Pasadena, California--The Crown City-- was born, grew into “adulthood” and flourished due largely because of its climate and geographical location. “In New York, people are buried in snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.” These words, uttered in 1890 by Pasadena resident Professor Charles Holder, were the genesis of Pasadena’s now legendary Tournament of Roses. Yet they could also be considered the bellwether remarks of a trend of emigration which led to the birth of the Crown City, its blossoming Golden age of the late 19th and early 20th century, and continues today more than a century later.
GEOGRAPHIC MAKE-UP Pasadena is located in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, at the base of the San Gabriel mountains. These mountains, on a clear day, provide a picturesque and formidable background to the city. A mass of intrusive granite and covered in chaparral, the San Gabriel Mountains stand 5,000 feet tall. Though not massive by any standard, these mountains are rugged and have historically been uninhabited by homesteaders or recreational campers. The San Gabriel mountains, though uninhabitable, were and are critical to the creation and maintenance of the highly desirable Mediterranean climate. They are the primary source of water for Pasadena. Weather systems come in from the coast ushering clouds filled with evaporated moisture from the ocean. The water-laden clouds reach the foothills, they cannot go any further, and so dump their water in the foothills and Pasadena. Canyons and rivers were formed; damns were created. Water, and consequently life, came to Pasadena (Rees, 2003). These mountains would later prove beneficial in terms of communication and astronomy for they provide an unobstructed site for radio/television antennae and is the home of the world-famous Wilson Observatory. As we move down the foothills, onto the alluvial fan of the San Gabriel Valley, we see the geological result of being so close to a mountain range. The San Gabriel Mountains provide a steep run-off of water into Pasadena. Consequently, the run-off deposits sand, gravel, and fertile sediment in such a fashion as to promote the growth of citrus. Which, besides the mild climate, would be the primary draw of Pasadena. Citrus, specifically oranges, was a natural crop for Pasadena. The sandy soil is conducive to the growth of the trees, plus severe frost (an orange grove killer) is minimal in the San Gabriel Valley. In addition to oranges, Pasadena, in the Late 19th century also grew grapes for the production of wine and brandy. Although not of high quality, many Pasadena farmers became quite wealthy selling citrus and alcohol to the miners and settlers of northern California (Rees, 2003). Ironically, although alcohol aided in developing Pasadena as a city, a dislike of “ ‘ol John Barleycorn” was the primary factor in the establishment of Pasadena’s southern border. Apparently, many of Pasadena’s elite developed a dislike for the saloons of their fair city. These taverns lacked sophistication and attracted only the worst element. The owners of these establishments were harassed and harangued and eventually pushed southward. Thus the creation of South Pasadena (Page, 1964). Perhaps the only drawback to the geographic make-up of Pasadena is its location in a natural valley. The mountains which practically surround the city tend to trap not only the marine layer, which is good, but also pollution and stagnant air, which is bad. For Pasadena, smog is not a 20th century phenomenon. They are several well-documented reports of pollution in the San Gabriel Valley prior to the pre-industrial era. Rain in the winter, drought in the summer, fertile soil, Mediterranean climate, earthquakes, floods, smog, fabulous homes, annual fires that burn those homes, booze, wealthy socialites... Pasadena truly was the creation of nature and mankind.
INDIANS IN THE VALLEY Before the Europeans came to Southern California the area now known as Pasadena was inhabited by a clan of Shoshone Indians who called themselves the Hahamongas (a park in present-day northwest Pasadena, in homage, bears their name). The Hahamongas, a notably moral and spiritual clan of indians, lived in harmony with the land and with neighboring tribes. They were a small tribe (California never had any of the large indian confederations often found on the east coast) and were somewhat nomadic. However, archeologists have found remnants of six villages scattered from the foothills to what is today South Pasadena. They established a village near every viable water source. The Hahamongas were hunters and gatherers (no agriculture of which to speak), mostly they gathered, mostly the women gathered. Their diet consisted of the occasional rabbit or squirrel, some berries, some seeds, and a heavy helping of a mushy acorn creation common to most indian tribes of Southern California.
On January 17, 1770, in present-day South Pasadena, the Chief of Hahamongas, Chief Hahamovic, smoked a peace pipe with the Spanish governor, a man named Portola (again, if one wants to drink or smoke, South Pasadena is the place). Just one year later, Father Junipero Serra established a mission on the edge of the San Gabriel River and the Hahamonga would never again live as they wished or as they pleased. Within a few years, their culture began to die, asphyxiated by European ways. The Spaniards taught them the ways of agriculture, labor, punishment, disease, and Catholicism. Eventually, Chief Hahamovic married a European woman and, symbolically, put a period at the end of the story of the indians in the valley.
INDIANA IN THE VALLEY In 1873, a small group of successful businessmen from Indiana began to consider a new venture. Their investments were hot, but their bodies were cold. Their solution? Go west. And west they came. Families with names like Berry, Eaton, and Wilson (names that still pepper the Pasadena landscape, followed by words like “street” and “canyon”). Together these men bought 4,000 acres on the east side of the Arroyo Seco and together they created The San Gabriel Orange Grove Association. Unofficially, they called themselves The Indiana Colony. They were successful in their start up, and by 1876 another plot of land just east of the original was sold for the purposes of growing citrus. The colony was a community. Only an official name eluded them. Originally, the founding fathers of the city wanted to stick with the name Indiana Colony. That notion, in order to eliminate any postal confusion, was summarily nixed by the United States Post Office (Page 1964). “Indianola”, someone offered. “Granada”, too, was suggested. Neither name seemed to match the poetic beauty of the valley. They wanted an indian word. They liked the idea of the San Gabriel Mountains sitting like a crown on the valley; others liked the idea of this city being the “key of the valley”. The men sought the help of a missionary-man from Wisconsin who had worked with Chipewa Indians and new their language. They sent him these ideas; he replied with five multi-multi-syllabic terms, each one ending with the syllables “pa sa de na”, meaning “of the valley”. In the name of brevity, the men agreed on “Pasadena” (Lund 1999).
The census of 1880 listed only 392 people living in the San Gabriel Valley; almost all of them refereed to themselves as “orchardists” (www.pasadenahistory.org). However, life in this little valley was about to change drastically. By 1885 word had gotten back to the east coast and Midwest, Southern California was a virtual Eden: seventy degrees in February, citrus and wine, fluffy clouds...heaven on Earth. In addition, this was the era of the railroad boom. Reliable transportation was the spark in the tinderbox. Property values and speculation almost literally exploded. With railroads becoming dependable one could travel from their summer home in Chicago to spend the winter Pasadena with relative ease. Railroads, improvements in irrigation, and subsequent advances in refrigeration also made Pasadena less of an economic gamble. Citrus growers had plenty of water to grow their product, plus they could package the citrus and ship it without fear of spoilage (Rees, 2003). Soon everyone from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine would be eating Valencia Oranges from Pasadena. Pasadena was blossoming. Interestingly, Pasadena became incorporated in 1886 for no other reason than to rid the city of the previously-mentioned saloon. By the 1890’s, the real-estate “boom” began to fizzle, but no one need worry; Pasadena was on the verge of her “Golden Era”.
THE GOLDEN ERA IN THE VALLEY Beginning in the 1890’s, the Pasadena citrus industry slowed down somewhat. Fortunately, for the economy, tourism replaced and surpassed those “orange” dollars. Luxurious resort hotels, such as the famous Green Hotel, were built. Pasadena’s roads were paved and lit at night, the city installed a sewer system installed. The Mount Lowe Railway, which brought tourists up into the San Gabriel Mountains, became popular for its incredible view of the valley. And on January 1, 1890 the members of the newly established Valley Hunt Club dressed up their horses and carriages with flowers and strutted their way through the streets of Pasadena while their brethren in “New York were buried in snow”. Close to 2,000 people witnessed this first “unofficial” Rose Parade (today, well-over two million watch the parade). Soon the parade itself would become a tourist draw. There were marching bands, a bronco-busting demonstration, ostrich races, and a race between an elephant and a camel (against the odds, the elephant won) (www.rosebowl.com). By the end of this “Golden Era” (1929) the city of Pasadena was nearly fifty years old and firmly established as a winter address of such high-brow families as the Wrigleys and the Huntingtons, Proctor and Gamble. It was also during this era that the landscape of Pasadena began to evolve, most notably regarding architecture, engineering, the arts, and education.
THE LANDSCAPE IN THE VALLEY As Pasadena became more and more associated with a high quality of living, the landscape began to change to meet those standards. Some changes of landscape were literal changes, such as stylish buildings and bridges, and some were intellectual, libraries and universities.
If one travels the streets of Pasadena in the year 2003 one can still detect the changes of the early twentieth century. There is the Gamble House overlooking the Arroyo Seco. A beautiful “Arts and Craft”-style home designed by Sumner and Henry Greene (Greene and Greene), who, like Frank Lloyd Wright (another architect to affect the landscape of Pasadena) , made painstaking efforts to build a home that would complement the natural environment. The Gamble House blends into the environment (Lund 1999).
Pasadena is a city built around canyons and rivers. Consequently, many bridges have been built. Most notably and most beautifully was the Colorado Bridge. A graceful crossing over the Arroyo Seco, this bridge has a somewhat colorful, if not morbid past. The “Golden Era” of Pasadena ended in 1929 with the beginning of the Great Depression. Like most American cities, Pasadena was hit hard. Many of her residents were ruined bankers and businessmen who chose end their lives by jumping off of the Colorado Bridge. So popular was this method of suicide that the bridge took the morbid nickname, “suicide bridge”, a name that has stuck till this very day. Local legend has it, that at the height of the Great Depression, gruesome pranksters actually painted a bulls-eye underneath the favorite “jumping off” spot of the bridge.
On a more positive note, the turn of the century saw the beginning of a focus on academia in the Crown City. The California Institute of Technology, on the shoulders of such noted scientists as Linus Pauling, reached a level of national prestige by 1930. The Mt. Wilson Observatory, in 1919, boasted the world’s largest telescope (100 inches). And Pasadena could brag that everyone of its residents lived within one mile of a library (www.pasadenahistory.org).
Perhaps the only drawback to the original landscape of Pasadena are the natural disasters: fires, floods, and earthquakes. As mentioned earlier, Pasadena experiences drought for most of the year. The foothills are covered with brittle and flammable chaparral. Fire is an annual hazard in the San Gabriel Valley. Prior to the 1940’s flooding was life or death matter in Pasadena. It does not rain much on Pasadena, but when it does, the rains are torrential. On New Years Eve 1934 Pasadena witnessed one of the worst floods in the history of the state of California. Many died, hundreds of thousands of dollars were lost. It was only then, after disaster, did Pasadena alter the landscape to prevent further disaster: dams were built and a river was artificially created (Rees, 2003). And finally, earthquakes round out the natural disaster trifecta. Pasadena lies near several active and dangerous faults (most active being the San Andreas and the Inglewood-Newport faults). Humans will never be able to prevent earthquakes, but Pasadena has been on the forefront of the study of seismology (Cal Tech) and developing architecturally sound buildings (The Art Center of Design).
Whether it be the Hahamonga tribe of Shoshone Indians, or wealthy orchardists from Indiana, or vacationing chewing gum heirs from Chicago, or the world’s most famous and influential architects and engineers, hundreds of thousands of travelers have been lured to this little valley in Southern California by its mild Mediterranean climate like moths to a flame, or more accurately like the cold masses to a warm front.
WORKS CITED
Lund, Ann Scheid (1999). Historic Pasadena. San Antonio: Historic Publishing Network.
Page, Henry Markham. (1964). Pasadena: Its early years. Los Angeles: Morrison Printing and Publishing.
Rees, Dr. John. (2003). Lecture from Geography 432, Metropolitan Los Angeles. California State University at Los Angeles.
www.pasadenahistory.org. February 24, 2003.
www.rosebowl.com. February 24, 2003.
Pasadena, the First Fifty Years:
Peaks and Valleys
Christopher F. Lewis
Geography 432
Dr. John D. Rees
March 13, 2003
