Record Heat

It is HOT. AccuWeather forecasts a high today of 106, easily surpassing the former record August 28 high of 102 set in 1995.

The heat's discomfort is compounded by smoke from fires in our local mountains. Earlier this week we could smell smoke from the Azusa Canyon fire. The last two days we have had heavy smoke from the Station fire in La Canada. I've watched the La Canada fire from my office in downtown Pasadena and last night could see the flames. As I look out at the San Gabriels this morning, I see a hazy blanket of smoke against the foothills north of Pasadena and east of Pasadena. Over toward La Canada, the smoke billows up, in kind of gray-brown clouds, against the blue sky. And then the gray-brown extends westward as far as I can see.

The heatwave is supposed to break on Sunday sending temps back down to the low 90s. Hopefully that will help the fire fighters.

"One of the most charming grottos of the world"

Let's turn the clock back to 1876 and say you wanted to move from the cold snowy east to sunny southern California. Well, there was no California Aqueduct, no Colorado River water and no Pasadena Water and Power. You'd have to find water yourself before you could live here.

So it was in 1876 for William Cogswell when he purchased property in what is now east Pasadena and built the famous Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. When Cogswell bought his property, he also purchased rights to 1/2 of the water flowing over a water fall in Davis Canyon, just north of present day Pasadena Glen.

Since water was such a precious commodity in an arid area, it stands to reason people were fascinated with it. The capture and management of water -- purely local water -- made possible the groves and vines that flourished in the San Gabriel Valley.

So, in the 70's and 80's when people trekked to the Sierra Madre Villa, one of the objects of interest was the source of water that made this wonderful place possible. Cogswell enjoyed escorting guests on a short hike to the falls in Davis Canyon where water flowed from the mountainside into a refreshing pool. From there it was diverted into wood flumes and clay pipes which carried the water downhill to a reservoir behind the Villa hotel. From there, it was piped into each of the Villa's guest rooms (running water!) and sent downhill to water the Villa's citrus groves.

Los Angeles Herald editor, James Basset, visited the Sierra Madre Villa and took a walk with Cogswell up to the falls at Davis Canyon. Basset's account appears in Tourists Illustrated Guide to the Celebrated Summer and Winter Resorts of California, published in 1883.

Here is Basset's description along with present day photos:

"In company of Mr. Cogswell, we treated ourselves to a walk to the grotto which furnishes the water supply for the Sierra Madre Villa. It was distant about three-quarters of a mile. Part of the way, the water is conveyed in a flume and for the remainder of the distance in iron pipes.

We had to ascend some three hundred feet before we reached the brow of a hill from which one appeared to descend to the source of the water supply.

Of course, this appearance was deceptive.

Perseverance at last brought us to one of the most charming grottos of the world. In a crypt, hollowed out of solid rock by the rushing waters (doubtless the work of many years), a sharp turn to the right brought us to a cascade which plunged for a distance of fifteen or twenty feet over a shelving rock.

The crystal clear water, cool and refreshing, compensated one for the slightly trying walk."

James F. Crank and the Sierra Madre Villa

Sierra Madre Villa Hotel, ca. 1886, Carleton E. Watkins,
Courtesy of the California History Room,
California State Library, Sacramento, California

I enjoy reading Pasadena PIO's mystery history series. Her most recent post told the story of how the railroad came to Pasadena. Prominent in that story is a man named James F. Crank. He spearheaded efforts to bring a railroad to town, donated land for the Raymond Hotel and, one way or another, figured in much of Pasadena's early development.

Mr. Crank and his family were also the first guests at the old Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. In fact, it was the Sierra Madre Villa that introduced the Cranks (and other prominent people) to the area. Here's the story as related in Ann Sheid's Pasadena: Crown of the Valley:

“The first real hotel in the area was Sierra Madre Villa which began as a large house. The land was purchased by William Porter Rhoades and his father-­in-law, artist William F. Cogswell, in 1874. They built a comfortable house, planted the grounds in orchards and vineyards, and landscaped with rose gardens and ornamental trees.

The house remained a private home until 1877, when the James F. Crank family arrived from Denver, seeking a healthful climate for the ailing Mrs. Crank. The Cranks stayed with the Rhoades, and during this time, a 20-room addition with a long glass-enclosed veranda transformed the ranch house into a full-fledged hotel.

The hotel soon became an important social center, attracting guests from around the world. Famous for its hospitality, beautiful site, and eminent clientele.... Guests came for a week, for a month; or for the whole season, and their ranks included such names as Ulysses S. Grant, Collis P. Huntington, the Crocker and Mark Hopkins families from San Francisco, and tobacco millionaire Abbott Kinney."

There's more.

Below is a scan of a magic lantern slide made in 1890 by photographer Frederick Hamer Maude. The photo is of the front of the Rhoades house which was expanded to accommodate the Crank family. While staying at this house, Mrs. Crank's condition improved and Mr. Crank became smitten with the area. They purchased the Fair Oaks Ranch, which was across the wash from Sierra Madre Villa and north of present day East Washington Blvd. The Crank House still stands on Crary Street in Altadena and is on the National Register of Historic Places.


As for this old Victorian --- it was disassembled in the 40's and purchased by a nearby studio named the Walt Disney Company. Trim from the house was used in a movie and later on a building along Disneyland's Main Street. Here's that story.

Hail in Pasadena

The National Weather Service predicts 100 today and 102 tomorrow with a hazardous weather outlook here. Up to 107 in the mountans. All in all, I thought it a fine day to think about the evening of January 24 when we had a hail storm. It is a big deal to get hail in Pasadena -- even in January. I remember listening to the rain on our roof that night and hearing the sound of rain change to the sound of hail. I shouted "hail" and we all ran outside to watch it hail. I scooped some up and took a picture.

Earthside Story - Update

Some good news to report on the Earthside Story.

First, a magnificent study of Earthside has been completed by Green Vision, a team of very talented graduate students in the Urban and Regional Planning program at Cal Poly Pomona. The report covers Earthside's history, significance (including that of its visionary founders), catalogues plant life on the site and presents future opportunities. You can get the whole report (including some great pictures) here.

Under the direction of Pasadena's own Prof. Julianna Delgado, the Green Vision team has turned out an extraordinary study that will help guide future plans for the site. Yours truly even got a mention!

Second, there has been concern about what would happen with the abandoned preschool and Girls Club building in front of Earthside. This past week the Board of Zoning Appeals approved a conditional use permit allowing the city and Huntington Hospital to operate an urgent care center and health clinic on the site. After some gentle advocacy, the city very willingly put in place a buffer area and several other measures designed to protect the Earthside site from possible negative impacts. Thanks go to new City Manager, Michael Beck, and Public Works Director, Martin Pastucha, who personally took on the issue, and to all those who thoughtfully advocated for protections.

Hawks Continued

I've learned that it can be difficult to identify particular types of hawks. But, thanks to Tamara, who commented on my earlier hawk post, this appears to be a Cooper's Hawk. The bird is about crow-sized and has the white tips at the end of the tail feathers. More identification stuff here.

All about birds has some great background on the Cooper's Hawk. They are "among the world's most skillful fliers" because of how they can weave around tree branches in pursuit of prey. They eat other birds, including doves, which we have see a lot around here. They also eat small rodents. Cooper's Hawks have strong feet and kill their prey by grabbing it with their feet and squeezing it. They've even been known to drown their prey by holding it underwater. Another bird site says hawks, in general, have eyesight 2-3 times better than ours. Unlike other birds, the eyes of hawks and other birds of prey are set to look forward rather than on the side of their head. They mate for life and can reuse nests year after year.

This is a bit far afield. But, Cooper's Hawk is named after William Cooper, a "conchologist," who studied mollusks and other animal life. He collected specimens of many animals including a newly found type of hawk.

Bear Signs

About a month ago I posted photos of the bear that had climbed up a pine tree in our back yard. In more than five years in our Northeast Pasadena home, that was the first time we had actually seen a bear.

More often we just see signs of bears. There was the time we found a pile of trash in our back yard (including a large container of cookie dough) right next to a pile of a different and very smelly sort. Then there was the time a bear pushed down our chain link fence -- just crushed it - on a night my son and I chose to sleep outside. And then there was the morning the guy painting our neighbor's house came running into our yard looking like he'd seen a ghost. The guy was literally shaking when he told me he had seen a "giant" bear. After some time, I walked him back to his job and he spent the rest of the day painting the inside of the house behind locked doors.

But mostly bear signs involve trash cans. This morning I walked out side to see our trash can tipped over. It was the second time this week this has happened. The recycling and green waste containers were undisturbed, it is always the trash can that is tipped.

Here's another picture of the bear we encountered a month ago. I wonder if this is the one getting into my trash can?