The Last Years of Hindenburg Park We’re seeing some sharp controversy over the addition of a Hindenburg Park sign at the intersection of Dunsmore and Honolulu avenues. The sign of course refers to the historic name of the western portion of Crescenta Valley Park. From the early ’30s until 1957 it was a private picnic […]
The Controversy Over the New “Hindenburg Park” Sign A couple months ago, a German-American historical group erected a sign at Dunsmore and Honolulu avenues that memorializes the existence of historic Hindenburg Park as a cultural landmark. A recent article in the magazine The Jewish Journal has brought attention to the fact that a few people […]
Verdugo City to New Guinea and Back Again – An Envelope’s Odyssey I often get inquiries about local history and offers of historical item donations. I welcome them, enjoy answering questions if I can, and accept appropriate donations for the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley. If I don’t answer your email, try again as […]
Famous Ladies of Rockhaven – The Woman Who Created Clark Gable Rockhaven Sanitarium, which was open from 1923 to 2006, has many fascinating aspects to it. It was a business created by women for women in a time when women were marginalized. It redefined the treatment of mental illness, from brutal incarceration to dignified recuperation. […]
When I recently wrote a column about CV myths, I received a lot of positive feedback. The only complaint I got (only half-serious) was from Robert Newcombe, author of the history book “Montrose.” He said, “You forgot to mention the myths surrounding the name ‘Montrose.’” He’s right, and in fact there are several myths about […]
Memories of Indian Springs I’ve gathered a few memories of Indian Springs from readers. John H. writes: “I learned how to swim at Indian Springs. I took a beginning swimming course there in the summer of 1957. I remember hearing the song ‘Bye-Bye Love’ by the Everly Brothers on radios at the pool almost every […]
The Little Mermaid of Indian Springs Patricia Robinson Nielson has some wonderful memories of Indian Springs and the positive effect it had on her life. She was an acolyte of famed swim coach Lyle Draves, and she was at the Springs in the “glory years” of the late ‘40s/ early ‘50s when the pool was […]
A Korean-American Olympian from Indian Springs In the next few weeks I’ll be covering some of the great memories of Indian Springs that I’ve collected over the past few years from locals who spent time at that beautiful oasis. If you have some memories you’d like me to include, please send them to my email […]
The Death and Burial of Indian Springs To me, one of the saddest chapters in the history of our valley is the loss of the Indian Springs Resort. That sadness is overlaid with a bit of incredulity, for it seems that when it happened in 1966, no one seemed especially to care. I like to […]
Indian Springs Golden Years Through the ’30s and ’40s, Indian Springs remained a financially viable attraction on a regional level, pulling in visitors from surrounding areas. But it’s the late ’40s and ’50s that are considered the “golden years” of Indian Springs. Returning WWII veterans streamed into the valley to buy homes and start families, […]