a fraction over eleven square miles of terri- tory, which, in the year 1915, contained 1,700 acres of bearing oranges and lemons, and about 800 acres of other fruit. The four fruit packing houses were at that time caring for the shipment of 850 cars of lemons and oranges
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yearly. The water supply is abundant and is usually furnished at $21 per acre per annum to the fruit grower, whose land is worth, and when sold at all, readily brings $2,000 per acre. It is worthy of historic mention that the silver anniversary of the Rose Carnival and Battle of Flowers held in Pasadena January 1, 1914, was witnessed by fully 150,000 people.
It may be recorded that as the city grew it was found more profitable to cut down the orange and lemon trees and plant in their stead white town-lot stakes, for the rush was very great! The entire valley, with its foothills, seemed destined to be covered by one great city. At the highest stage of "boom" in August, 1887, a single acre in the business center of the city was valued at more than the whole ranch of 13,000 acres was worth fifteen years before. But with all other cities in the growing, progressive West, Pasadena met a great financial loss by the panic. The depression from the boom did not last long, however. In March, 1890, the Los Angeles Termi- nal Railroad ("Cross Road") was opened for travel, which greatly increased travel between the two cities. The United States census reported that year a population of 4,882 for Pasadena.
The Board of Trade has been a potent factor in the development of the city. Its more than seven hundred active members have worked in an intel- ligent manner for the general uplift of the place, socially and commercially. The Public Library established in 1882 was made a "Free Library" in the full sense of that term, in 1890; its income from taxation is $11,000 per annum. The Pasadena Chronicle was the first publication of the place, its first issue being dated August 8, 1883.
Within the memory of many now living in the city the only means of getting mail from the outside world was by stagecoach from Los Angeles- and that was in 1880-only forty-two years ago. Now mail is left at every residence within the city several times daily.
As has been said concerning an Eastern city, "Of all things good Pasadena affords the best." Her schools are one example proving this statement. Going back to the school records of 1914 one will discover that she had a group of high school buildings worth $500,000, housing 1,500 bright pupils and ninety teachers; eighteen elementary schools, with an enrollment of 4,700 pupils and 253 instructors. Also fifteen kindergarten buildings costing $100,000, with 600 pupils and forty teachers. At the same date the city boasted of its nine private schools and colleges. Since the date last named thousands of dollars have been expended in Pasadena for the enlargement of educational facilities.
MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS
Pasadena was incorporated as a city of the sixth class in 1886 and the first page of Record Book No. 1 states: "Monday, June 14th, 1886, present, full membership of the Board and the clerk. The Board then proceeded to canvass the vote cast at the election held in the Town of Pasadena on the 1st day of June, 1886, under the provisions of sections 2 and 3 of the Act to Provide for the Organization of Incorporations and Municipal Incorpo- rations, approved March 3, 1883, with the following results: For Incor- poration, 179; against Incorporation, 50."
The first officers and trustees elected were: E. Turner, R. M. Furlong
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(president), E. C. Webster, H. J. Holmes, and M. M. Parker ; treasurer, Jabez Banbury ; clerk, Charles Sawtelle ; marshal, I. N. Mundell. It was by act of incorporation, styled from the first, "The City of Pasadena." The date of filing the incorporate papers with the secretary of state was June 22, 1886. The city officers started off right with a fine set of regular leather- bound, superior paper and well-ruled books and blanks, and the policy of the various administrations has ever since been to keep such things fully up to the highest standard of public records. The earliest licenses issued by ordinance of the new city included these: For retailing liquors by the quart, $100 a year ; for running a saloon, $300 per year ; for circus grounds, $50 per day and $10 per day for each side-show with a circus ; dance houses, per day $25; for operating each street car running into the city, $5.00.
There were one hundred and two ordinances issued the first eighteen months of the history of the city. This original city government continued in Pasadena until 1901, when it was changed to a "commission form of government," which existed until May 2, 1921, when it passed into the "Board of Directors and City Manager" style of municipality.
The following is a list of the various presidents of the Trustees Board, from 1887 to the time the office of mayor obtained, by reason of a change in the form of city government: 1887, H. J. Holmes ; 1888, M. M. Parker ; 1889, A. G. Throop; 1890, T. P. Lukins, 1891, T. P. Lukins; 1892-93, O. F. Weed; 1893, T. P. Lukins ; also a part of the year 1893, O. F. Weed; 1894, T. P. Lukins ; 1895 to 1897, John F. Cox; 1896-97, Calvin Hartwell; 1898-1901, G. D. Patten, who was succeeded by Horace M. Dobbins. Mr. Dobbins was president of the Board of Trustees until the form of govern- ment changed, since which the mayors have been as follows: 1901, M. H. Weight; 1903, William H. Vedder; 1905, William Waterhouse; 1907, Thomas Early; 1909, Thomas Early; 1911, William Thum. Then came the change to that of "Commissioners," who have been: 1913, A. L. Hamilton, W. B. Loughry, R. L. Metcalf, M. H. Salisbury ; 1915, T. D. Allen, W. F. Cheller, S. L. Hamilton, W. B. Loughry, M. R. Salisbury ; 1917, T. D. Allen, W. F. Celler, A. L. Hamilton, H. F. Newell, M. H. Salisbury ; 1919, H. G. Cattell, J. J. Hamilton, William H. Reeves, W. T. Root, M. H. Salisbury; 1921 (from July, 1920, to May 2, 1921), A. L. Hamilton, chairman ; William H. Reeves, H. F. Newell, M. H. Salisbury and John J. Hamilton. Then came the present form of government-the "Board of City Directors and Manager"-in which since May 2, 1921, the officers have been as follows: Board of Directors-Hiram W. Wads- worth, chairman; Franklin Thomas, vice-chairman; Carl C. Thomas, Frank May, Charles N. Post, John J. Simpson, MacDougall Snowball, with C. W. Koiner, as city manager. The city clerk is Bessie Chamberlain. Other officers include these: Chief of police, Charles H. Kelly; chief of the fire department, E. F. Coop; Anna M. McGrew, recorder and manager ; W. C. Yale, treasurer ; controller of accounts, assessor and tax collector, George H. Wood; attorney, James H. Howard; chief engineer of water department, S. B. Morris ; superintendent of parks, Jacob Albrecht ; street superintendent, John Beyer ; health officer, Dr. J. S. Hibben ; police court judge, F. C. Dunham.
J. W. Wood is president of the library board and Jeannette M. Drake is librarian. The public library of this city was established in 1882 and
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became a free library in 1890. The library building cost over $50,000. It now has a delightful and large, highly improved park surrounding it, and is one of the finest institutions in California. There are now over 74,000 volumes and 532 magazines and newspaper volumes. The boys and girls department occupies an outside building on the same park grounds.
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The parks and playgrounds are numerous and spacious. The list is follows: Central Park, 9.53 acres; Library Park, 5.32 acres; La Pintoresca Park, 2.93 acres; Tournament Park, 22.46 acres; Defender's Parkway, .86 hundredths acre; Brookside Park, 68 acres; Lower Arroyo Park, 64.50 acres; Upper Arroyo Park, 631.25 acres; McDonald Park, 1.25 acres ; Washington Park, 3.10 acres. The total acreage in all parks of the city is 809.47. The Brookside Outdoor Swimming Pool, open from April to October, had an attendance last year of about 77,000
HUNTINGTON HOTEL, PASADENA
persons. Careful estimates placed the number of persons who enjoyed the bathing and playgrounds in Brookside park alone last season as 1,500,000. One also finds a municipal nursery here of seven acres stocked with plants valued at many thousands of dollars.
As to the finances of Pasadena, it may be said that the late report of the city auditor and clerk shows a bonded indebtedness of $3,648,- 550, of which the Municipal Lighting department comes in for $750,000. while the Water works system is bonded at $1,134,000. The remainder of the bonds were issued for parks, city hall, jail, sewer farm, fire department, garbage, etc.
The assessed valuation of the city, in 1921, was $86,729,165, which was supposed to be based on fifty per cent of the actual value, and the tax rate that year was $2.86. In 1886 (when first incorporated) the valuation of the embryo city was $1,001,737.
Of the banks of Pasadena the special chapter on Banks and Banking, found elsewhere in this work, will treat in detail, with other similar institu- tions in the county. However, it may be well at this juncture to state that four of the Pasadena Banks are National; two are State Banks, doing a savings and commercial banking business. On September 6, 1921, their
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HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY
deposits aggregated $27,769,776, and the clearings for that year reached $161,701,122.
In transportation facilities, Pasadena is highly favored. The city's street railway system is a part of the far-reaching Pacific Electric Railway, which connects Los Angeles with Pasadena and all Southern California points of interests, as well as of commercial importance. There are also several motor-bus lines operating to and from the mountains, and between the beautiful Pacific ocean beaches. Then last, though not least, Pasadena has three transcontinental steam railroads-the Santa Fe, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific (formerly Salt Lake Route).
To correct a mistaken notion concerning the rainfall at Pasadena, the following general figures from government sources are here inserted : The annual rainfall in 1915 was 21.67 inches; in 1916, it was 28.93; in 1919, it was 15.39 inches ; and in 1921, it was 30.01 inches.
INTERESTING STATISTICS
Pasadena has an altitude of from 850 to 1,100 feet ; area of city, in 1921 was as follows: Original City, incorporated in 1886, 5.336 square miles ; North Pasadena, annexed October, 1904, 3.464 square miles; East Pasa- dena, annexed July 12, 1906, 2.4 miles; Linda Vista and San Rafael, annexed August 19, 1914, 2.02 miles ; Pasadena Heights, annexed August 30, 1916, .46; Annandale, annexed September 4, 1917, .78 of a square mile ; Arroyo Addition, annexed April 19, 1919, .65 of a square mile ; Lamanda Park, annexed December 27, 1920, .77 of a square mile. Total area of the city of Pasadena, 15.88 square miles.
The city has 7,500 automobiles within its limits. In 1921 there were issued building permits amounting to $4,499,973.
The city has within is limits seventy-seven churches.
Colorado Street Bridge: Built of reinforced concrete; length, 1,468 feet ; height, 144 feet; greatest span, 230 feet; cost, $230,000, of which Los Angeles County paid $100,000.
Pasadena is within the First and Fifth Supervisor districts; Sixty-first and Sixty-seventh Assembly districts; Thirty-sixth Senatorial district and the Ninth Congressional district.
Electric and water utilities systems, municipally owned ; pay their own bond interest and redemption out of the earnings.
THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR PASADENA includes the civic associa- tions of the city and is thoroughly modern in all respects. Its quarters near the Green Hotel are the most elegant in the West. It has its public and private rooms, its dining halls, foyer, and assembly hall. A visit to these rooms to meet the up-to-date clerks and officials, together with hun- dreds of the membership, is but to better appreciate and prize the city of Pasadena. The organization has accomplished much for this section of the state.
THE DEVIL'S GATE DAM-This wonderful structure of cement and iron reinforcement, in which the city of Pasadena takes great and just pride, is a dam opened up for service for the first time, on December 21, 1921. The gage height of water behind the dam is eighty-nine feet. The dam receives
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the surplus waters from the mountains in certain seasons of the year and protects much property that would otherwise be destroyed by floods.
THE TOURNAMENT OF ROSES-Perhaps this is one of the most widely heralded events in the country. It is an annual fete held every New Year's Day, and is one of the chief attractions of Pasadena, beautiful beyond com- parison. When one remembers that the civic enterprise has been an annual affair for the last thirty years it is small wonder that all the wide world thinks of it as a "Mile of a Million Flowers." On New Year's morning the extraordinary parade winds its way slowly and triumphantly through the city before the admiring eyes of more than one hundred thousand spec-
COLORADO STREET BRIDGE, PASADENA
tators in recent times. In the pageant are hundreds of choice floral floats entered by various communities and business organizations of Southern California. The event terminates at Tournament Park, where the afternoon is given over to the "East and the West" football teams. Here one finds a seating capacity for fifty thousand persons.
THE CHURCHES OF THE CITY number more than seventy and include these and some other denominations : Two Episcopal ; one Free Methodist ; twelve (including colored) Methodist Episcopal churches ; five Baptist ; five Roman Catholic; two Christian; one Church of Christ; Church of Breth- ren ; two First Advent Christian; First Church of Christian Scientists and two more of the same faith ; one Nazarene church society ; four strong Con- gregational churches ; three Friends ; one Evangelical Lutheran; one Evan- gelical and one German Evangelical Lutheran Church; three Spiritualist churches ; one United Presbyterian ; one Universalist ; three Presbyterian
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churches ; one Seventh Day Adventist Church and a Holiness Society. Also there is a Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church and missions galore. Then the Young Men's Christian Association, with a membership of two thousand and upward; this is the third largest in California. The twin society, the Young Women's Christian Association, has a membership of 1,200.
LODGES-"Legion" is the only word that will quickly tell the reader of the many lodge organizations in Pasadena. But the standard old-time secret orders-Masons, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias-all have fine homes and large membership in this city, where refinement, enterprise and wealth abide for the good of all. The Masonic bodies are all well represented-the F. & A. M., the Eastern Star, Commandery, Shriners and Royal Arch Masons. The colored men also have their Masonic lodge and the women an Eastern Star Chapter. The Odd Fellows, order, Sub- ordinate, Encampment, Canton and Rebekah degrees, are all well repre- sented in Pasadena.
The Knights of Pythias, both white and colored men's lodges, are here found. There are Pasadena No. 38 and Pythian Sisters; Regina Court of Calantha (colored), and Uniform Rank No. 32.
Three hospitals, one of which is unsurpassed in modern equipment and facilities, and several private sanatoriums, meet the local requirement.
Besides the excellent public school system, with its magnificent build- ings, Pasadena also has its Boys' Military Academy, the Orton School, Pasa- dena Military Academy, Pasadena University and Potts Business College. The press is finely represented by the Lamanda Park Herald, the Pasa- dena Evening Post and the Pasadena Star-News.
The territory included in the limits of the present city of South Pasadena is a part of the old San Pasqual rancho. The original house built on that ranch was within what is now South Pasadena City. It may also be stated that nearly all of the interesting, thrilling events transpiring during the Spanish and Mexican occupancy, of which this rancho was the scene, occurred within the beautiful South Pasadena corporation. The modern place began with the great boom days, its first building being a real estate office. O. R. Dougherty subdivided the first lots in 1885. The City of Pasadena was incorporated in the month of February; 1888. Its limits extended from Columbia Street south to the north line of Los Angeles City, and from the Arroyo Seco east to the west line of the Stoneman ranch. In 1889, the city limits were reduced by a vote of the people-the object being to get rid of a number of saloons in the city's outskirts. During the first real boom a number of fine business blocks were erected.
In 1905, South Pasadena was organized as a city of the sixth class, and bonds were then voted for the erection of a new high school. The value of buildings erected in South Pasadena, in 1905, was $300,000. At that date it was estimated that the population of the city was 2,400, while the assessed valuation was known to be $2,400,000, equal to about $1,000 per capita. A free public library was provided, in 1895, which now has far in excess of 5,000 volumes of choice books.
The present population of South Pasadena is about 9,000; including the township in which it is situated, it is estimated at 10,000. Its present indebtedness is $221,000 and bonds are now to be floated for $325,000 more to provide needed waterworks and water supply, either by purchase
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or construction. During the last twelve months there has been $1,000,000 expended in South Pasadena buildings. The present municipal officers are : Philip F. Dodson, chairman of board of trustees ; Walter A. Gillette, E. J. Greuttner, Horace E. Vedder and Harold S. Ryerson, other trustees ; R. V. Orbison, city manager; Edith H. Lowry, city treasurer; Nettie A. Hewitt, city clerk; L. S. Whidden, deputy engineer ; Frank B. Higgins, city marshal; J. F. Smith, fire marshal.
LONG BEACH BEFORE CARS (Courtesy of Albertson Motor Company)
CHAPTER XXXV THE CITY OF LONG BEACH
Long Beach now one of the most popular and fast growing cities along the California coast, is situated twenty-two miles south of the city of Los Angeles and has a population of about 75,000. It is an important station on both the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific (Salt Lake) railways, as well as having most excellent electric car line service over the Pacific Elec- tric system. Two modern macadam boulevards enter the city and over these roadways thousands upon thousands of swift rolling automobiles may be seen daily. The average temperature in winter is 55 degrees and in summertime it is 65 degrees.
In introducing the reader to this modern sea-side resort and busy com- mercial mart, the writer will here insert what was published in the Long Beach Journal in 1889, concerning the then new "town:" Long Beach is becoming a noted resort and at present especially advertised by the Metho- dists as a camping ground. The village is located on the smooth plateau which slopes gently down to the water. From any portion of the town a charming view greets the eye. At low tide the beach is hard, smooth and level for seven or eight miles, constituting a perfect boulevard upon which twenty teams can be driven abreast and their hoofs heard to clatter as if on a solid turnpike. Long Beach has an intelligent and refined class of citizens, excellent public schools, four church societies, no saloons, enterprising busi- ness men, and a live newspaper, the Long Beach Journal."
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