EISPIRATEN

dima wrote: ↑

Sean wrote: ↑Thanks, but I can't read it. The resolution is too low.

It's the full-res image. Keep clicking on it until it's big and you're looking Whitman and Hamlin in the eye.

I switched to "desktop mode" and got it to work. Thanks.

On May 31, 1909, Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Wilson fell off a trail on Mt. Wilson. (Remind me never to hike Mt. Sean!) Mrs. Wilson slipped, grabbed her husband for balance, but instead brought him down the cliff as well. (Also a fear I have, of being pulled off a cliff by a dizzy dame.) Together they dropped sixty feet to the bottom. Knocked unconscious and bleeding, they were quickly tended to by a female hermit who witnessed the accident. (Please, God, when I'm pulled off a cliff, let there be a watchful and helpful hermit nearby!) The husband regained consciousness, but the wife was in a bad way. Later, when the rescue party arrived, a mule carried Mrs. Wilson out of the mountains to medical assistance.




(Los Angeles Herald, June 1, 1909)

I couldn't find a follow-up article on whether Mrs. Wilson recovered from her injuries. But two weeks later, a Mrs. A. R. Wilson made the Society pages. She attended a party on June 14th. So let's just assume it was the same woman and that she recovered. Happy, happy.


(Los Angeles Herald, June 16, 1909)

I might be a day late on this one, as some sources put it on May 30. But this article indicates that on Sunday, May 31, 1931, North Baldy was dedicated to Lord Baden-Powell by a large gathering of Boy Scouts and a speech by Major Burnham.


(San Pedro News Pilot, June 1, 1931)

After 34 years of service, Jada the mule retired from the Mt. Wilson pack train, reported this day, June 7, 1946.


(The National City News, June 7, 1946)

Here is a postcard of the mule train on Mt. Wilson in 1912, the year Jada joined the pack.


(Source: Water and Power Museum)

Is this where to toll rd is today? Or Mt Wilson trail?

dima wrote: ↑Is this where to toll rd is today? Or Mt Wilson trail?

This is the old trail from Sierra Madre. The toll road out of Altadena was already wide enough for automobiles by 1907.

Oh. If the toll rd was driveable, then these mule packs weren't intended to go to the peak, but to some camps in-between? I guess this was primarily for Orchard camp, you think?

dima wrote: ↑Oh. If the toll rd was driveable, then these mule packs weren't intended to go to the peak, but to some camps in-between? I guess this was primarily for Orchard camp, you think?

Yes, and there was also quarter-way house which I think was at First Water. The mules would also take stuff to the resorts in Big Santa Anita.

On June 14, 1897, the Herald reported that Lucky Baldwin had begun construction on a trail through Big Santa Anita Canyon. Baldwin intended to one day run a railroad through Santa Anita to San Gabriel Canyon and beyond. But as we know, this fantasy fizzled out. Instead we ultimately got Sturtevant Camp, which opened in 1898, and later the dam, the cabin community--and Chantry Flat.




(Los Angeles Herald, June 14, 1897)

A drawing of Baldwin from 1895.


(Stockton Record, Nov. 29, 1895)

So they're talking about Windy Gap?

dima wrote: ↑So they're talking about Windy Gap?

Islip Saddle?

Oh yeah. That would probably be better. The route is supposed to go by a "large lake". Crystal Lake isn't "large", but it's the only one. And if you're passing by it, you're probably going to Windy Gap. Don't know what they could mean

I don't know the exact route of this trail. But it does sound like he was sending it close to Crystal Lake, as the lake is a source for the San Gabriel River.

Sean wrote: ↑I don't know the exact route of this trail. But it does sound like he was sending it close to Crystal Lake, as the lake is a source for the San Gabriel River.

Crystal Lake has no outlet, right?

On June 17, 1915, Edith Wiley walked into the county courthouse and told a tale fit for the movie screen. With her mother, sister, and seven puppies, she rented a cabin in the Arroyo Seco. For their first night's entertainment, two mountain lions attacked the cabin, hoping to borrow some puppy meat for dinner. The women had a frightful and desperate night, protecting the puppies and fending off the lions until morning.

(Los Angeles Herald, June 17, 1915)

HikeUp wrote: ↑

Sean wrote: ↑I don't know the exact route of this trail. But it does sound like he was sending it close to Crystal Lake, as the lake is a source for the San Gabriel River.

Crystal Lake has no outlet, right?

That's right. No above ground outlet. I wonder, though, if it drains under ground to the north fork?

In 1926, June 17th marked the start of the planned Manker Flats highway. The grand dream included a scenic motorway over Mt. Baldy, connecting San Antonio Canyon with the North Fork of Lytle Creek. Ultimately the project failed due to landslides. There were smaller issues and problems, some of which I'll document on those anniversaries.



(San Bernardino Sun, June 17, 1926)


(San Pedro News Pilot, March 31, 1928)

On June 20, 1886, the Los Angeles Herald reported that E.W. Giddings had claimed a peak above Millard Canyon. He raised his white flag presumably atop Peak 4704, to honor Joshua Giddings, the famous abolitionist. I think Joshua was EW's uncle, but don't quote me on that.


(Los Angeles Herald, June 20, 1886)

Only a few days after putting prisoners to work on the Manker Flat Highway, county officers lost track of two criminals. Roy Brown and Bill Rich escaped the prisoner camp at Manker Flat on June 21, 1926. Brown was later re-captured on June 27. I couldn't find more info on Rich, who was still at large when they found Brown.


(San Bernardino Sun, June 28, 1926)

On June 29, 1887, the Los Angeles Herald published a letter from W. A. Goodyear. Watson A. Goodyear was a well-known geologist and surveyor for California. Among other things, he's credited with the first ascent of San Gorgonio (called San Bernardino back then). And he was part of the California Geological Survey, which predated the USGS. In his letter to the editor, he makes an interesting argument against the names "Old Baldy" for San Antonio and "Sierra Madre" for the Gabes. I didn't realize that the Gabes were once called the San Gabriel Range before they were called the Sierra Madre.


(Los Angeles Herald, June 29, 1887; note that "1877" might be a typo, as the paper is dated 1887.)

Goodyear's obituary

(Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University, June 1891)

Record of his Gorgonio (San Bernardino) ascent

(Ventura Signal, June 15, 1872)

That is so interesting! He doesn't go into why the renamings were happening. I wonder.

"I have some affection for these old mountains..."

I like that line.

On June 30, 1921, a forest fire threatened the homestead of Ida Greenfield in Placerita Canyon. All alone, she tried to fight the fire with a shovel. The heat probably overwhelmed her and she unfortunately succumbed to exhaustion.


(Los Angeles Herald, July 1, 1921)

dima wrote: ↑That is so interesting! He doesn't go into why the renamings were happening. I wonder.

After reading many old articles, it seems that there were two, competing conventions for naming things: man-centered versus nature-centered. Those oriented toward man, they preferred naming natural objects after people or religious figures like the angel Gabriel. Those oriented toward nature, they preferred naming natural objects after some feature of the object. The Gabes were recognized as the source of the water for Los Angeles. The soil and climate was also good for fruit trees, and hunters pulled game from the canyons. It seems that "Sierra Madre" referred to the nourishment the Gabes provided to people, like a mother provides nourishment to her children. "Sierra Madre" is a common name applied to ranges that nourish or protect a city.

I'd rather not get into the politics too much, but when the State or Feds move in, they seem to prefer the man-oriented names, especially over these common, nature or feature-oriented ones. Even "Old Baldy" can be considered a nature-oriented name, since it refers to a natural characteristic of the mountain. If you're part of the State, you probably want to refocus people away from their local worldview and more toward a cultural or national worldview. Hence, we have peaks named after religious figures and famous people.

What if a place isnt named hehehe?
Naming is 'commodization', for the purpose of development, pure and simple.
Dont need to signal virtue, its not in the interest of 'nature'...its the road to mighty.

I used to go and explore..even with names. And who knows where I ended up. They had localized names.
One was Mavericks....one long time local insisted "Im telling you this is half moon bay. So there is no place called mavericks" And I could give a flying about half moon bay..it wasnt listed on my map anyway. I thought it was a secret or something...but noone knew. Oops, thats quite a drive for nothing. I got answers from a laughing friend..."Mavericks is a wave fool"...but who names a wave. This is all so complicated.

That's hilarious. Half Moon Bay is a city, Mavericks is the surfing spot/beach. Looks like surfers named the spot after their dog, Maverick, or so the story goes.

On July 1, 1917, Jack Stoner of the International Mack Corporation drove a Mack truck to the summit of Mt. Wilson. His load wasn't any ordinary load. It was the one-of-a-kind, 100-inch mirror for the Carnegie Institute's new telescope. Stoner took on this responsibility himself, trusting no other with the task. The Herald described this haul as "the most noteworthy contribution of motor vehicles to the cause of science."

(Los Angeles Herald, July 7, 1917)

I found a better photo that is similar to one in the article, courtesy of the Huntington Library.



The Huntington failed to identify the driver and his men, but here at the forum we'll never forget the Stonerman and what he did for science.

I had the pleasure of driving a restored 1915 White truck. Hats off for getting that mirror safely up Mt. Wilson. The truck had only rear brakes, mechanically operated. The brakes were so grabby they caused the truck to skid when lightly applied at very low speed on the slick concrete of a gas station. The truck was part of an antique store my sister had in Danville, CA.

On the 4th of July, some people blow off their fingers with fireworks, while others fall off a trail and die. Unfortunately Phillip Carpenter did the latter in 1927. Don't be Phillip Carpenter! Stay safe out there!


(Imperial Valley Press, July 5, 1927)

A few years ago, the observatory had its hundredth anniversary of 'first light' on the beautiful 100-inch Hooker telescope. I was sitting in my house in Ventura County that evening and realized that I had forgotten all about the event. I ran to the car and made the mad dash to Mount Wilson. Less than an hour later I was walking up the light-festooned pathway towards the big dome. Boy was it worth the trip... All the telescope buildings were open and visitors could get up close and personal with these instruments of significant astronomical/astrophysical/cosmological heritage. The green-looking glass in the picture IS the underside of the 100-inch Mirror along with its support structure. I don't recall this mirror as having been replaced, thus it is likely the same one sitting on the bed of the White truck in the historical photo.