The Montrose Rodeo of 1947 – Part 1 Last week I covered the 1945 Montrose Rodeo that had promised to be a yearly event. It did continue in 1946, ’47 and ’48. But let’s focus only on the 1947 rodeo, which turned out to be the grandest of the four. Year to year, each rodeo […]
Further Memories of a La Cañada Pioneer Recently I was browsing the collection of the History Room at the Glendale Central Library. I came across this fascinating letter written in 1967 by early La Cañada resident Starr Barnum, relating a few of his early memories: “A week ago we had a bad fire in Winery […]
The Crescenta Valley is accustomed to relatively mild winters. However, the past few weeks have been quite a change from this norm. Despite rain, wind and snow, our community fared well. The Dept. of Public Works preemptively cleared storm drains and debris basins. They also conducted periodic patrols and checks to be sure that our […]
The Big Snow of 1949 Last weekend we had a taste of snow here in the Crescenta Valley. But when we talk about real snow in the history of the valley, the date of January 10,1949 always comes up. That was the famous 3-day snowfall that blanketed not just La Crescenta, but Greater LA […]
Weather In The Foothills By far, the biggest showstopper of the week was the incredible weather we had in the foothills. The torrential rains resulted in flooding and road closures, wind gusts caused power outages, and amazing snowstorms brought us all together for fun and frolic. How heartwarming to see people helping each other […]
McCain Feingold Act Throughout our history, we have taken comfort in the belief that the brilliance of our Constitution, the security provided by our oceans, our natural resources and general good fortune have protected the United States from democratic backsliding. But during the last several years, we have discovered how truly fragile our democracy […]
GPD SUBSTATION CLOSING So, according to a February 9 CV Weekly article, the GPD Substation in Montrose is closing. Why? Because the new owners of the building raised the rent to a higher than market rate and refused to negotiate a reduced price. Welcome to the new and improved Montrose. That station was opened in […]
Montrose Is 110 Years Old This Week On February 22, 1913, land sales were kicked off in the new town of Montrose. A free barbecue attracted 4000 people to see the wonders of Montrose. The developers hoped many would buy home site lots. In 1910, LA-based development company Holmes and Walton teamed with financier […]
La Tuna Canyon’s Belmont Country Club – Part 2 Last week, I related that for many years I’ve been intrigued by some abandoned foundations, stairways and roadbeds on the north side of La Tuna Canyon just above the debris basin. I found that they were the remnants of the ritzy Belmont Country Club, opened in […]
Throwing the Penalty Flag on Abuse in College Athletics On college campuses there are few individuals who hold the same amount of influence and power over a student athlete than collegiate coaches and athletic department staff. The overwhelming majority of staff is there to help student athletes reach their full potential and lay the groundwork […]