USA > California > Los Angeles County > Pasadena > History of Pasadena, comprising an account of the native Indian, the early Spanish, the Mexican, the American, the colony, and the incorporated city, occupancies of the Rancho San Pasqual, and its adjacent mountains, canyons, waterfalls and other objects of interest: being a complete and comprehensive histo-cyclopedia of all matters pertaining to this region > Part 45
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Grant Street .- Opened by Dr. Thomas Rigg and W. O. Swan, Sr., in October, 1885, and named, of course, in honor of Gen. Grant.
Green Street .-- See Kansas street.
Henrietta Court .- Opened by A. Cruickshank, and named for his wife.
Howard Street .- Opened by Dr. O. H. Conger, and named after his only son, Howard Conger.
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
Hudson Avenue .- Opened by Wetherby and Kayser, in 1886, and named by Mr. Wetherby from the Hudson river, the scene of his boyhood days.
Herkimer Street .- Opened by S. D. Bryant, first through his own land on Los Robles Avenue, then he had to buy enough of a strip to extend it through to Moline Avenue, rather than have it stand as a mere court. He named it from Herkimer county, New York, his native place.
Holliston Avenue .- First opened in 1887 by H. R. Case, and named from Holliston, Mass., his old home.
Hull Street .- Opened in 1886 by a syndicate, and named after E. R. Hull.
Hurlbut Street .- Named after E. F. Hurlbut. It stops at the stone wall which encloses the east side of his fine home place. It was first called " Terrace Avenue," and is so named on some old maps ; but that name had no sense or fitness in that locality, and was changed to Hurlbut.
Ipswich Street .- Opened in 1885, by Henry A. Wallis, who was born at Ipswich, Mass., in a house that was erected there in 1630, and is still standing.
Kansas Street .- Opened first by Martin Mullins, through the Mul- lins tract, and named for the State he came from. This tract was the first regularly platted and recorded block of village lots ever made in Pasadena, the small lots previously sold having been described by metes and bounds. Mr. Mullins had bought from John S. Mills seven acres, "being the s 12 of lot .6 in Berry & Elliott's subdivision in the subdivided lands of the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association, in the Rancho San Pasqual, Los Angeles county, California-47 lots." Plat recorded November 24, 1883-only six days ahead of Wesley Bunnell's plat of his lots on Union street and Little avenue. The first dwelling house on Kansas street was built by Dr. H. A. Reid, at corner of Pasadena Avenue and Kansas street, early in 1884. Feb- ruary 19, 1887, an attempt was made to change the name to Concord street, but was defeated. But in 1894 the city council changed the name to Green street, in deference to Col. G. G. Green and his great hotel.
Kensington Place .- Opened by W. U. Masters, and named by the lady members of his family, after Kensington, England (London).
Kirkwood Avenue .- Named after ex-Gov. Samuel Kirkwood of Iowa. He served also as United States senator; and as secretary of the Interior in President Garfield's cabinet. After all these high honors he settled down quietly at his family home in the outskirts of Iowa City ; and just for a joke his neighbors elected him road overseer. He took the office, and made the jokers work, so that at the end of the year the township had better roads than it ever knew before.
Lake Avenue .- This was originally called Lake Vineyard Avenue, laid out by Hon. B. D. Wilson and named after his Lake Vineyard
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home place. In the boom time an extension of this thoroughfare was opened up to Las Flores canyon, and an effort made to call this new part "Prospect Avenue," as a name more likely to attract buyers. But that name did not stick, for it is now called Lake Avenue all the way up.
Little Avenue. - Opened by Wesley Bunnell, and plat recorded November 30, 1883, six days after Martin Mullins had his Kansas street tract recorded. Mr. Bunnell had joined with Williams and O'Hara in open- ing Union street, then he opened this avenue from the end of Union street as it then was, out through his own land south to Colorado street. He had bought this land from an old bachelor named E. P. Little, who went back east ; and as it was only a little short street, these two facts settled the name of it as " Little Avenue."
Livingston Place .- Opened and named by Wotkyns Bros. They were all New Yorkers. Livingston Place in New York city was familiar to them ; and one of the brothers who was very tall,-6 feet 11/2 inches-had Livingston for his middle name ; and so they named it.
Lockehaven Street .- Opened by Mrs. R. C. Locke, through 30 acres which she bought in 1874. Named after her colony home place there, . " Locke Haven."
Los Robles Avenue .- Opened by Hon. B. D. Wilson, in 1876, and named from Gov. Stoneman's place at the lower end of the street, which was called the "Los Robles ranch," or home. The street ended at Stone- man's fence, which still stands there and forms the south line of the city. Los Robles is Spanish for " the oaks."
Madeline Road .- Opened by Gen. Edwin Ward, and named for his daughter Madeline, now Mrs. Kirk of Chicago.
Madison Avenue .- First opened by Ed. L. Farris and Dr. Wm. Con- verse, in 1885. Dr. Converse was from Chicago, and he named their new street from Madison avenue in that city.
Marengo Avenue .- Also opened by B. D. Wilson ; and named from the " Marengo ranch " at its south end, then owned by H. D. Bacon, but now much divided up.
Mary Street .- Messrs. W. C. Mosher and B. F. Ball owned colony tracts adjoining each other and extending from Fair Oaks Avenue west to Vernon Avenue. In the boom time they wanted to open a street along their joint line, and were for some time in a quandary about what name to give it. But finally Mr. Mosher spoke up with a sudden impulse, "Frank, your wife's name is Mary, isn't it ?"
"Yes, her name's Mary," replied Ball.
" Well, my wife's name is Mary, too. We'll call it Mary Street," said Mosher. And that settled the matter. Mary street it went, - though "Two Marys street" would fit the case more historically.
Maylen Street .- Opened by Mrs. R. E. Burnham, in 1886. Her father's
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
mother's maiden name was Maylen, and she was a direct descendant from Lord Maylen Chamberlain of Coventry, England, and inherited property from him. Mrs. Burnham's only daughter, now deceased, was named Mary Maylen Burnham ; and from these facts came the name of this street.
Mentor Avenue .- Opened in 1886 by Ed. Farris and Dr. G. Roscoe Thomas. Their wives were both born at Mentor, Ohio, and were school- mates there in their girlhood ; and this was the reason for so naming the street. But Mentor had also become famous as the home place of Presi- dent Garfield ; and Mrs. Thomas's father was a member of the state legis- lature with Garfield when the latter commenced his remarkable and noble political career.
Mercer Street .- Opened by J. H. Fleming, and named from his native town, Mercer, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. From there also he enlisted as a Union soldier in the 5th Pennsylvania infantry regiment.
Millard Avenue .- , Opened and named by E. Millard, one of the early city councilmen.
Mill Street .- This was originally only a private driveway from Colo- rado street to A. F. Mills's cottage, which he had built in part from the original colony school house that had been moved from below California street on Orange Grove Avenue up to the 5-acre school lot donated by B. D. Wilson at the business center. In 1884, when Martin Mullins opened Kansas street through the middle of his 7-acre tract, he opened an alley for rear access to his business lots fronting on Fair Oaks Avenue, and this connected with Mr. Mills's private driveway, so that there was a passage clear through from Colorado to Kansas street, and it was commonly called Mills's drive or Mills street. But in January, 1886, Messrs. A. Pickard and H. M. Porter started a feed mill in a rough frame building on the east side of this alley or driveway ; and Mr. Mills says it took its record name of " Mill street" from this pioneer mill, and not from his name.
Moline Avenue .- Opened by Hon. B. D. Wilson, and originally called El Molino [the Mill] Avenue, from the El Molino ranch or home place of Col. E. J. C. Kewen, now owned by E. L. Mayberry,-where the historic old mill built by the Mission Fathers is still standing, and much visited by relic hunting tourists. [See page 42.]
Mulberry Street .- Opened by A. Ninde, in 1886, and named from Mul- berry street in Baltimore, Maryland, his boyhood home.
Mundell Drive .- Opened and named by I. N. Mundell, the first city marshal of Pasadena.
Oakland Avenue .- This street was named at a meeting held in the office of the Lyman Allen Land Co., in 1886, of parties interested in getting it opened clear through from Colorado to California street, but which was not accomplished. There were some fine old oak trees along its line, and as a compromise tie-up between these and Oakland, California, the name was adopted. [Finally opened through in 1895.]
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Olcott Place .- Opened by Geo. F. Kernaghan and Hon. Delos Arnold, and named by Mr. Kernaghan after George M. Olcott of New York, his former business partner.
Orange Grove Avenue .- Laid out and named by Calvin Fletcher, who superintended the platting and subdivision of the original colony lands of the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association, in December and January, 1873-74. He took pains to bring two large live-oak trees into the middle of the street so that they might be preserved, and not destroyed by private cupidity or stupidity, as many other such trees were afterward. And those two trees still remain - 1895. [See page 167.]
Painter Street .- Opened by L. H. Michener, and named in honor of his father-in-law, John H. Painter, the head man of the great Painter & Ball tract enterprise. The north line of the city runs along this street. Mr. Painter was father of the Painter brothers, M. D. and J. A., who built the Painter Hotel, opened Fair Oaks Avenue through on a straight line, built and owned the City Railroad Company's street car lines up to and beyond North Pasadena, and other public enterprises. [For Father Painter's con- nection with "Old John Brown," see page 325.]
Palmetto Street .-- Opened by H. W. Magee in 1885. Named from palmetto trees planted along its borders.
Pearl Street .- First opened by A. Ninde, and named from Pearl street in Baltimore, Md., his early home.
Peoria Street .- Opened in 1886 by Miller and Carpenter, and named from Peoria, Ill. The same parties had previously opened and named Illi- nois street.
Ramona Street .- Named by Mrs. Cordelia A. Boynton and Miss E. L. Ogden, from Helen Hunt Jackson's famous Southern California story of " Ramona."
Raymond Avenue .- This thoroughfare starts near the Raymond depot at the great hotel from which it takes its name, and runs in straight line four miles, to Mountain View Cemetery. It was first opened at the lower part, and name agreed upon, by eight or ten different land owners who subdivided their lands into city lots, in 1887.
San Pasqual Street .- Opened by Hon. B. D. Wilson, in 1876, and named from the San Pasqual ranch, as it then formed the boundary line between that ranch and his home place called the Lake Vineyard ranch.
Santa Anita Avenue .- Opened in 1868 by Wilson and Griffin when they sold the Grogan tract and other lands out of their San Pasqual ranch. It was the east boundary of the Grogan and Winston tracts, and extends in a straight line from the mouth of Eaton canyon down to California street, or below it to the cienega in the Craig Avenue swale, where Ford Bros. sunk the first successful artesian well in this region. The west line of the orignal " Rancho Santa Anita " extended from Eaton canyon diagonally southwest-
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
ward to about the junction of Hill Avenue and California street ; this new, straight north-and-south avenue was therefore on land from that ranch, and hence its name. What is now known as the Santa Anita ranch, or " Lucky Baldwin's " place, is only a fraction of the original body of land covered by that Spanish title; but Baldwin still holds the old name.
Shorb Avenue .- Opened and named by Hon. J. DeBarth Shorb.
St. John Avenue .- Opened by James Cambell, and named after Ex-Gov. John P. St. John of Kansas, the prohibition candidate for president in 1884. Mr. Cambell and his wife were much devoted to the cause of state and national prohibition, and thus testified their regard for the great leader of that cause.
Summit Avenue .- First opened by Stephen Townsend, in 1886, and so named because it lay along the summit of a ridge at his place between Fair Oaks and Marengo Avenues.
Terrace Drive .- First opened by Hannah R. Arnold, Delos Arnold, Mary A. Bartlett and Dr. O. H. Conger. They named it Terrace Drive because it was cut along the hill slope in terrace fashion.
Union Street .- Opened in November, 1883, by R. Williams, Thomas O'Hara and Wesley Bunnell, and named Union street because they "united" in opening it. At this time it only extended from Fair Oaks Avenue east to Little Avenue. Of course there was then no Raymond Avenue nor railroad.
Valley Street .- Opened by S. Washburn and J. H. Baker, in 1884-5. At this time the word " valley " was much in vogue. Pasadena was rapidly winning fame as the "crown of the valley"; the local paper was called "Valley Union" ; the San Gabriel Valley Railroad [now Santa Fe route] was then struggling with difficulties and pushing its way forward, Mr. Washburn being its treasurer and one of its three chief promoters. So he named his new street Valley street.
Villa Street .- Opened by Hon. B. D. Wilson, and named from the "Sierra Madre Villa " hotel, which was at that time the most noted hostelry and invalid tourist resort in all this region of country. And this street was expected to become the direct route from Pasadena to that place ; but it was too sandy, and Colorado street gained and held the preference for travel.
Vineyard Street .- Opened by P. G. Wooster, and named from Martha's Vineyard, Mass., his wife's childhood home.
Wallis Street .- Opened and named by Henry A. Wallis, who owned the land and lived there.
Waverly Drive .- Opened by James Smith, in 1885, and named from Sir Walter Scott's " Waverly " novels.
Wilson Avenue .- Opened by Hon. B. D. Wilson in his Lake Vineyard Colony tract, in 1876, and given his own name.
Winona Avenue .- Opened and named by Wm. Heiss, of Heiss Bros., clothing merchants, in 1887. The family formerly resided in Minnesota,
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and he commemorated that bit of family history by naming the new street after the city of Winona, Minn., because he liked that Indian name.
Worcester Avenue .- Opened by Ed. L. Farris, in 1886. Mrs. Cordelia A. Boynton and Miss E. L. Ogden owned land needed for the opening, and Mr. Farris gave them the privilege of naming the new street ; and accord- ingly the name of Mrs. Boynton's birthplace, Worcester, Mass., was de- cided upon. An effort was made to get it opened clear through to Walnut street ; but the school directors refused to let a public street run so close to the Lincoln school-house as would be necessary, and also would not let that school's playground be lessened or marred even by a ten-foot driveway across it. Then Mrs. Boynton and Miss Ogden opened Ramona street to give the north end of their new avenue an outlet to Marengo Avenue.
Yolo Avenue .- Opened by the Patten brothers in 1888, and named by Engineer Piper, who surveyed it, because he came from Yolo county, Cali- fornia. The word means "region of tules" or rushes, and is from the ancient Aztec language.
STREET ALTITUDES.
While Surveyor J. M. Willard was locating the street car line along Colorado street, in 1886, he recorded the altitude above sea level at all the principal street crossings, as follows :
PLACE. FEET.
Fair Oaks Avenue at Colorado street crossing 997.00
Marengo Avenue at Colorado street crossing 1,016.13
Euclid Avenue at Colorado street crossing 1,005.61 Los Robles Avenue at Colorado street crossing 1,002.08
Moline Avenue at Colorado street crossing 980.93
Lake Avenue at Colorado street crossing 969.72
Wilson Avenue at Colorado street crossing 964.71
Hill Avenue at Colorado street crossing
950.47
Santa Fe elevations are :
Lincoln Park 635 Raymond 748 Los Robles Avenue ............... .871
South Pasadena .674 Pasadena .. 829
Olivewood 850
CHAPTER XIX.
MOUNTAIN PEAKS, Canyons, Water Falls, Hills, and other Natural Objects; with their several Names, and when, why and by whom these Names were given.
The Old Mill ; the Mission Lake [or Wilson's lake]; etc.
MOUNTAIN PEAKS OF PASADENALAND.
Our local mountain peaks vary very much in appearance as viewed from different standpoints in the 4 x 7 miles extent of Pasadena residences, from the Arroyo bluff to Santa Anita Avenue, and from Lincoln Park to Giddings Heights ; hence I have taken the corner of Colorado street and Marengo Ave-
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
nue as a convenient central point from which to designate the different peaks by name. But the view would be nearly the same from the Presbyterian church, the Wilson High School, the Throop Polytechnic Institute, the Hotel Green, etc.
MOUNT HARVARD .- Looking north-by-east from our chosen standpoint, the most striking object toward the mountain top is a prominent detached spur forming a tangent ridge by itself, with its crest running north and south and a pretty well defined gable-end facing southward. During the days of Spanish and Mexican rule this promontory was called El Picacho, "the peak." As seen from Anaheim or Los Nietos, or any of that old- settled southeasterly region, only its end came into view, and it seemed verily "The Peak"; and it was so nearly due north that it served the
GODFATHERS AT CHRISTENING OF MOUNT HARVARD, APRIL 7, 1892.
President Elliot of Harvard College ; Prof. T. S. C. Lowe of Mount Lowe fame ; Prof. Will S. Monroe, city superintendent of Pasadena schools; Prof. Winship of Boston ; Walter Raymond of Raymond hotel ; Judge B. S. Eaton ; II. W. Magee, Esq .; Chas. A. Gardner, editor Pasadena Daily Star; W. S. Gilmore of Los Angeles Daily Times staff ; Clarence S. Martin of Martin's camp ; Mr. Severance.
Spanish workmen a noon-mark by the sun. Byron O. Clark relates that when Manuel E. Garfias, the first European child ever born in Pasadena- land, worked for him at Anaheim in 1870, he always looked at this "Peak " to see when it was dinner time. The first name that I heard it called by (winter of 1883-4) was "The Hogback." From Pasadena this promontory appears to be the highest part of the mountain, but Judge Eaton says it is 250 feet lower than Wilson's peak. I called it South Gable Promontory, a name which explains itself at sight. On April 7, 1892, President Elliot of Harvard University accompanied a party up the Toll Road to visit the site where the Harvard photographing telescope had done its special work.
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From Martin's camp the party walked up to the summit outlook of the promontory, which affords a wonderfully fine view of the valley below, and a less obstructed view of the settlements along the foot of the range eastward than any other point, on account of its jutting out almost at a right angle from the main range ; and at this time, as a compliment to President Elliot, it was christened " Mount Harvard."* At its base lies the ranch of Abbot Kinney (known to old settlers before 1880 as the Seabury place), which he has named "Kinneloa,"-(an Anglo-Sandwich-Island word modeled after Maunaloa and other "loas" in the region of Honolulu-and meaning Kinney's home). Mr. Kinney tried to get this conspicuous mountain spur named Kinneloa by government authority, but was frustrated in it by Pasa- dena parties.
PYRAMID PEAK .- In front of the promontory, or a little eastward, and a little lower down is a small pyramidal peak, so distinct in its outline as to name itself.
HENNIGER'S FLAT .- About half way down the west slope of Mount Harvard there is a very distinct mountain terrace known as "Henniger's Flat." This body of land was taken as a squatter's claim in 1880 or '81 by an old-time Californian named Wmn. K. Henniger, residing at San Gabriel and known as "Capt. Henniger," who went up there to stay for the benefit of his health. He was the first sheriff of Santa Clara county ; and gained his title of Captain by service in some of the local expeditions of white settlers against Indians, which were very common in California thirty to forty years ago. During the "dry" season of 1882-83 his water supply failed, and he left the place for a few months. But the copious rains of 1884 made the water supply good again ; and he returned, built a house, developed water, made a storage cistern, cleared and cultivated some of the land, and established himself as a permanent resident there. Henniger had made only the rudest sort of a footpath up the mountain, over which him- self and a mule could pass. In 1885-86, E. L. Mayberry had a mind to build a house up there as a health home for his invalid wife; and with this idea he made a bridle road so that he could go up and down on horseback, but intended if he did finally build a house there to make a carriage road up to it. However, the complete isolation of the place and its difficulty of access was too much, and Mayberry dropped the project after making his bridle road and riding over it a few times ; and Henniger continued his her- mit life, with only an occasional mountain climbing visitor to break the monotony, until the Mount Wilson Toll Road was constructed in 1890-91. This road extends about a mile along the east edge of Henniger's Flat, and at a point near the farm house there is a watering place for man and beast making the ascent. Capt. Henniger claimed to have from 30 to 40 acres of
*" At Martin & Lynch's the visitors never tire of sitting under the awnings or out on the promon- tory of Mount Harvard (Kinneloa), watching the glorious prospect," etc .- Pasadena Star, Sept. 22. 1892.
1
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land under cultivation, with more that might be cleared and utilized. He raised hay, grain, fruits, vegetables, poultry. In October, 1891, with a party of four, I procured there from him a supply of most excellent water- melons, peaches, plums, etc. The old man stuck to his mountain home, for he could not live in a lower altitude, and finally died there May 4, 1894 -aged 75. Peter Steil of Pasadena furnished the old man with groceries and other supplies during his last lingering illness, and attended to his burial when he died. July 3, 1895, H. C. Allen bought the Henniger property, 120 acres, at administrator's sale, for $2,600, and made it adjunct to the Mount Wilson Toll Road Company's plans of development.
WILSON'S PEAK -- MOUNT WILSON .- Back of or north from Mount Harvard lies Wilson's Peak, which is not a peak at all, but a great body of mountain, from which Harvard and Pyramid are projecting spurs. The summit of Mount Wilson has plowable land enough for two or three good farms, no more rough, hilly or stony than farms I have seen cultivated in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Northern California, and several New England states. Mr. A. G. Strain raised barley, pumpkins, potatoes, and some other vegetables successfully up there on the very summit, where a wild barley field had flourished aforetime and been a favorite pasture ground for deer ; but generally the rains cease and leave the ground dry too early in the season to make the tillage profitable ; and there is no chance to reach the field crop lands by irrigation except with pumping works, which would be too expensive, as the permanent springs are from 100 to 300 feet lower altitude than these lands. The top of Mount Wilson varies from one- quarter to a mile in width north and south and about two miles east and west-and that is why I say there is no distinct peak. It takes its name from Hon. B. D. Wilson, who, in 1864, built the original trail to its summit. See article, " Wilson's Trail."
The north slope of Mount Wilson forms the south wall of west San Gabriel canyon, the flowage of this branch of the famous river being from west to east. An old burro trail of fearful and perilous character led from - the Wilson summit down into this canyon, a distance of four or five miles, to Pasadena camp. In June, 1891, a party of Pasadena young folks were encamped there, consisting of Misses Jessie R. Mitchell, Louise Kerr, Alice Glass, Ella Knight, Winnifred Webb ; also Charles C. Glass, Linu Free- man, Rhoden Scudder, Alva McCoy. June 20th Carlton Durrell and Will Linney started from Pasadena with a horse named "Jerry " loaded with camp supplies, to join their friends in the canyon. They reached Wilson's peak the first day ; and on the 21st (it being Sunday) they started down the adventurous trail. But at a certain extra perilous passage called "Devil's slide,"* their horse lost his footing, and went rolling, tumbling, grinding
* In October, 1891, Dr. H. A. Reid and wife worked hard two days making a new and safer trail right over the mountain spur instead of along its steep and crumbly side called " Devil's slide." While they were at work the second day, and before they had got the new route entirely opened, P. T. Reed of Sierra Madre came along with a hunting party, just returning from Barley Flats, and wasthe first to ride over it. pronouncing it " a mighty sight better " than the old one. It is in use yet, and is called " Reid's trail."
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