Earthside Story

Since posting on Earthside twice in December, I've made several trips back to the garden. The Earthside story continues to unfold and continues to fascinate. This was and is an incredibly beautiful place. And the time, effort and money that went into creating Earthside is evident nearly every step of the two acre site.


Above is a weathered plaque that hangs on the outside of a kiosk at the entrance to Earthside commemorating its beginning in 1971. The faded photos provide only a glimpse of the work that must have gone into creating Earthside.

A lot of people played a part in the Earthside story. Here's another weathered plaque that hangs outside the kiosk (donated by the Pasadena Rotary). The last honorees named on this plaque are Elna Bakker in 1994 and Virginia Connelly in 1995. Ms. Bakker was one of Eartshides' visionaries and her death in 1995 may have had something to do with the demise of the nature center.

A few memorials are placed around the Earthside grounds. This one honors "Pop Pop" Shirley W. Owen of Pasadena. Makes you want to know about Pop Pop.

The Earthside garden is on a hill adjacent to the EatonWash. This photo is taken looking west over the wash out to Eaton Blanche Park. Trails zig-zag down the hillside.

Walking the Earthside site, you see the phenomenal amount of work and expense that went into creating this garden. The trails along the side of the hill are kept in place by an extensive network of rail road ties and heavy lumber. These stairs circle down the hill.

The system of trails leads down to the edge of the wash, or more accurately, the fence along the wash.

This rock lined pool is part of an oasis at the north west corner of Earthside.

California native palms that stand over the pool.

After the January rains, wildflowers are appearing. Life is evident in the dormant vines that line Earthside's north and west sides. I"ll return to see this garden grow over the coming months as the Earthside story continues.

The San Gabriel Mountains: Our "Dominant Scenic Assets"

San Gabriel Valley ca. 1890
Pasadena Cal: C.J. Randall
Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento

I've posted on this before, but I like the old panoramic views of the mountains. There is a dramatic and awe inspiring feel to these old photos.

In 1930, a group of eminent landscape architects examined the sprawling Los Angeles region. At a time when land was still available, they wrote an ambitious plan for parks and open spaces. They had this to say about our mountains:

“The mountains, which are the dominant scenic assets, are slowly losing value because of the intensive urban growth. On the one hand, such growth is steadily cutting off views of the mountains, views that can be obtained only across open foregrounds sufficient in scale to complete and unify the landscape. The constant process of building upon open areas, the confinement of highways between rows of dwellings, stores, advertising structures and other nearby obstructions is gradually eliminating the enjoyment of the inspiring mountain scenery from the plains. This is a great loss which can be stopped only by reservation of occasional public foregrounds.”

(Quoted from “Parks, Playgrounds and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region” a 1930 plan prepared by the Olmsted Brothers and Harland Bartholomew & Associates and submitted to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.)

The Olmstead plan appears in the excellent book, Eden By Design: the 1930 Olmstead-Bartholmew Plan for the Los Angeles Region, by Greg Hise and William Deverell. In their book, Hise and Deverell tell the story of the Olmstead plan and its ambitious recommendations for parks and open spaces. As they explain, the plan was quickly shelved and never implemented. The story is a good one and the Olmstead plan is fascinating.

In a future post, I'll take a look at East Pasadena's mountain views.

Mystery of the Missing Lincoln Portrait

In an earlier post I presented a short biography of William Cogswell, the famous artist and founder of the Sierra Madre Villa. Cogswell was an amazing guy -- a self taught artist, a 49'er, painter of Lincoln, Grant and others, and an East Pasadena pioneer. The post includes a photo of Cogswell's most famous work, his portrait of President Lincoln, which is the official White House portrait of Lincoln, and today remains as part of the White House Collection.

Cogswell's obituary ran on page 1 of the Pasadena Evening Star December 26, 1903. The full obituary is here. The title and lead refer to a Cogswell painting that was a replica of his famous Lincoln portrait and says that the painting hangs in the Pasadena Public Library.

In fact, the enterprising Cogswell appears to have painted at least three replicas of his White House Lincoln portrait. One of the portraits is in the California State Capitol in Sacramento and hangs over the Speaker's podium in the Assembly. Correspondence in the Pasadena PL's Cogswell file indicates that a another portrait hung in the Royal Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii. (In 1890 Cogswell travelled to the islands to paint Queen Liliuokalani and Hawaiian royalty).

A third Cogswell replica of his White House Lincoln portrait was in the possession of the Pasadena Public Library and the Pasadena Historical Society. It appears the Lincoln portrait hung in the library from at least 1903 to 1961. A 1961 letter to the Pasadena Public Library and correspondence with the Library of Congress and Frick Art Reference Library state that Cogswell's Lincoln portrait belonged to the Pasadena Historical Society and was hanging in the Pasadena Public Library.

But, sometime after 1961, the portrait seems to have vanished.

So Where is the Lincoln Portrait Today?

After learning Cogswell's story and that of Pasadena's Lincoln portrait, I wanted to see the portrait. How incredible, I thought, that our library should have one of the few replicas of Cogswell's official White House Lincoln portrait -- a replica like the one hanging in the California State Assembly. And given Cogswell's connection to Pasadena's pioneer days, I thought it very appropriate that the library should have a replica of Cogswell's most famous portrait.

So I went to the library to see the painting. But, there was no painting. I called the Historical Museum and the city. But neither had any record of the painting.

I emailed the Hawaiian State Archivist asking about the Lincoln portrait in Hawaii. But the archivist emailed back stating they had no record of Cogswell's Lincoln portrait.

So, we seem to have a mystery. Based on Cogswell's obituary and the 1961 correspondence, we know that from at least 1903 to 1961 Cogswell's replica of his famous Lincoln portrait hung in the Pasadena Public Library. Based on the 1961 correspondence from the Hawaiian Historical Society, we know that Cogswell left another replica of his famous Lincoln portrait in the Royal Palace. It wouldn't seem that such paintings could just vanish, but that is what seems to have occurred. So, where is the Lincoln portrait that hung for so many decades in the Pasadena Public Library?

San Gabriel Mountains -- 1880's Views

Sierra Madre from Sunny Slope
Carlton Watkins, 1880
Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento

At one time, panoramic mountain views could be had from seemingly anywhere in the San Gabriel Valley. This Watkins stereo card was made from a photo taken from L.J. Rose's Sunny Slope ranch that covered some of present day East Pasadena (south of Foothill) and San Marino. The card's title ("Sierra Madre") refers to the mountains and not the yet to be founded city.

San Gabriel Valley View
Unknown Photographer, ca. 1880
Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento

I cannot tell where in the San Gabriel valley this photo was taken. But I like it because it gives a good feel for how the mountains dominated the scene when the San Gabriel Valley was mostly open plains.

Sierra Madre Villa

Sierra Madre Villa Hotel, ca. 1890
William H. Fletcher
Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento, California

The Sierra Madre Villa Hotel got its start in 1876 and is now remembered as southern California’s first famous resort. Above, you can see the Villa’s vineyards and citrus groves, the two story hotel and Victorian Cogswell/Rhoades House all set against the Sierra Madre/San Gabriel Mountains. The hotel building was just above where the Eaton Canyon Golf Course is now and the Villa property stretched all the way down to approximately Foothill.

Villa visitors were treated to fine accommodations (running water in each room) in the middle of a beautiful ranch setting. The Villa maintained its own bee apiaries, stable of horses and small herd of cattle. Then there were the groves:

“There is probably no pleasure and health resort in either this country or abroad that will compare to the Villa in this respect. The hotel proper is literally surrounded with orchards. To particularize: there are upwards of 5,000 large orange trees…, upwards of 150 lemon trees, … and besides deciduous fruit trees, nut trees and a fine line of ornamental forest trees, shrubs, flowing plants, ect. Not only does the Villa grow all its own fruits, but also all the vegetables, small fruits, nuts, grapes, ect. with which the tables are freshly supplied three times a day.” (Rural Californian 1891)


Sierra Madre Villa, Looking South
J.B. Blanchard
Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento, California

The views from the Villa were spectacular. Visitors had sweeping views of the stirring San Gabriel Valley. In the distance, the view extended all the way to the coastline, including San Pedro and Catalina Island. It is said that Villa guests could watch steamers out at sea as they approached San Pedro.


Sierra Madre Villa, Looking North
J.B. Blanchard
Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento, California

The generally well-healed Villa guests had lots to do. Nearby mountains offered hunting, fishing in the San Gabriel River, trips to Eaton Canyon or to the "grotto" in Davis Canyon that was the Villa's water source. Visitors could relax in the Villa’s gardens or stroll in its groves. Or they could enjoy their talented and gracious hosts, the Cogswell and Rhoades families. There were also nearby attractions like the Baldwin Ranch, Sunny Slope winery, Shorb winery and San Gabriel Mission.

The Villa’s proprietors and beautiful setting were magnets for the rich and powerful and the Villa’s notoriety quickly grew. The eminent guest list reportedly included Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Gen. William Sherman, Hollis P. Huntington, John L. Sullivan, Helen Hunt Jackson, the Crocker family and the Jacobs family. Other visitors, like Abbot Kinney, Charles Hastings, James Crank, and the Brigdens were guests at the Villa before buying their ranches.

Time has dimmed the memory of the Villa, but it played an important role in early settlement of the San Gabriel Valley. As noted in an 1887 Pasadena Union article, “The Villa since it was opened has entertained many of the distinguished people who have visited this coast. Its place in the development of the valley is highly important as among those who have settled here and expended large sums in the improvement of ranches and the building of elegant homes, many were first guest at this charming place…. Pasadena owes not a little to the Villa, especially in the pioneer days when our hotels were few and accommodations for the tourist limited.”

The Villa Hotel in 1894 and the hotel structure was torn down in 1923. Today, the Sierra Madre Villa’s name is carried on in Villa Street, Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, a namesake reservoir and the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Station.

More on the Villa's history is at this excellent neighborhood website.

Mother Mountains

Snow Scene on the Sierra Madre from the Raymond
Lucien Emerson Jarvis, 1890
Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento, California.


It will push 100 degrees today and snow on the mountains looks awfully inviting, even if its 1890's snow. But, I add the photo because it refers to our mountains as the “Sierra Madre.”

A lot around here is named Sierra Madre – there’s the city to our east, and Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre Villa Ave., and the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Station. But, I always wondered why we had so many things named Sierra Madre when our local mountains are the San Gabriel Mountains.

It turns out that the mountains have gone by both names, with the officials favoring San Gabriel Mountains (named after the mission) and many locals preferring the name Sierra Madre. As the Field Guide to the San Gabriel Mountains points out, in 1927 the U.S. Board on Geographic Names ended the controversy and ruled the mountains would be officially known as the San Gabriels.

Early Pasadena historian J.W. Wood knew the official line, but preferred the name Sierra Madre anyway:

“Officially the range we contemplate is known as the San Gabriel, but the padres of old -- more poetic and sentimental – chose from their own nomenclature the more satisfying “Sierra Madres” – or Mother Mountains; and so they are known and preferred, despite geographers and pedagogues.”

J.W. Wood, Pasadena Historical and Personal (1917)

I like where J.W.'s coming from.

Cogswell/Rhoades House -- from East Pasadena to Porterville to Disneyland

The main residence at the Sierra Madre Villa was this Victorian home built in 1874 by noted artist William Cogswell and his son in law, William Porter Rhoades. Back in the late 1800’s, “the Villa” was world famous as a resort hotel.

The hotel and the Cogswell/Rhoades house are long gone from Pasadena. But, part of the old Victorian house still survives at The Happiest Place on Earth. Here’s the story:

In the mid-1940’s, the Cogswell/Rhoades house was sold to an up and coming studio in nearby Burbank – the Walt Disney Studio. Disney moved the house up to Porterville where it was used on the set of So Dear to My Heart, a 1948 movie. They modified the old Victorian into a general store and the house appears in the movie as Grundy’s Mercantile.

You probably recognize So Dear to My Heart as Burl Ives’ first full length film. But, it was also one of Disney’s first live action films. So Dear to My Heart contains both live action and cartoon characters that appear every so often during the movie. The movie is great family fare – entertaining with a pronounced moral to the story. My kids both liked it.

Not long after So Dear to My Heart, Disney embarked on building his theme park in Orange County. Park visitors would enter the park on a street that recalled town centers from a time gone by. As Walt Disney described it, "Main Street, U.S.A. is America at the turn of the century - the crossroads of an era. The gas lamps and the electric lamps, the horse drawn car and the auto car. Main Street is everyone's hometown...the heartland of America.”

As related by the Villaloa Neighborhood History Society, after So Dear to My Heart was filmed, Disney removed the decorative Victorian trim from the old Cogswell/Rhoades home and placed in storage for later use. The trim quickly found a place on the turn of the century buildings that line Disneyland's Main Street. Seems kind of fitting that trim from the Cogswell/Rhoades home that dates back to Pasadena's pioneer days and recalls the bygone era of the Sierra Madre Villa, was saved and is being re-used on Main Street USA.

The photo is interesting. Its a scan of a glass magic lantern slide. The slide was the work of Los Angeles photographer Frederick Hamer Maude and was probably made around 1890. If you click on the photo, the Victorian trim comes into better focus.

William Cogswell, Famous Artist and East Pasadena Pioneer

President Abraham Lincoln by William F. Cogswell
White House Historical Association (White House Collection)

So, what is the White House portrait of President Abraham Lincoln doing in an east Pasadena blog?

Answer: Artist William F. Cogswell was an east Pasadena pioneer and founded the world-renowned Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. He was also a noted portrait artist. The best known of his works is this 1864 portrait of President Abraham Lincoln that is part of the White House Collection.

Cogswell is a fascinating guy. A self-made painter, he painted portraits of many of the most prominent men and women of his era. Then, seemingly at the peak of his fame, he left the east coast for a California adventure. Here is some of his story.

Born in upstate New York in 1819, Cogswell’s gifts were evident early and, even as a child, he reportedly loved art and color. As a young man, he worked briefly as a color mixer at a Buffalo paint factory. From the paint factory, he moved to New York City where he started his career as a professional painter. But, as the Pasadena Evening Star reported in Cogswell's obituary, the artist "never received a lesson in his life." He was entirely self-taught, which made his accomplishments all the more amazing.

Cogswell had a spirit for adventure and travelled extensively. In 1849 he came to California as part of the gold rush. For a year, Cogswell painted gold rush scenes. He then returned east traveling over the Isthmus of Panama. He created large dioramas of gold rush scenes and of Panama which he exhibited on the east coast.

His big break came in 1864 when he was invited to the White House to make sketches of President Lincoln. Cogswell then used the sketches and possibly a photograph of Lincoln to create his famous Lincoln portrait. The painting shows Lincoln on the White House porch with the Capitol dome in the background and the President’s black coat and tall hat on the chair in the foreground.

As Cogswell finished his work, Congress issued a call for artists to submit portraits of Lincoln and appropriated $3,000 to be awarded to the winning artist. Cogswell submitted his portrait and won the competition. The Lincoln portrait became part of the White House collection where it remains today.

In 1868, Cogswell painted a portrait of General Ulysses S. Grant which is now part of the collection of the United States Senate. Grant dabbled with water colors and it is not hard to imagine that he and the talented Cogswell may have struck up a friendship. Cogswell is said to have been a Grant family favorite and painted a life sized portrait of the entire Grant family.

Though well established on the east coast, at the age of 54, Cogswell again moved west. In 1873 he purchased 473 acres of wild mesa land in what is now east Pasadena. In its natural state, this land was said to be covered with greasewood so thick a jack rabbit couldn't penetrate it. But, the mesa offered unimpeded views that likely captured the artist's eye and imagination. There was the waiting San Gabriel Valley below and an ocean view that took in Catalina Island and steamers making their way to San Pedro.

To the left is part of an 1877 L A County map that shows the outlines of Cogswell’s property. I posted a larger section from this 1877 map earlier. The northern edge of Cogswell's property roughly bordered present day Fairpoint St. north of the Eaton Canyon Golf Course. The southern tip of his property extended to present day Foothill Blvd. and Sierra Madre Villa Ave. The jagged western edge of the property tracked the Eaton Wash. Cogswell's purchase also included rights to half the water flow over a waterfall located north of present day Pasadena Glen.

With the aid of 70 Chinese laborers, Cogswell's land was cleared and planted with citrus trees and grape vines. Water was transported from the water fall downhill by flume or clay pipe to irrigate the land. A beautiful Victorian home was built on the northern edge of the property. At the suggestion of friends, in 1876, Cogswell and his son-in-law William Porter Rhoades founded the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel on the site. For a brief time, the Villa was the premier winter resort west of the Mississippi. That's a photo of the Villa in the masthead for this blog. I’ll have more on the Villa in later posts.

Cogswell continued painting at a prolific rate. He was commissioned to paint portraits of many of the early California governors. His works dot the walls of the state capitol in Sacramento. Cogswell also produced a replica of his Lincoln portrait. He sold the portrait to the State of California and it now hangs in the State Assembly Chambers behind the speaker’s podium. A photo of the portrait is at the Capitol Museum website.

Other subjects of Cogswell portraits included: President McKinley, General Sheridan, Supreme Court Justice and Treasury Secretary Saloman Chase, naturalist Louis Agassiz, Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford, business titans Mark Hopkins and Jay Cooke. Cogswell also travelled to the Kingdom of Hawaii where he painted the portraits of King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani, the last Hawaiian monarchs.

Cogswell died December 24, 1903 at his daughter's home in South Pasadena.

(In addition to those mentioned above, sources for this post include obituaries published 12/26/1903 in the Pasadena Evening Star and Pasadena Daily News, notes and letters contained in a Pasadena Public Library folder on Cogswell, information at AskArt http://www.askart.com/ and the Sierra Madre Villa Assocation website at http://www.smva.net/)

1877 Map

This is a portion of an 1877 map of Los Angeles County showing the early landowners of the area that was later to become eastern Pasadena. The map above also includes parts of surrounding areas. You can see the Indiana Colony to the left and San Gabriel train depot toward the bottom. The map is from L.J. Rose, Jr.’s biography of his father: L.J. Rose of Sunny Slope 1827-1899. Double click on the map to get a larger image.

Some of the names of the early landowners are familiar. The names of Craig, Rose, Chapman, Eaton and Bailey all live on through namesake streets and places.

Santa Anita Road is also familiar. Though not as dusty, Santa Anita Road is still in place today as Altadena Drive.

An early landowner whose name you may not recognize is that of William Cogswell, who owned the pie-shaped piece of property north of the Rose and west of the Chapman properties. In coming posts, I’ll talk about Cogswell, how his property became world-renowned and his interesting connection to Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses. S. Grant.

Eaton Canyon Area Development - 1967 Plan

The vision for an "eastern arroyo" of park and open space space resurfaced in the 60's. This plan was recommended by landscape architect David Wedgwood and approved in 1967 by Pasadena's Director of Parks, Robert Townsend. It is a wonderful piece of work. I encourage you to click on the map and then use your zoom feature to see the plan's detail. I think you'll be surprised.

The plan projected many new recreational features and trails from New York Drive all the way to the city's southern border. Let's take a section-by-section look:

Eaton Wash Reservoir and Dam. The plan shows the Eaton Canyon stream running under New York Drive and emptying into the reservoir area as it does today. However, the plan for the reservoir is dramatically different. It calls for five separate, but interconnected, bodies of water that would be part of a migratory wild bird preserve.

South of the Dam to Sierra Madre Blvd. Under the plan, the wild bird preserve continues south of the dam to four more separate but interconnected ponds. The plan shows an unchanneled stream running down to Sierra Madre Blvd.

Trail System. The plan calls for an extensive trial system over the entire plan area. Trails extend south from Eaton Canyon Park and nature center, and under New York Dr. into the reservoir area. Trails curve around the reservoir and ponds between New York and Sierra Madre Blvd. and then had south under Sierra Madre Blvd. The trails then run alongside the wash or the Edison right of way all the way to San Pasqual St. As planned, the trail system would accommodate hikers and bikers. A bridal path is also shown.

Edison Right of Way. The plan suggests a lease of the Edison right of way for "landscaped open space, trails, play areas and extension of proposed facilities."

South of Sierra Madre Blvd. to below Orange Grove Blvd. The plan calls for a three par golf course in this area.

South of Orange Grove to the 210. The plan calls for an assemblage of new recreational venues including an ice rink, outdoor skating rink, amphitheater, and pet farm. It also proposed to relocate the Gerrish Swim Club to this area.
210 south to Colorado. The bridle trail, hiking and biking trail continues under the freeway and down past Colorado Blvd. following the Eaton Wash channel.

Colorado south to San Pasqual. The trails continue south along the Eaton Wash channel to the city's southern border. The Edison right of way is landscaped open space. An area around Ability First is shown devoted to Senior Citizen use with shuffleboard, horseshoes and a putting green. The area around what is now the Eaton Blanche park is shown as an active park. An overnight group camp is shown on the east side of the wash from Eaton Blanche park. The hiking and biking trail is shown extending south beyond the city limits following the wash and Edison right of way.

Like the1932 plan, this plan never caught on. Since 1967, some of the planned area has been set aside for parks. Other parts of the plan area have been developed into housing and office use. A large area east of Washington is in use by Los Angeles County DPW, which controls the Eaton Wash Dam.

Eaton Canyon Park -- 1932 Plan

After a really long time, 1932 and 1967 plans for an Eaton Canyon/Wash park are getting some well deserved attention. This is the 1932 plan reprinted from Pasadena's park master plan the council approved last year. You may not recognize many of the streets and proposed streets on the plan. To get oriented, it helps to find Orange Grove Blvd. or the then-planned Eaton Wash Reservoir and work out from there.


The gist of the 1932 plan was simple -- to reserve the areas around the reservoir, the Eaton Wash and Edison right of way as open space and to build a scenic roadway starting at the dam and running south to San Pasqual. However, the plan never caught on.

The following gives some background to the '32 and '67 plans and is from the city's Green Space, Recreation and Park Element and Master Plan:

“A system of channels, roads, dams, recharge basins and other flood control infrastructure bisects the eastern area of the city. In 1932 the potential use of these areas for recreation was documented in a plan entitled "Eaton Canyon Park". This plan proposed a system of park areas extending from the mouth of the canyon to the southern City limit. These areas were to form a continuous band of open space areas, similar to the Arroyo Seco, albeit on a much smaller scale.

In December 1967, Ronald B. Townsend, the City’s Director of Parks, approved a plan entitled "Eaton Canyon Area Development". This plan also proposed an interconnected system of parks and open space areas along the Eaton Canyon drainage. The proposed improvements were laid out in great detail and connections with the city’s existing park facilities, such as Victory Park and Eaton-Blanche Park, were included. This Master Plan revisits this concept and offers recommendations for implementation measures that would fulfill a portion of the vision that was expressed in the 1932 and 1967 plans.”

St. Luke's

In 2002, Pasadena City Council declared St. Luke's Hospital, the convent and the chapel as city landmarks. The hospital was built in 1933. In 1947, the chapel and convent were added immediately to the east of the hospital building. This photo, taken from inside the chapel, shows one of the beautiful stained glass windows that line the chapel. The artistry in the stained glass and the plaster relief is spectacular. You have to click the photo to really see the work.

Last year, the St. Luke's property was sold to developer DS Ventures. Pasadena Heritage has placed St. Luke's on its endangered list and has noted concerns about how the developer will treat the landmark buildings.

Unfortunately, landmark protections do not extend to interior features.