59 posts tagged “raven jake”

Now folks, I ain't done with the story of the White-Blanco-de Guillen family. Not by a longshot. I keep kicking over rocks and finding out more stuff about these characters. Case in point: I was getting ready for trick-or-treaters just last night when it occurred to me that I oughtta make a memorial wreath for Dona Eulalia. It's the Day of the Dead, and it's only proper for the the living to pay their respects to those who went before. And don't you know that doing that just opened up a whole floodgate of information?

Eulalia Perez de Guillen  [1768-1878] and her first husband, Miguel Antonio Guillen [?-1821], a Spanish soldier (although probably Mexican-born, as she was), are buried here in the old cemetery by the mission wall. The bench, which was a pretty fitting memorial for a lady who never had the time to sit down, was installed on May 21, 1936. Here’s what it says:

This marks the grave of

EULALIA PEREZ DE GUILLEN

Born at Loreto in Baja California in 1768

Died June 11, 1878

14 Years Mayordoma of

San Gabriel Mission

Erected by the Garfield Study Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EULALIA PEREZ DE GUILLEN, 1768-1878

 As the original llavera, or keeper of the keys, at the San Gabriel Mission, Perez de Guillen was responsible for the mission's storehouses and money room during the height of its role as a center of commerce. She managed many of the manufacturing and industrial activities of the mission and oversaw the activities of many of the Indian women there. She was also a highly regarded nurse and midwife. As compensation for her long service to the church, Perez de Guillen was deeded Rancho San Pasqual, 3 1/2 square leagues of land (about 15,400 acres), which included the original site of the city of Pasadena.

 And here's that source: "Women in L.A. History The early days of Southern California were marked by women who contributed to the area's development as inventors, lawyers, authors and philanthropists." As Women's :[Home Edition]. 1994. Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext), March 30,  http://www.proquest.com.libwin2k.glendale.edu/ (accessed November 1, 2009).  

And here's a longer version of this story with a lot more trauma and drama. I'd like to know where Cecilia Rasmussen got her information, but it makes for a "ripping yarn" all the same.

She was an extraordinary woman with stubborn faith who survived a major earthquake and carved out a niche as the mother of California's soft drink industry.

Eulalia Perez de Guillen contradicted the myth that the extreme hardships of the Old West guaranteed a short life. When she died in 1878, she was 110 years old.

Some 60 years before, when she oversaw the San Gabriel Mission for the Franciscan friars, Eulalia concocted a tasty beverage from the lemons growing in the area.

Demand was so great that she began bottling the beverage, and the friars sold it. Soon they were shipping bottled lemonade to Spain. It became one of Los Angeles' first exports, and an enterprise that helped fill the mission's coffers.

Although she labored ceaselessly, it was her stubborn faith in the growing Christian community that sustained the twice-married dona mayor as she struggled to quench thirsts and help turn this hard little corner of the world into another Eden.

Born in Mexico in 1768, Eulalia was 15 when she married Miguel Antonio Guillen, a young soldier. Eventually, he was transferred north. They packed up their bags and three children and headed for Mission San Juan Capistrano.

They survived a massive earthquake that shook the Great Stone Church at the mission during Mass on Dec. 8, 1812.

The roof caved in and the adobe walls collapsed. The mission bells tumbled from the tower, killing 40 people.

Eulalia, who was pregnant at the time, squeezed out of the leveled church. A few days later, she gave birth to a healthy daughter, one of her many children.

After she pleaded with her husband for years, he finally asked for a transfer, and they moved to San Gabriel around 1821. His health was poor and he soon died.

After winning a cooking contest, she was hired by the San Gabriel friars as a cook. But her duties expanded, and soon she was the manager of the mission.

Along with her daughters, she supervised cooking, sewing, nursing, soap and candle making, the winery and the olive oil presses.

Eulalia also watched over the Indian women working at the mission, and tried to keep the soldiers away from them. When her efforts didn't succeed, she delivered the babies.

It was during this time that Eulalia began brewing the lemonade that made her famous.

Eulalia was an unrelenting force behind the mission, acting as if she were a five-star general, despite her soft voice and gentle manner.

She also was a counselor who helped steer young people through the intrigues and scandals that occurred behind the pious mission facade.

For example, in the late 1820s, a beautiful, stubborn, adventurous girl, Josefa Carrillo, flirted with Bostonian Henry Delano Fitch, a sea captain.

He asked her to marry him, but her father refused to permit it. Fitch became a Catholic, but her father still opposed the match because Fitch was a foreigner.

Undaunted, the couple eloped and were married in Chile. Upon their return, they were arrested and placed in custody at the mission. Eulalia listened intently to Josefa's tearful story while the bride was imprisoned in Eulalia's room.

The padres ordered the couple to attend high Mass for three feast days while holding lighted candles and recite the rosary together for 30 consecutive days. In addition, Fitch was ordered to give a 50-pound bell to the plaza church.

In 1834, when Mexico took over the missions and secularized them, Eulalia was out of a job.

As compensation for her 14 years of service, the padres deeded her 15,400 acres of what is now Pasadena. But the friars feared that their gift wouldn't hold up in court, so they arranged a marriage between Eulalia and a younger man, Juan Marine, a domineering soldier.

He petitioned the governor for the land and was granted it.

Although Marine won the land, he lost the woman. Unwilling to live with her husband's tyrannical ways, she walked out and moved into a small adobe. It was at the southwest corner of Mission Drive and Santa Anita Street, near the mission.

Marine didn't stock the property with livestock or make improvements required by the land grant. After he died, his son sold it for a mere six horses and 10 head of cattle.

Thirty years later, the longevity of 100-year-old Eulalia was advertised around the world as due to the "healthful climate and orderly living of the far western prairies."

Capitalizing on her mother's fame as a "California curiosity," one of Eulalia's daughters accepted a $5,000 offer to put her mother on exhibit at Woodward Gardens in San Francisco for six weeks in 1876, followed by a brief stint at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

Bags packed and eager to travel, Eulalia was stopped by another daughter. The dispute ended up in court, with a judge issuing an order preventing her from leaving Los Angeles.

Two years later, before her death on June 8, 1878, Eulalia was no longer able to stand. She got around by crawling. But she crawled proudly, refusing to let others carry her burden.

She is buried at the San Gabriel Mission.

And here's the citation: Cecilia Rasmussen.  1998. L.A. Then and Now / Cecilia Rasmussen; A Long, Rich Life and a Tasty Claim to Fame :[Home Edition]. Los Angeles Times, September 6,  http://www.proquest.com.libwin2k.glendale.edu/ (accessed November 1, 2009).

 

  

Folks, I am delighted to announce that the hangman ain't coming for Miguel Blanco just yet. At the San Marino Board of Education meeting last night, people were coming out of the woodwork to support the Michael White Adobe, and in a future post I'm going to be naming some heroes.

The news ain't all good - the board of education, and yes, I'm going to keep naming names, Jeannie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Chris Norgaard, along with student member Carlee Beckler all voted unanimously to approve the environmental impact report. But they also granted a three-month stay of execution, so you won't see Raven Jake standing in front of a bulldozer at least until February.

In the meantime, it is imperative that we get some citizen action going, raise some money, come up with a plan. From what I saw last night, it looks like we still have a hell of a fight ahead.

But we got three months, and a lot can happen in three months. Maybe I can even post something that ain't related to my belated amigo, Miguel Blanco. 

 

Fast Facts about the Michael White Adobe

 

• Prior to Spanish colonization, the Gabrielino village of Sonangna stood at the site where the Michael White adobe is today. These early settlers were drawn to the area by the year round flow of underground spring water.

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  • 1771: Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, was founded alongside the Rio Hondo in the Whittier Narrows. In 1776, the mission moved to its present location.
  Michael White, later known as Miguel Blanco, was born in 1802 in Kent, England. He became a sailor in his teens and never returned.

 

• Mexican War of Independence 1810-1821

 

• Visited Baja California as early as 1817, and made several voyages between the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) and Mexico's Pacific coast.

 

• The British ship, Dolly, brought White to Alta California in 1829. He became a Mexican citizen shortly afterward.

 

• Joseph Chapman [1794-1848], was the first “White Don,” in Southern California. His friend Michael White [1802-1885] was the second. These Anglos – Chapman from Maine and White form England, learned Spanish, worked for Mexican shipping companies, married Mexican women and completely assimilated into “Californio” culture.

 

• 1830. White, along with former pirate, Joseph Chapman, constructed the schooner, Guadalupe from the remains of the brig, Danube, which ran aground in a storm on Christmas Eve, 1828. The vessel was built for the padres of the San Gabriel Mission to be sold to sea otter traders.

 

• White sailed the Guadalupe to Mazatlan and returned in 1832.

 

• Upon his return from Mexico, White married Maria del Rosaria Gullien, who was a daughter of Dona Eulalia Perez de Gullien- Mariné, the old matron and bookkeeper at the San Gabriel Mission.

 

• Dona Eulalia Perez de Gullien-Mariné was the first land owner in what became San Marino, Pasadena San Gabriel and South Pasadena. Her land grant was ratified on Easter day, 1827, and so was named "Rancho San Pascual," or "Easter Day Ranch." A funny side note is that she lied about her age in reverse, so that when she passed away in 1896, she was thought to be 143 years old. She was probably 108.

 

• Following his marriage, White set up a small store at Rancho Los Nietos, a short distance south of the mission.

 

• White may have been involved in a smuggling scheme in San Francisco in 1833.

 

• Mexican Secularization Act of 1834 (took land from the missions to be available for private ownership)

 

• In 1836, White was listed as living at Los Angeles.

 

• 1839-1841: went to New Mexico where he may have involved himself in the fur trade. He returned to San Gabriel with the Rowland and Workman Party.

 

• 1843: White was granted Rancho Muscupiabe by Governor Manuel Micheltorena. It was a single league of land located near the Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was named for a Serrano Indian village in the vicinity. The remote rancho was subjected to frequent raids by Paiute Indians and their allies; therefore, it was abandoned in 1844 because it was indefensible.

 

• 1845: White participated in the revolt against Governor Manuel Micheltorena. He was a member of the company of foreigners led by William Workman at the Battle of Cahuenga late February 1845.

 

• 1845: White received a concession to 500 square varas (77.23 acres) of land north of the San Gabriel Mission from Governor Pio Pico. Pio Pico, and his brother Andreas, were California’s mixed-race governors, being partly Black, Indian, and Spanish. White received this grant because of his wife’s and mother-in-laws service to the San Gabriel Mission.

 

• 1845: Built the home which stands today at San Marino High School. The original adobe section of the house was a story and a half. Later, a two-story wing made of wooden ship siding was added.

 

• White planted a vineyard and an orchard consisting of a variety of fruit trees. One remnant of his vineyard is the Old Mother Grapevine of San Gabriel. He called his ranch San Ysidro, in honor of the patron saint of farmers and laborers.

 

• This became his permanent home, he still yearned to travel and in passing years he embarked on several sea voyages. He and Rosaria had a large family.

 

• The Mexican-American War 1846-1847

 

• White joined party of fifteen foreign born (mostly American) yet naturalized Mexican citizens led by Benjamin Davis Wilson (Don Benito Wilson). They were stationed at Rancho del Chino to protect the eastern frontier from American forces that might approach from the Cajon Pass.

 

• The Hispanic Californios doubted the loyalty of Wilson's men and set out to arrest them in what became known as the Battle of Rancho del Chino. The prisoners, including Michael White, were taken to Rancho Los Cerritos, near present-day Long Beach, where they were detained and ultimately released.

 

• 1847 – 1848: Michael White returned to his home on San Ysidro and took a neutral position throughout the ensuing conflict.

 

• 1872: The patent to the land was issued by Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States.

 

• Eventually, White sold San Ysidro to L. H. Titus, who owned an adjoining ranch to the east. Titus, in turn sold the property to James C. Flood. Michael White, also known as Miguel Blanco, died in 1885.

 

• L. H. Titus became a prominent land owner in Pasadena.

 

• James C. Flood was one of the “Bonanza Kings” who made a fortune in the gold rush and increased that fortune in stock speculation and banking.

 

• The adobe was re-purposed early on for use as the first school in the community: This is what the San Marino High School website says “Let me quote something from PTA history in 1955...“In the 1870’s, Mr. Joseph Heslop donated an old house and 2 acres of land on the South-East corner of Huntington Drive and Del Mar Avenue for use as school property. Mr. Heslop’s wife, Francesca, was the daughter of Rosario de Guilleu and Miguel Blanco, whose adobe house stands on our high school grounds today. From 1873 – 1890, the children of the Heslop’s, L. J. Roses of Sunnyslope, the Cooper’s, Dan Mulock’s, Pollar’s, J. Smith, and Colonel Winston attended this school.” 

 

• 1952 – The adobe was restored by K.L. Carver and a group of public spirited citizens of the San Gabriel Valley

 

• In the 1950s, San Marino High School was built on the property surrounding the adobe.

 

• 1956: The Native Sons of the Golden West erected the plaque outside the adobe.

 

• 1956-present: the adobe has been used variously by the high school and the San Marino Historical Society. It is in good structural condition, as attested to be the National Register of Historic Places, California’s Office of Historic Preservation.

 

• Terri Geis, Ph.D. the Preservation Director for Pasadena Heritage, Roberta Martinez, the president of  Latino Heritage, Tesa Becica from the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, Ann Gray of Balcony Press (architectural books) and Mike Buhler, the Advocacy Director for the LA Conservancy have all weighed in for preserving the adobe.

 

• There are less than 30 adobes left in Los Angeles County and less than 10 remaining that were once associated with the San Gabriel Mission.

 

• There is no justification for destroying this adobe. The “plan” is simply to pave the spot.

 

• San Marino Board of Education members Jeanie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Karen Preston and Chris Norgaard should be held responsible for an act of violence against our shared cultural history if they destroy this landmark building.

 

 

 

And folks, I mean literally TODAY, October 11. We have to save this adobe, and time is running out. While we were peeking over the fence, one of the baseball moms, Joanna, came over to talk to us. She was proud to show off the adobe and comment on its uniqueness and we said "it's too bad your board of education wants to tear it down at the end of the month." What? Turns out that not even the PTA has been told that the San Marino Board of Education including these members (go ahead and feel free to send 'em an e-mail y'all, they're elected officials) 

President	Jeanie Caldwell	November 2009 (term expires)
Vice-President	Dr. Jeng Yen	November 2009
Clerk	C. Joseph Chang	November 2009
Member	Karen Preston	November 2011
Member	Chris Norgaard	November 2011

   is planning to wantonly destroy this historic building. I don't blame them for not wanting to get the word out, they

ought to be ashamed. In fact, if this plan goes through, I'll make sure that every time someone Googles Jeanie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Karen Preston and Chris Norgaard their name crops up in conjunction with this act of historical violence. In fact, with term expirations coming up for Ms. Caldwell and Yen and Chang, they oughta start thinking about what their legacy is going to be.

As you can see, there's nothing wrong with the adobe except that this hideous collection of sports fields have grown up around it and they are now starting to crumble. If I had my way, I'd fill in the pool and plant a historically appropriate herb garden. Now that ain't gonna happen, so swim in peace kids, but the problem is not the adobe, it's lack of long-term planning. The adobe is the redeeming feature of the place and it's time to stop making rash decisions based on false economic expediences and start thinkin' about the long haul.

It's also time to stop trying to run a fasty past the school, the parents, the city and the community. It ain't gonna work.

 And the address for the San Marino Unified School District is:1665 West Dr., San Marino, CA 91108, so make sure they know what you think about this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously, the news just kept getting worse. This has been a hell of a week in our neighborhood and throughout SoCal, as our forest burned and there was nothing we could do but watch. The U.S. Forest Service has confirmed that arson is the cause of the Station Fire, (see, I called it right) which began on Aug. 26th, at 3:30 p.m., a mile above the Angeles Crest Fire Station. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have initiated a homicide investigation for the perpetrator of the fire which caused the deaths of fire Captain Tedmund Hall and firefighter Arnaldo Quinones, known to everyone as Ted and Arnie, who were killed Sunday when their truck careened off a steep mountain road. If you have any information or questions please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at 323-573-2387. Arnie's wife, Loressa, is expecting their first child in the next several weeks, according to his department biography. He is also survived by his mother, Sonia Quinones. Ted Hall is survived by his wife, Katherine, sons Randall, 21, and Steven, 20, and parents, Roland Ray and Donna Marie Hall.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these two men who died needlessly and far too young.

 

Arnaldo Quinones

The Station Fire has destroyed more than five dozen homes and burned more than 230 square miles. According to the U.S. Forest Service has confirmed that 154,655 acres have been burned since last Wednesday. Personnel totaling 5,244 individuals, have brought the fire to 42 percent containment. The estimated containment date has been delayed a week from Tuesday September 8, at 6:00 p.m. to Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6:00 p.m.

 

According to the U.S. Forest Service: “The Station Fire has burned 230 square miles of land within the Angeles National Forest and near surrounding foothill communities of La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena, Glendale and Sierra Madre. The goal of the Incident Management Team is to keep the fire west of Highway 39 and Angeles Crest Highway, east of Interstate 5, south of Highway 14, Pearblossom Highway, and Highway 138, and north of the foothill communities and the Angeles National Forest Boundary. The fire is moving into areas of the forest with no recorded fire history.”

 

The hills behind our house are on fire and have been for the last two days. They're calling it the "Station Fire" in honor of a ranger station that's probably toast by now - I hope not. Don't worry, folks - we're ok, but it's heartbreaking to see our trees and hiking trails consumed in flame and to think of all of the plants and animals that lived in what has grown to be a 5,500 acre fire with no end in sight. Just at the top of our street is an Edison easement that has been co-opted into a hiking/riding trail and we've been heading up there a few times a day to see how things are. Jane's been documenting the wreckage, but she'd rather be documenting the regrowth. Be very careful, folks, the hills are dry and resources are stretched. Report any activity that seems arson-related or just plain stupid. BTW - we've been updating the slideshow day by day.

In my endless quest to discover some stuff of historic and cultural importance closer to home, "havin' adventures" my wife calls it, we found John Steven McGroarty's place, Rancho Chupa Rosa, which has been converted into the McGroarty Arts Center. Now in a very weird coincidence, and presupposing that you subscribe to notions like "coincidence," our friend Thea King was just finishing up a belly dance lesson with her troupe when we happened in. We really had no idea she was gonna be there, but at least we were able to nose around upstairs a little bit and have decided that Tugunga, CA has a real treasure there with the Gro-Arty center. They have all kinds of classes to help you grow artier and different programs going on all the time, plus a nice little park. McGroarty was a local poet laureate and big California supporter who is best known for this poem and the "Mission Play," - the plot was pretty much lifted straight from Helen Hunt Jackson's Ramona, but it was a huge hit and does a pretty good job of giving a feeling for the "mission period" that we've been going over in the God, Glory and Gold

group. Here's the skinny:

The McGroartys arrived in Tujunga in the late 1910's and built a home only to have it burn down. The house was rebuilt in 1923. John Steven McGroarty was named Poet Laureate of the State of California 1933-1934, and represented Los Angeles in the United States House of Representatives from 1935 to 1939. He wrote a column in the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine for 40 years, entitled, "The Green Verdugo Hills," wrote a five-colume history of California, and authored seven dramas, the most famous being the Mission Play, which romanticized McGroarty's former home in the Verdugo Hills. Today the home houses the McGroarty Arts Center, part of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

 

Raven Jake at Ranch Chupa Rosa

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"Just California"

by John Steven McGroarty

 

When I am in California I am not in the West.

It is West of the West. It is just California.

 —Theodore Roosevelt

 

'Twixt the seas and the deserts,

    'Twixt the wastes and the waves,

Between the sands of buried lands

    And ocean's coral caves;

It lies not East nor West,

    But like a scroll unfurled,

Where the hand of God hath flung it

    Down the middle of the world.

 

It lies where God hath spread it

   

 In the gladness of His eyes,

Like a flame of jeweled tapestry

    Beneath His shining skies;

With the green of woven meadows,

    The hills in golden chains,

The light of leaping rivers,

    And the flash of poppied plains.

 

Days rise that gleam in glory,

    Days die with sunset's breeze,

While from Cathay that was of old

    Sail countless argosies;

The Mission Play c. 1927

Morns break again in splendor 

   

O'er the giant, new-born West,

But of all the lands God fashioned,

    'Tis this land is the best.

 

Sun and dews that kiss it,

    Balmy winds that blow,

The stars in clustered diadems

    Upon its peaks of snow;

The mighty mountains o'er it,

   

Below, the white seas swirled—

Just California, stretching down

    The middle of the world.

 

Couple o' fun facts about J.S. - he had a yellow cat who factored into a number of his columns. As a "cat guy" myself, I find that pretty charming. Check out the picture.  He also started a club, the Millionaire's Club of Contentment and Happiness, which met monthly at his place, and although I have no idea whether he was being ironic or rubbing it in, it still sounds like a good time. 

McGroarty's Famous Yellow Cat

 

I’ve got another oak tree memorial, this one lived across the arroyo and was known as the Oak of Peace or en Español, El Roble de la Paz. It’s a couple of miles away from the Cathedral Oak and, like the Cathedral Oak, it died of old age.

 

First a very brief look at the land grab: California was occupied by many diverse native tribal groups prior to Spanish colonization in the late 1700s. The main interest of the Spanish, at least initially, was to block the Russians, who were coming down the coast. No European country was particularly concerned with the sovereign rights of indigenous

people in their quest for colonial power at this time - it wasn't just the Spanish.

 

So when the Spanish moved in, they split California up into districts which were given to the missions. Garrisons were set up to guard the missions, compel the locals to do their bidding, etc. Spanish citizens, often via Mexico but not always, were basically given land just for settling there. Things were bad for the Indians – disease was rampant and they were in a forced labor situation while being deculturated, but for the most part they were allowed to remain on their land.

 

The Mexican War of Independence 1810-1821 from Spain affected the missions, but it wasn’t until the missions were secularized in 1833-1844, that the land grab really got going. Aiding and abetting was the anti-clerical Pío de Jesus Pico, who had no problem with giving away vast tracts of mission lands to friends and family members and to gain political influence. When the Americans rolled in, they didn't see much point in allowing a few families to keep the miles of choice farmland that they'd been given just a few short years before and distributed it to other American settlers. At this point the natives who had been in the same territory for 10,000+ years no longer had a claim to their own territories. 

 

Pío Pico [1801-1894] and his brother Andrés [1810-1866] were fascinating characters, who lived through some of the most turbulent times in California’s history. They were of mixed ancestry - African, Italian, Native American, and Spanish – their grandparents, who came to California with the de Anza expedition were described in the 1790 census as “mulata” for grandma María Jacinta de la Bastida and “mestizo” for grandpa Santiago de la Cruz Pico. They started out poor, became the richest and most powerful men in California, and then lost it all, dying penniless.

 

So what’s this got to do with the tree?

 

On January 11, 1847, there was a tipping point in the War for California. The defending Mexicans had fought well and bravely, but there were too many Americans and they were simply outgunned. Mexico was in the process of losing the Mexican-American War and was in no position to send in reinforcements.

 

John Charles Frémont [1813 – 1890] was coming down the coast and briefly stated:

“In January 1847, combined American forces of army, navy and marines lead by Commodore Robert F. Stockton and General Stephen W. Kearny were rapidly approaching Los Angeles from the south. After American victory at the Battle of La Mesa on January 9th, the Californio troops under the leadership of General Jose Flores retreated to Verdugo Canyon on Rancho San Rafael. General Flores fearing that Stockton would have him shot if captured, decided to flee to Mexico. Before his departure, he held final council with about 100 of his men beneath the branches of an old oak tree. Here he passed the responsibility of Chief of the National Forces of California to General Andrés Pico.”

 

The official plaque states “Site of pre-surrender conference between the Mexican settlers and a representative of the invading American forces on January 11, 1847. Jesus Pico, acting as an emissary from Lt. Col. Frémont, met under the oak with General Andrés Pico and Governor Flores of the Californios to urge the signing of the treaty.”

 

Frémont wasn’t actually there, he sent Jesus Pico, a Mexican general and cousin [some sources say nephew] of Andrés Pico and Pío Pico. How did they get so cozy? Well, he had captured Jesus sometime earlier and was going to have him executed (he was pretty liberal with the executions – he killed an Indian guy just for having a letter from Jesus Pico). A certain amount of confusion comes up over the names – Pío Pico’s “real” name was Pío de Jesus Pico and his cousin [or nephew] was Jesus Pico – they were two different guys and the Picos had huge families, so there is a lot of name overlap. Anyway, Jesus’ wife heard that he’d been captured, rounded up their 14 kids, and went to beg Frémont for her husband’s life.

 

Frémont always maintained that it was the pathetic sight of this inconsolable family, along with Jesus’ quiet dignity, that moved his heart, but shrewd political awareness must have entered into the equation. Jesus Pico even sweetened the deal by giving Fremont some lavish gifts, some horses and showed him a real good time, fiesta style.

 

As they made their way down the coast, Jesus Pico got Frémont to confer with a Pico family friend, an old lady named Bernarda Ruiz, who had a reputation for brilliant negotiation. She dictated the terms of surrender most likely to please everybody. Frémont stayed near the San Fernando Mission, and Jesus went on to talk to his cousin [or uncle] General Andrés Pico, commander of the Mexican army, who with Governor José María Flores were staying at the ol’ Verdugo place and trying to figure out what to do.

 

“General José María Flores (1818-1866) was an officer in the Mexican Army and was a member of la otra banda. He was appointed Governor and Comandante General pro tem of Alta California for only a few months Oct.31, 1846–Jan.11, 1847. On January 10, 1847, Flores left Los Angeles and stayed at Los Verdugos. He held a final council, in which he decided to leave California. He transferred command to Andrés Pico and departed that night, the 11th, for Sonora. Before leaving Los Angeles he released all of the prisoners.”

 

The situation with Pío Pico and José Flores was dire. They had to flee California to avoid being captured and killed. They’d put up a pretty good defense in Los Angeles and had even captured the garrison. US reinforcements had come in, though, and the defending Mexicans had been forced to retreat to Pasadena.

 

Jesus advised them of Frémont's approach with the “Buckskin Battalion” and advised them that better terms of surrender could be obtained from him than from Stockton and Kearny, who were out for revenge. It was good advice and they took it. Flores split, Andrés Pico brokered the deal and the terms were thus: all native Mexican-Californians should deliver up their arms, return to their homes and assist in keeping the peace. Those wishing to leave could return to Mexico. The Capitualtion of Cahuenga was signed on January 13, 1847 at the Tomas Feliz adobe.

 

On the “official” Oak of Peace site: “This amicable end to the hostilities in Southern California was brought about because of a meeting under the spreading limbs of a tree in Verdugo Canyon. The tree which helped bring about a speedy end to what could have been a long struggle is known as the Oak of Peace and was designated a landmark in 1947. Sadly, the tree, which was estimated to be 500 years old, succumbed to disease in 1987. Remnants of the original tree can still be seen near the Verdugo Adobe at 2211 Bonita Avenue.”

 

Amen to that. El Roble de la Paz, you’ll be missed. The Catalina Adobe, located close by, has a fascinating history and is a post for another time. In the meanwhile, it tickles me to look around the glen and see all the Peace Oak kids growin’ up around where their forbearer once stood, sure and calm, inspiring some nervous folks to do the right thing, even when all seemed lost.

I discovered a new place today while looking for a hill where gravity runs backward. Now I never did find that hill, but I did find the Cobb Estate, which is differently cool. Don't worry, when I find that gravity-defying spot, y'all will be the first to know.

Charles H. Cobb made a fortune in lumber in Seattle at the turn of the century, and, with his wife Carrie, settled in Altadena (just north of Pasadena) in 1915. In 1916 they completed their mansion above the fields of California poppies in Las Flores Canyon, with Cypress trees lining the circular driveway and Bahri dates outside the front entrance. They called it Las Flores Ranch. So far I haven't been able to locate a photo of the house, but it was likely a mission-style affair with a tile roof.

There's another story - that calls it the Forsyth Ranch and that it sold to the Cobbs in 1919, but regardless, it was quite a spread.

Carrie passed in 1934, and Charles, a Mason since 1881, built Pasadena's Scottish Rite

Cathedral dedicated to her memory. Charles himself shuffled off the mortal coil in November 1939 at the age of 87, leaving a bunch of money to diverse philanthropic causes. He and Carrie had an adopted son, Clarence, and a granddaughter, but the house became a Mason's Home, and then a nun's retreat. 

After the Sisters of St. Joseph moved out, the house became increasingly vandalized, and finally it was bulldowzed in 1956 by the Devon Construction Company. I don't know if I have mentioned my hatred of vandals before now, so let me just say that taggers ought to have the first joint of their dominant index finger removed in a humane way to keep them from succombing to the temptations of spray paint. I'm non-violent, y'all.

The construction firm unloaded the property on the Marx Brothers - those Marx Brothers - to the tune of $500,000 for 107 acres - who wanted to turn it into a cemetery. The neighbors would not stand for it, and blocked every attempt to "improve" the property until 1971, when the remaining Marxes - Gummo, Groucho and Harpo's widow Susan - agreed to sell it at auction.

The property owner's association hoped that the Marxes would just donate the property as a wildlife refuge and made plans to call it "Marx Park," but that didn't happen. "The only mail I seem to get is people asking me for something. Nobody ever wants to give me anything. As far as I'm concerned, forget it," said Groucho in an interview with Bert Mann of the L.A. Times. There were a lot of local heros and heroines who dug deep to save these 107 acres that bordered on the Angeles National Forest, but Virginia Steele-

Scott dug the deepest and contributed $150,000. The bidding stopped at $175,000 and the land was saved. Trails go all the way to Echo Mountain, the Mount Lowe loop and all over that part of the San Gabriels.

The old Cobb place has had a reputation for being haunted back to the 1940s, but it probably had more to do with the neglect and vandalism than any other factor. So here are some totally unsubstantiated urban myths that have come up around these parts, and I hope to be able to check some of them out. I do not, by the way, recommend going up by yourself or after dark. It would be very easy to fall off a trail and there are cougars and maniacs around there, not to mention the possibility of drunks who might talk your ear off. So be careful, friends:

• Apparently the area starting at the front gates of the Cobb Estate is also known as "The Haunted Forest." From time to time screams and anamalous lights
  

  Cobb_Estate_Sign
  appear there. Supposedly, there is also a "Ghost in Chains" that will "feed off your life force."
• Then there's "Gravity Hill" - Loma Alta Road east of Fair Oaks (we didn't detect a lack of gravity, but we weren't doing it right.) Here's the legend for your entertainment: "The Tale of Gravity Hill has been passed down from word of mouth. I have tried to find an expert opinion on the Gravity Hill in Altadena but haven’t been able to come up with anything credible. The unofficial story is that a young teen stole his/her parents car and went out on a joy ride around when they drove up to Rubio Canyon Rd. When they drove around the curve, the car stalled. The Young Teen and a couple of friends were trying to get the car started when a drunk driver in a large truck came speeding around the curve collided into the car killing all of the teenagers. It is reported if you put
  

  Listening for Bees
  powder on the back of the car that finger prints will appear. Apparently the Teenager’s Souls are pushing you up the hill to prevent yet another tragic accident. I’ve never tried the Powder trick so I can’t be sure..." says our source. We've also heard a different version that features children crushed in a school bus crash.
• An actual, factual thing about this canyon is that there are a whole bunch of gold mines from the 1880s in it, which were "played out" before the Cobbs moved in. Some of the tunnels are still there and are quite extensive.
• The Cobb Salad was invented by Robert Cobb of the Brown Derby in 1937, not by Charles H. Cobb - don't believe everything you read on the net!

 

 

 

3496 N. Lake Ave, Altadena (corner of Lake and Alta Loma)

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Modern Hiker Blog

 

It is an unfortunate fact of Vox that sometimes it is through with you before you are through with it. When we left the enigma of the Casa Verdugo it was with the message that, like many things in LA, it was kind of fake and kind of not.

Over here at the left, we have the side view of what was probably the first real adobe, built by the Sepulvedas. Mrs Sepulveda started out life as a Verdugo, and that's the name that stuck when the restaurant opened. The second adobe, built when the first adobe was razed to make way for more street, was made authentically from adobe block, but it was made to be a restaurant, not somebody's house.

When they built the restaurant the third time, way down the street, it was supposed to be a restaurant, had that Moorish-Spanish look that was what passed for "Mission revival" and then that became someone's house, bringing the Sepulveda's adobe back in a weird kind of circle.

Down below, we've got the latest Casa Verdugo: