Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley Hosts November Mixer at Hotel Tujunga

Have you even heard of The Hotel Tujunga? I hadn’t until I learned that we were holding our November mixer at Foothill Retirement which used to be the Hotel Tujunga. Who knew?!

Foothill Retirement, a 72-bed assisted living community with three different levels of care, is located at 6720 St. Estaban in Tujunga. When I researched the Hotel Tujunga, I learned that prior to 1960 the Tujunga area was famous for its healthy climate that provided relief for asthmatics and TB patients. Foothill Retirement, previously the Tujunga Hotel located on “Horse Thief Trail,” and was just one of the numerous sanitariums that sprung up in the area with the objective of treating patients with chronic diseases. Now I was really intrigued.

As I dug deeper, I found this great article by Mike Lawler of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley. Here is a small portion of it:

“I was recently invited to tour Foothill Retirement. It’s located on a quiet tree-lined residential street, nestled against the Verdugo Mountains. When I stepped into the beautiful Spanish-style courtyard, it was like stepping back in time. The buildings, the landscaping, the garden ornaments are reminiscent of the Mission-style architecture craze of the 1930s. It just screams ‘old California.’ Smack in the middle of the entry courtyard is the famous ‘Sister Elsie’s Well’ talked about in the legend. An ancient plaque telling her story is mounted on old wrought iron work, holding up a clay pot ready to lower to draw water. When I looked into the well, I expected the false bottom and strewn coins of typical faux wishing wells, but instead found it to be a real well! Stone lined and circular, it extended down into darkness. It was authentic.”     I couldn’t have said it any better than this. The Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley is an organization that provides a wealth of knowledge for our community. Its purpose is to investigate, record and celebrate the history of CV. It offers free monthly educational programs for the community, plus ongoing community service activities that include tours of local historical sites. It also archives historic documents and photos, and records oral histories. Membership is available and costs $20 for an individual or $30 for a couple. The historical society is actively seeking old photos of the Crescenta Valley for ongoing research and for a new book on CV history and accepts donations of photos and artifacts. It maintains an archive located at the Lanterman House archive room in La Cañada. As a history buff myself, I strongly encourage you to become a member of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley and help this organization continue with the invaluable work that it does for our beloved Crescenta Valley. To become a member, please logon to www.cvhistory.org.

And don’t forget to come to our November business mixer at Foothill Retirement aka “The Hotel Tujunga” on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Foothill Retirement is committed to making sure that every resident enjoys as active a lifestyle as possible. They specialize in fully independent care, assisted care and also a separate unit specializing in cognitive disorder, dementia and memory care.

Calendar items
November business mixer on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Foothill Retirement, 6720 St. Estaban in Tujunga.

December business mixer on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Boulevard 34 at 3427 Ocean View Blvd., Montrose.

Montrose tree lighting ceremony is on Friday, Nov. 28 at the corner of Ocean View and Honolulu in the Montrose Shopping Park.

Montrose Christmas Parade is on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. in the 2200, 2300 & 2400 blocks of Honolulu Avenue in Montrose.

  melinda clarke