insider’s Neighborhood

Cobb Estate 1930

First off, I want to send a shout out to my new friend, Kathy Hoskins, at the Altadena Historical Society for sending over this digital newsletter.

It is so appropriate right now: Here in the foothills we're slowly coming to terms with the destruction wreaked by the Station Fire. I just discovered the remains of the Cobb Estate and lovely Flores Canyon just a few months ago,  and of course, our local history is always worth mentioning: real stuff that happened to real people, just like us.

Raven Jake on the Front Steps

So the timing is right. And this is what some old guy (who happened to be a self-made millionaire) did when his house was in danger: he fought back.

Here's what the newsletter (which was written by Jane Brackman, Altadena Historical Society President) says: "And speaking of fires…The 1934 Brown Mountain fire scorched 3000 acres above Altadena. One year later high winds fueled a fire that burned La Vina Sanatorium to the ground. The 1935 La Vina fire blazed across the foothills from Millard Canyon to Las Flores canyon, almost destroying the home of Charles H. Cobb. His Spanish style mansion, elegantly appointed with imported exotic hardwoods, was landscaped with eucalyptus, palm trees and lodge pole pines - fuel just waiting for a fire. But the 83 year-old Cobb, with help from his 200,000 gallon reservoir was prepared for the fight.

According to the October 24, 1935 issue of the Altadena Press, “About two o’clock in the morning [Cobb] was awakened to find that not only his property, a mansion nestled against the foothills of Las Flores canyon, but his life and that of his household were endangered. Due to the water system installed on the Las Flores ranch 20 years ago, Mr. Cobb, with the aid of Andrew Anderson, was able to save all of his property with the exception of damage done to a few trees and shrubs. Mr. Cobb handled a water hose bearing 100 pounds pressure, playing it upon a blazing furnace within a few feet of his garage and other buildings, the point first threatened.”

Cobb made his fortune in lumber, starting off as a lumberjack in his home state of Maine and later Washington. Prior to retirement he served as president of International Lumber Company.

In 1916, he and his wife, Carrie, purchased a substantial part of Las Flores ranch and built their dream home in the shadow of Echo Mountain.

The newspaper article continued, “Mr. Cobb stated that he has contended for many years that the canyons and foothills above Altadena should be periodically burned off by the forestry department to eliminate dangers to property and loss of life… This statement coming from a man who has spent a lifetime in the woods is significant and deserving of careful study.”

Cobb died in 1939. About 20 years later the house was torn down due to neglect and vandalism. Cobb’s estate, at the top of Lake Avenue, is now a park managed by the U.S. Forest Service."

Sources: Altadena: Between Wilderness and City by Michele Zack (2004); Altadena’s Golden Years by Robert H. Peterson (1976); Altadena Press, October 24, 1935, p 1

Altadena Historical Society: From our Files, “Fires” September 13, 2009

Home of Carrie and Charles H. Cobb, about 1930. (Photo reprinted

from Altadena’s Golden Years by Robert Peterson, p. 37)

Altadena Historical Society 730 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena CA 91001

(626) 797-8016  altadenahistorical.society@yahoo.com

Open Monday and Tuesday 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and by appointment

Stop by for a visit

Go forth and fill your libraries with media.

Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.

~daisy

Dona Eulalia's Grave

Now folks, I ain't done with the story of the White-Blanco-de Guillen family. Not by a longshot. I keep kicking over rocks and finding out more stuff about these characters. Case in point: I was getting ready for trick-or-treaters just last night when it occurred to me that I oughtta make a memorial wreath for Dona Eulalia. It's the Day of the Dead, and it's only proper for the the living to pay their respects to those who went before. And don't you know that doing that just opened up a whole floodgate of information?

Eulalia Perez de Guillen  [1768-1878] and her first husband, Miguel Antonio Guillen [?-1821], a Spanish soldier (although probably Mexican-born, as she was), are buried here in the old cemetery by the mission wall. The bench, which was a pretty fitting memorial for a lady who never had the time to sit down, was installed on May 21, 1936. Here’s what it says:

This marks the grave of

EULALIA PEREZ DE GUILLEN

Born at Loreto in Baja California in 1768

Died June 11, 1878

14 Years Mayordoma of

San Gabriel Mission

Erected by the Garfield Study Club

The Old Cemetery

Raven Jake at Eulalia's Grave

EULALIA PEREZ DE GUILLEN, 1768-1878

 As the original llavera, or keeper of the keys, at the San Gabriel Mission, Perez de Guillen was responsible for the mission's storehouses and money room during the height of its role as a center of commerce. She managed many of the manufacturing and industrial activities of the mission and oversaw the activities of many of the Indian women there. She was also a highly regarded nurse and midwife. As compensation for her long service to the church, Perez de Guillen was deeded Rancho San Pasqual, 3 1/2 square leagues of land (about 15,400 acres), which included the original site of the city of Pasadena.

 And here's that source: "Women in L.A. History The early days of Southern California were marked by women who contributed to the area's development as inventors, lawyers, authors and philanthropists." As Women's :[Home Edition]. 1994. Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext), March 30,  http://www.proquest.com.libwin2k.glendale.edu/ (accessed November 1, 2009).  

And here's a longer version of this story with a lot more trauma and drama. I'd like to know where Cecilia Rasmussen got her information, but it makes for a "ripping yarn" all the same.

She was an extraordinary woman with stubborn faith who survived a major earthquake and carved out a niche as the mother of California's soft drink industry.

Eulalia Perez de Guillen contradicted the myth that the extreme hardships of the Old West guaranteed a short life. When she died in 1878, she was 110 years old.

Some 60 years before, when she oversaw the San Gabriel Mission for the Franciscan friars, Eulalia concocted a tasty beverage from the lemons growing in the area.

Demand was so great that she began bottling the beverage, and the friars sold it. Soon they were shipping bottled lemonade to Spain. It became one of Los Angeles' first exports, and an enterprise that helped fill the mission's coffers.

Although she labored ceaselessly, it was her stubborn faith in the growing Christian community that sustained the twice-married dona mayor as she struggled to quench thirsts and help turn this hard little corner of the world into another Eden.

Born in Mexico in 1768, Eulalia was 15 when she married Miguel Antonio Guillen, a young soldier. Eventually, he was transferred north. They packed up their bags and three children and headed for Mission San Juan Capistrano.

They survived a massive earthquake that shook the Great Stone Church at the mission during Mass on Dec. 8, 1812.

The roof caved in and the adobe walls collapsed. The mission bells tumbled from the tower, killing 40 people.

Eulalia, who was pregnant at the time, squeezed out of the leveled church. A few days later, she gave birth to a healthy daughter, one of her many children.

After she pleaded with her husband for years, he finally asked for a transfer, and they moved to San Gabriel around 1821. His health was poor and he soon died.

After winning a cooking contest, she was hired by the San Gabriel friars as a cook. But her duties expanded, and soon she was the manager of the mission.

Along with her daughters, she supervised cooking, sewing, nursing, soap and candle making, the winery and the olive oil presses.

Eulalia also watched over the Indian women working at the mission, and tried to keep the soldiers away from them. When her efforts didn't succeed, she delivered the babies.

It was during this time that Eulalia began brewing the lemonade that made her famous.

Eulalia was an unrelenting force behind the mission, acting as if she were a five-star general, despite her soft voice and gentle manner.

She also was a counselor who helped steer young people through the intrigues and scandals that occurred behind the pious mission facade.

For example, in the late 1820s, a beautiful, stubborn, adventurous girl, Josefa Carrillo, flirted with Bostonian Henry Delano Fitch, a sea captain.

He asked her to marry him, but her father refused to permit it. Fitch became a Catholic, but her father still opposed the match because Fitch was a foreigner.

Undaunted, the couple eloped and were married in Chile. Upon their return, they were arrested and placed in custody at the mission. Eulalia listened intently to Josefa's tearful story while the bride was imprisoned in Eulalia's room.

The padres ordered the couple to attend high Mass for three feast days while holding lighted candles and recite the rosary together for 30 consecutive days. In addition, Fitch was ordered to give a 50-pound bell to the plaza church.

In 1834, when Mexico took over the missions and secularized them, Eulalia was out of a job.

As compensation for her 14 years of service, the padres deeded her 15,400 acres of what is now Pasadena. But the friars feared that their gift wouldn't hold up in court, so they arranged a marriage between Eulalia and a younger man, Juan Marine, a domineering soldier.

He petitioned the governor for the land and was granted it.

Although Marine won the land, he lost the woman. Unwilling to live with her husband's tyrannical ways, she walked out and moved into a small adobe. It was at the southwest corner of Mission Drive and Santa Anita Street, near the mission.

Marine didn't stock the property with livestock or make improvements required by the land grant. After he died, his son sold it for a mere six horses and 10 head of cattle.

Thirty years later, the longevity of 100-year-old Eulalia was advertised around the world as due to the "healthful climate and orderly living of the far western prairies."

Capitalizing on her mother's fame as a "California curiosity," one of Eulalia's daughters accepted a $5,000 offer to put her mother on exhibit at Woodward Gardens in San Francisco for six weeks in 1876, followed by a brief stint at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

Bags packed and eager to travel, Eulalia was stopped by another daughter. The dispute ended up in court, with a judge issuing an order preventing her from leaving Los Angeles.

Two years later, before her death on June 8, 1878, Eulalia was no longer able to stand. She got around by crawling. But she crawled proudly, refusing to let others carry her burden.

She is buried at the San Gabriel Mission.

And here's the citation: Cecilia Rasmussen.  1998. L.A. Then and Now / Cecilia Rasmussen; A Long, Rich Life and a Tasty Claim to Fame :[Home Edition]. Los Angeles Times, September 6,  http://www.proquest.com.libwin2k.glendale.edu/ (accessed November 1, 2009).

Sadly, it's not a live version, but here's a little something from Miss Baker to get your Halloween off right:

Raven Jake and a Werewolf

I promised I'd take a little break from Miguel Blanco and do a little something different, so I took my girl out to a "haunted house," specifically Pasadena's Old Town Haunt. What I find intriguing about this is it is held in the 107-year-old Union Bank building. Now whether there really are "underground catacombs" or just a real tricked-out basement down there, I don't know. But it was a real good laugh and the psychotic deformed monsters they keep down there really throw themselves into it. On the way down Raymond Ave, I ran into this werewolf who was kind enough to pose with me before continuing his murderous rampage. Happy Halloween y'all.

Raven Jake at the Haunt

I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.

I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.

Cheers,

daisy

Michael White aka Miguel Blanco

Folks, I am delighted to announce that the hangman ain't coming for Miguel Blanco just yet. At the San Marino Board of Education meeting last night, people were coming out of the woodwork to support the Michael White Adobe, and in a future post I'm going to be naming some heroes.

The news ain't all good - the board of education, and yes, I'm going to keep naming names, Jeannie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Chris Norgaard, along with student member Carlee Beckler all voted unanimously to approve the environmental impact report. But they also granted a three-month stay of execution, so you won't see Raven Jake standing in front of a bulldozer at least until February.

In the meantime, it is imperative that we get some citizen action going, raise some money, come up with a plan. From what I saw last night, it looks like we still have a hell of a fight ahead.

But we got three months, and a lot can happen in three months. Maybe I can even post something that ain't related to my belated amigo, Miguel Blanco. 

Please come and show your support for preserving California's multi-cultural heritage:

Board of Education Meeting
Date: 10/27/2009
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: District Office Board Room

1665 West Dr., San Marino, CA 91108

Michael White aka Miguel Blanco

Fast Facts about the Michael White Adobe

• Prior to Spanish colonization, the Gabrielino village of Sonangna stood at the site where the Michael White adobe is today. These early settlers were drawn to the area by the year round flow of underground spring water.

•  

  • 1771: Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, was founded alongside the Rio Hondo in the Whittier Narrows. In 1776, the mission moved to its present location.
  Michael White, later known as Miguel Blanco, was born in 1802 in Kent, England. He became a sailor in his teens and never returned.

• Mexican War of Independence 1810-1821

• Visited Baja California as early as 1817, and made several voyages between the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) and Mexico's Pacific coast.

• The British ship, Dolly, brought White to Alta California in 1829. He became a Mexican citizen shortly afterward.

• Joseph Chapman [1794-1848], was the first “White Don,” in Southern California. His friend Michael White [1802-1885] was the second. These Anglos – Chapman from Maine and White form England, learned Spanish, worked for Mexican shipping companies, married Mexican women and completely assimilated into “Californio” culture.

• 1830. White, along with former pirate, Joseph Chapman, constructed the schooner, Guadalupe from the remains of the brig, Danube, which ran aground in a storm on Christmas Eve, 1828. The vessel was built for the padres of the San Gabriel Mission to be sold to sea otter traders.

• White sailed the Guadalupe to Mazatlan and returned in 1832.

• Upon his return from Mexico, White married Maria del Rosaria Gullien, who was a daughter of Dona Eulalia Perez de Gullien- Mariné, the old matron and bookkeeper at the San Gabriel Mission.

• Dona Eulalia Perez de Gullien-Mariné was the first land owner in what became San Marino, Pasadena San Gabriel and South Pasadena. Her land grant was ratified on Easter day, 1827, and so was named "Rancho San Pascual," or "Easter Day Ranch." A funny side note is that she lied about her age in reverse, so that when she passed away in 1896, she was thought to be 143 years old. She was probably 108.

• Following his marriage, White set up a small store at Rancho Los Nietos, a short distance south of the mission.

• White may have been involved in a smuggling scheme in San Francisco in 1833.

• Mexican Secularization Act of 1834 (took land from the missions to be available for private ownership)

• In 1836, White was listed as living at Los Angeles.

• 1839-1841: went to New Mexico where he may have involved himself in the fur trade. He returned to San Gabriel with the Rowland and Workman Party.

• 1843: White was granted Rancho Muscupiabe by Governor Manuel Micheltorena. It was a single league of land located near the Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was named for a Serrano Indian village in the vicinity. The remote rancho was subjected to frequent raids by Paiute Indians and their allies; therefore, it was abandoned in 1844 because it was indefensible.

• 1845: White participated in the revolt against Governor Manuel Micheltorena. He was a member of the company of foreigners led by William Workman at the Battle of Cahuenga late February 1845.

• 1845: White received a concession to 500 square varas (77.23 acres) of land north of the San Gabriel Mission from Governor Pio Pico. Pio Pico, and his brother Andreas, were California’s mixed-race governors, being partly Black, Indian, and Spanish. White received this grant because of his wife’s and mother-in-laws service to the San Gabriel Mission.

• 1845: Built the home which stands today at San Marino High School. The original adobe section of the house was a story and a half. Later, a two-story wing made of wooden ship siding was added.

• White planted a vineyard and an orchard consisting of a variety of fruit trees. One remnant of his vineyard is the Old Mother Grapevine of San Gabriel. He called his ranch San Ysidro, in honor of the patron saint of farmers and laborers.

• This became his permanent home, he still yearned to travel and in passing years he embarked on several sea voyages. He and Rosaria had a large family.

• The Mexican-American War 1846-1847

• White joined party of fifteen foreign born (mostly American) yet naturalized Mexican citizens led by Benjamin Davis Wilson (Don Benito Wilson). They were stationed at Rancho del Chino to protect the eastern frontier from American forces that might approach from the Cajon Pass.

• The Hispanic Californios doubted the loyalty of Wilson's men and set out to arrest them in what became known as the Battle of Rancho del Chino. The prisoners, including Michael White, were taken to Rancho Los Cerritos, near present-day Long Beach, where they were detained and ultimately released.

• 1847 – 1848: Michael White returned to his home on San Ysidro and took a neutral position throughout the ensuing conflict.

• 1872: The patent to the land was issued by Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States.

• Eventually, White sold San Ysidro to L. H. Titus, who owned an adjoining ranch to the east. Titus, in turn sold the property to James C. Flood. Michael White, also known as Miguel Blanco, died in 1885.

• L. H. Titus became a prominent land owner in Pasadena.

• James C. Flood was one of the “Bonanza Kings” who made a fortune in the gold rush and increased that fortune in stock speculation and banking.

• The adobe was re-purposed early on for use as the first school in the community: This is what the San Marino High School website says “Let me quote something from PTA history in 1955...“In the 1870’s, Mr. Joseph Heslop donated an old house and 2 acres of land on the South-East corner of Huntington Drive and Del Mar Avenue for use as school property. Mr. Heslop’s wife, Francesca, was the daughter of Rosario de Guilleu and Miguel Blanco, whose adobe house stands on our high school grounds today. From 1873 – 1890, the children of the Heslop’s, L. J. Roses of Sunnyslope, the Cooper’s, Dan Mulock’s, Pollar’s, J. Smith, and Colonel Winston attended this school.” 

• 1952 – The adobe was restored by K.L. Carver and a group of public spirited citizens of the San Gabriel Valley

• In the 1950s, San Marino High School was built on the property surrounding the adobe.

• 1956: The Native Sons of the Golden West erected the plaque outside the adobe.

• 1956-present: the adobe has been used variously by the high school and the San Marino Historical Society. It is in good structural condition, as attested to be the National Register of Historic Places, California’s Office of Historic Preservation.

• Terri Geis, Ph.D. the Preservation Director for Pasadena Heritage, Roberta Martinez, the president of  Latino Heritage, Tesa Becica from the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, Ann Gray of Balcony Press (architectural books) and Mike Buhler, the Advocacy Director for the LA Conservancy have all weighed in for preserving the adobe.

• There are less than 30 adobes left in Los Angeles County and less than 10 remaining that were once associated with the San Gabriel Mission.

• There is no justification for destroying this adobe. The “plan” is simply to pave the spot.

• San Marino Board of Education members Jeanie Caldwell, Jeng Yen, C. Joseph Chang, Karen Preston and Chris Norgaard should be held responsible for an act of violence against our shared cultural history if they destroy this landmark building.

Michael White Adobe Panoramic

Folks, this morning I attended a meeting of the San Marino High School PTSA. The dang thing went on for three hours. The president, Mary Falkenbury, was kind enough to let me say a few words on behalf of saving the adobe, and I hope that I was able to convey a sense of the excitement I feel about Michael White’s story and the building as a center for the community. The rest of the time I was listening.

What I heard was that San Marino is getting pulled in a number of polarizing directions. There are New Residents vs Old Residents. You have City vs School. You have a median population age group that is getting older and enrollment in the schools is starting to drop. Everybody is worried about money. Elections are coming up.

The PTSA is caught up in all the pandemonium just like everybody else, and more or less are getting it to work. Why? Because, deep in their hearts, these ladies want what is best for their kids. They might disagree on some stuff, but basically they want their kids to be safe, to make good decisions and they support extracurricular activities just as much, maybe even more, than academics.  

And their work shows. The school is clean, well-ordered and there is a happy chaos of synchronized activity going on. Preserving the Michael White Adobe might not be on the top of everyone’s priority list, but it fits in very well with the character of the school. Restoration isn’t an option right now – there really isn’t a budget for it, but its destruction is an unnecessary expense for the school to take on as well. I say,  just leave it be. Let this storm pass. Heck, the school was founded on that building, and it still has somethin’ to offer everyone – a catalyst for hands-on learning, a rallying point for the community, a sense of continuity with past, present and future. It might just last another 165 years – and be telling us something about ourselves all the while.