Canyon Name Origins – Winery Canyon, Hay Canyon, Gould Canyon

Winery Canyon – This small, dry canyon is immediately above the old Hall Ranch property. No roads reach it, but it can be seen from the intersection of Alta Canyada and Hacienda. The canyon is named for the Hall Ranch winery, which operated out of the 1890 barn that still stands on the property. The elder Tom Hall planted grape vines in 1884, and by the 1890s the Hall family had a popular wine business going. Eastern tourists venturing by buggy into the wilderness of the Crescenta-Cañada Valley from the sumptuous hotels of Pasadena would make a stop at the Hall winery to buy wine. As well, the Mexican and Native-American laborers who lived in the “Mexican Quarter” of La Cañada would make the trek up the hill to the Hall Ranch at the mouth of Winery Canyon on payday. Because Tom Junior, called T-Mac by some, was a genial host, and perhaps because of the presence of so much wine, the Hall Ranch became a hub of social activity for the men of the valley. Besides drinking wine, card games and hunting were popular pastimes for the regulars that nicknamed their group “The Coyotes.”

The winery activity came to a halt when T-Mac married his young wife Hannah in 1904. A very entertaining story told in John Newcombe’s DVD, “Rancho La Cañada,” says the young woman was a teetotaler and objected to the winemaking. She secretly spiked the wine vats with vinegar and ruined that year’s wine. T-Mac then closed the winery to keep domestic harmony.

Hay Canyon – This tiny canyon is visible from the top on Donna Marie Lane or La Cañada Boulevard, and you can actually hike quite a way into it via the Cross-Town Trail that heads north from El Vago Street near the intersection of Journey’s End Drive. Hay Canyon is named for Reverend John Hay who owned land in La Cañada in the late 1870s. Reverend Hay was later renowned for his work with charities and Christian causes all over the U.S., in particular the Imperial Valley where he founded the first church, and in Colorado, where he pioneered methods to combat insanity and juvenile delinquency.

Even more remarkable was Rev. Hay’s wife Dr. Rilla Hay. She married John Hay at 16 years of age, and immediately went to work studying medicine. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 1873. In 1876, the young couple moved to Los Angeles where Dr. Hay was the first woman in California to be granted a medical license. They soon moved to La Cañada, but only stayed for a couple of years before moving on. Dr. Hay practiced medicine all her life, moving often with her husband. Everywhere the couple went they seemed to do good work, a lifetime of achievement for both of them.

The unremarkable name of this canyon has a remarkable namesake, the Rev. and Dr. Hay. (And I always thought the canyon was named for animal feed!)

Gould Canyon – Heading east along the San Gabriels, there is one last canyon before we reach the Arroyo Seco. Gould Canyon can be seen from the intersection of Angeles Crest and Bay Tree Road. Farther down it crosses under Angeles Crest Highway beneath a pretty arch bridge.

La Cañada currently is home to many famous lawyers, but the first one was Will D. Gould for which Gould Canyon was named. Gould was a prominent lawyer in downtown Los Angeles, but he apparently fancied himself a gentleman farmer. In 1872, he bought 1,100 acres in eastern La Cañada and created a ranch. The long, straight approach to his ranch was lined with eucalyptus trees. That driveway is still there as Gould Avenue and is still lined with eucalyptus. Gould also created miles of horse trails, many of which still exist, along with those created by Frank Flint. He represented many local pioneers in the many lawsuits of the Valley’s early years.

Next week we’ll wrap it up with the Arroyo Seco, the eastern edge of La Cañada.

  mike lawler