South Pasadena—Pasadena—Flintridge—La Canada—Mount Wilson, 27.9 m.; Fair Oaks Ave., Atlanta St., Arroyo Dr., La Canada-Verdugo Rd. (State 118), Foothill Blvd., Haskell St., Angeles Crest Highway (State 2), Mount Wilson Rd.
Asphalt-concrete, two-lane roadbed; drive moderately within five miles of observatory; snow above Red Box Divide in winter and early spring; no gas stations between La Canada and summit of Mount Wilson.
Hotel and cottages on Mount Wilson summit; no camping in cars or trailers permitted on summit.
Cutting through one of the most spectacular areas of the Angeles National Forest, this route winds to mile-high Mount Wilson, which though chiefly known for its great 100-inch telescope and its many contributions to astronomical research, is also a year-round pleasure resort.
The route branches north from Huntington Drive (see Tour 1) 0 m., on Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena.
The limited business center of SOUTH PASADENA, 0.2 m. (600 alt., 14,356 pop.), serves a community whose wage earners are for the most part engaged in business or the professions in adjoining Pasadena and Los Angeles. The city is really a southern extension of Pasadena, and many of its residents do their shopping in the mother town.
In the FLORES ADOBE, 1804 Foothill St. (adm. by request), Mexican Army leaders met in 1847 for a midnight conference to discuss terms of surrender to Lieutenant Colonel John C. Fremont. They had retreated to this place after their defeat in the Battle of the Mesa, the troops camping among the sycamores at the foot of the hill. The adobe bears the name of General Jose Maria Flores, who fled from it when Fremont accepted the conditions of surrender.
Construction of the one-story, buff-colored adobe structure was begun in 1839 by Jose Perez, a relative of the owner of Rancho San Pascual (see below). Perez died in 1840, with the house unfinished. Three years later the grant was withdrawn because of failure to cultivate and stock the land. The next grantee was Lieutenant Colonel Manual Garfias, an impecunious officer on the staff of Governor Micheltorena, who completed the house, but lost the rancho in the 1850’s through foreclosure.
The CORNER OAK, a conspicuous California live oak rising at the intersection of Warwick and St. Albans Avenues, was one of the natural markers used in identifying the southwest corner of Rancho San Pascual and the only corner marker that can now be definitely identified. The grant, made in 1826, covered 13,693 acres, including the present sites of Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena, and parts of San Marino (see Tour 1).
The CATHEDRAL OAK, also called Portola Oak, on the western side of Arroyo Dr., between Hermosa St. and Paloma Dr., is generally regarded as marking the site of the first Easter services in California, held by Father Juan Crespi, priest-historian of the Gaspar de Portola party, in 1770 (see The Historical Background).
PASADENA, 2.5 m. (850 alt., 81,864 pop.) (see Pasadena).
Points of Interest: California Institute of Technology, Rose Bowl, Brook-side Park, Devil’s Gate Dam, Colorado Street Bridge, Arroyo Seco, Busch Gardens, and others.
The route continues on Fair Oaks Avenue to Atlanta Street; L. on Atlanta to Arroyo Drive and R. briefly on Arroyo to La Canada-Verdugo Road; L. on La Canada-Verdugo Road (State 118), which at 5.9 m. crosses the top of DEVIL’S GATE DAM (see Pasadena).
At 7 m. is the junction with Foothill Boulevard; L. on Foothill Boulevard (State 118).
The route moves northwest through foothills that billow down from the heights of the San Gabriel Mountains (R), and rise again less steeply into the San Rafael Hills (L), crowned with the white, bowered homes of unincorporated FLINTRIDGE. The San Gabriel Mountains, extending the 75 miles between Newhall Pass and Cajon Pass, are characterized by an inordinately precipitous southern slope and have continuous heights of from 5,000 to 6,000 feet, with occasional sharp upthrusts reaching at some points more than 10,000 feet. A score or more of mile-high peaks are seen at places along this route.
LA CANADA (the valley), 7.8 m. (1,563 alt.), a community under county government, spreads over rolling hills at the southern end of Verdugo Valley, with the Verdugo Hills (L) forming a giant back drop. The townsite is a part of the Rancho La Canada, a 5,745-acre grant made in 1843 by the Mexican Governor.
In La Canada is the junction with Haskell Street; R. from Foothill Boulevard on this route to the junction with Angeles Crest Highway, 8.6 m.; R. from Haskell Street on Angeles Crest Highway (State 2).
LOOKOUT, 9.6 m. (1,750 alt.), provides a view over Pasadena and Altadena, with Devil’s Gate Dam and Reservoir prominent in the near distance. Arroyo Seco, a deep narrow valley eroded by flood waters, is seen both above and below the reservoir. The action of water in this canyon in past ages accounts for much of the interest of the scene along this route.
The highway crosses a boundary of ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST (see General Information) at 10.8 m. The forest covers 643,656 mountainous acres broken by deep canyons, thousand-foot precipices, and scores of peaks ranging from 1,000 to more than 10,000 feet in height. Extending for more than 50 miles along the northern suburban rim of Los Angeles, its proximity to the metropolitan area has made it a recreational district that draws approximately a million visitors annually. Resorts in the Big Pines (see Tour 7), and Crystal Lake (see Tour IB) areas attract skiers, tobogganists, bobsledders, and skaters during the winter.
The forest was created primarily for watershed protection, the chaparral-clad slopes soaking up water and helping to prevent heavy run-offs in the rainy season. While most of the preserve growth consists of chaparral, other types of vegetation, from desert cacti to large timber, are numerous. At lower elevations are willows, broad-leaved maples, live and valley oaks, acacias, western sycamores, California laurels, white alders, cottonwoods, eucalyptuses, and pepper trees. In the higher elevations are various kinds of conifer: the big-cone spruce, which occasionally appears as far down as the 2,000-foot level; the Coulter pine, bearing cones weighing up to eight pounds; the western yellow pine, or Pinus ponderosa, which forms most of the coniferous growth; Jeffrey, sugar, and one-leaf pine; incense cedar, white fir, and lodgepole pine—also called tamarack. The incense cedar, sugar pine, Jeffrey and tamarack thrive best above 5,000 feet.
Both the chaparral belt and the higher regions contain various beautiful flowering plants, such as Indian paintbrushes, wind poppies, lupines of many kinds and colors, leopard lilies, lemon lilies, and stream and bog orchards.
Deer, the hunting of which is subject to strict state regulation (see General Information), abound in the forest. In the rocky crags of Mount San Antonio a few mountain goats survive under federal protection. Among the predatory group are the California cougar, known variously as puma, catamount, or mountain lion; the bobcat, and the desert coyote. Larger birds include hawks and the California vulture, or buzzard. In the interior are a few eagles. The giant condor has vanished from these mountains (see below), as have also the black and grizzly bear.
The reservation, created in 1892 as the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve, was the first national forest established in California, and one of the earliest in the United States. In 1908 it was consolidated with the San Bernardino Forest Reserve, but 13 years later was separated.
NINO CANYON LOOKOUT,11.2 m. (2,100 alt.), offers a view (R) across the gorge of Arroyo Seco to BROWN MOUNTAIN (4,485 alt.), a pinnacle named for the two sons of John Brown, the American abolitionist of Harpers Ferry fame, who lived in Pasadena after the Civil War. The big-cone spruce—dark, ragged trees rising from the far slope (R)—are seen here by northbound travelers for the last time on the route.
North of Nino Canyon Lookout the highway ascends the eastern spur of MOUNT LUKENS (5,049 alt.), named for P. T. Lukens, twice mayor of Pasadena and called California’s “Father of Reforestation.” It was he who discovered that seeds nurtured first in seedbeds and then replanted produce better and quicker growths than seeds planted directly on mountain slopes.
WOODWARDIA CANYON, 13.8 m., a gorge of primeval beauty, is so-named for the brakes of Woodwardia fern that thrive in its depths. A waterfall tumbles near the highway bridge, and along the contoured walls of the canyon masses of blue lilac bloom in the spring.
GEORGE’S GAP, 18 m., lies around a headland of pink crystalline rock. From this vantage point is a view north (L) across the gap to the gray-granite heights of MOUNT JOSEPHINE (5,558 alt.) and STRAWBERRY PEAK (6,150 alt.). Far to the west is IRON MOUNTAIN (5,637 alt.) and between Iron Mountain and the lookout point is CONDOR PEAK (5,430 alt.), so-named because at one time it was frequented by the California condor, now found only in Santa Barbara County. The condor, with its 11-foot wingspread, is the only North American bird to rival in size the Andean condor of South America.
LADY BUG CANYON, 20.4 m., is a hibernation refuge for the cocci-nellida, the little red and black beetles commonly called ladybugs. The bugs have been an important factor in the control of citrus pests, since they feed on plant lice and scale insects.
RED BOX DIVIDE, 22.7 m. (4,666 alt.), marks the boundary between the watersheds of the Arroyo Seco and the San Gabriel River. It was so-named because of a large red box, still seen (R) above the road, in which forest rangers store fire-fighting equipment.
Here an entirely new panorama opens northeast across the San Gabriel watershed. Almost directly east is Old Baldy, MOUNT SAN ANTONIO (10,080 alt.), the highest peak in Los Angeles County. Between Red Box Divide and Mount San Antonio are a score of lower peaks, ranging in height from 5,800 to 9,000 feet.
At 22.8 m. is the junction with Mount Wilson Road; R. here.
The approach to THE SADDLE, 25.1 m., is along a narrow ledge of rock. The range falls away (L) in a series of ridges. Protected by a stout fence (R) is a sheer plunge of 1,000 feet into Upper Eaton Canyon.
Left from The Saddle on Cliff hiking trail to the summit of MOUNT LOWE, 3 m. (5,650 alt.).
MOUNT WILSON (5,710 alt.) is topped by a thousand-acre, much-eroded plateau, the grounds of the MOUNT WILSON HOTEL, 27.9 m. (grounds adm. 50¢ a car, refunded to overnight guests; hotel rates reasonable), and of the Mount Wilson Observatory.
The mountain was named for Benjamin Davis Wilson, who in 1864 blazed a trail to its summit. Although generally credited with having been the first white man to reach the summit, Wilson found two abandoned cabins on the plateau near where the observatory buildings now stand. They are supposed to have been built by marauders who pillaged Missions San Gabriel (see Tour 3) and San Luis Obispo, making off with some 3,000 horses during the administration of Governor Alvarado.
Wilson’s trail became popular with early hikers. It was used until 1889, when a road was built by the Pasadena and Mount Wilson Toll Road Company. This in turn was replaced by the present route.
The WILSON MONUMENT, erected by the Alhambra and San Gabriel Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, stands on SIGNAL POINT, several hundred feet from the hotel.
The hotel, standing in about the center of the heavily wooded plateau, is a low, simple building with stuccoed walls and with gabled roof steeply pitched to shed the snows; across its front is a wide veranda commanding a view of the vast valley. On foggy days the view is obscured by fleecy, low-hanging clouds (the peak itself is always above the clouds), but on clear days some 60 cities are seen stretching to the distant sea, where offshore Santa Catalina Island (see Tour 5A) shimmers in the purple haze. The view is especially notable at night, when the twinkling stars curve down in the bowl of the sky to mingle with a million twinkling lights of the cities.
Scattered about the hotel are small guest cottages; before it is a concrete swimming pool (adm. 40¢ for transients, free for guests). Within sight of the veranda is a small, lighthouse-like frame building (R) called, for some obscure reason, the POET’S CABIN. In it is the master stone of the United States Geological Survey from which was made the official survey of the San Gabriel Mountains in 1896. A climb up a steep, winding stairway affords another view of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Footpaths winding among the trees lead to many unusual rock formations, to numerous lookout points, and to a small picnic ground (free).
MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY, whose white buildings, towers, and domes are scattered among the giant trees (L), is operated by the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D. C. The first telescope was set up on Mount Wilson by the Institution in 1904 under the supervision of George E. Hale, who became the observatory’s first director. Mount Wilson was chosen as the site after long search because of its height, freedom from atmospheric disturbance, and proximity to a metropolitan area. The observatory was planned primarily for solar research but “the necessity for seeking, among the stars and nebulae, for evidence as to the past and future stages of solar and stellar life,” soon became evident, early resulting in a broadening of the field of the observatory. Today eight telescopes are in use on Mount Wilson. Other facilities include a technical library of more than 13,000 volumes and 10,000 pamphlets, and a large laboratory and optical shop (in Pasadena), where new equipment is perfected and old repaired.
The HOOKER 100-INCH TELESCOPE (visitors weekdays 2:30-3 p.m.; Sun., holidays 2-3; free), in a great white metal dome about 300 feet NE. of the hotel, is of the reflector type and has a concave mirror 101 inches in diameter. It has brought into view for study some 2,-000,000 faint extra-galactic nebulae, pushing the boundaries of the known universe out to about 100 million light years. It admits 250,000 times more light than the unaided human eye, and 2,500 times as much light as did the telescope with which Galileo Galilei began the modern era of astronomy on January 7, 1610 at the University of Padua.
Images seen by the giant eye are recorded on photographic plates. How the vast mirror weighing four and a half tons is controlled, is explained by a member of the observatory staff during the daily visiting hours. The telescope and dome were installed in 1918 at a cost of about $600,000.
The 60-INCH TELESCOPE (visitors Fri. 7:30-8:30 p.m.; free), housed in a white dome near the 100-inch instrument is also an unusually large reflector, though far outstripped by its giant neighbor.
The SNOW TELESCOPE (no visitors) is in a 150-foot tower that rises above the pines near the cluster of low, snub-nosed domes. This instrument, the first placed on Mount Wilson, produces an image of the sun 16 inches in diameter. It is elevated to prevent the heat reflected from the ground from interfering with the accurate operation of the delicate mirrors. To increase the steadiness of the lenses and mirrors at so great a height, each steel leg and crosspiece of the tower skeleton is housed within the hollow member of another skeleton tower with sufficient clearance to prevent contact. The inner tower thus carries the instruments, the outer tower carries the dome that carries them.
The two TOWER TELESCOPES (no visitors) rise on steel frameworks, one 60, the other 150 feet high. Used like the Snow telescope for solar observation, they represent improvements over that instrument, in that the path of the beam is vertical instead of horizontal, with the mirrors placed high above the ground. In each the specto-graph is mounted in a well beneath the tower. The 60-foot tower is equipped with a lens of 60-foot focal length, which is used daily for direct solar photographs and for spectro-heliograms showing the distribution of hydrogen and calcium clouds over the sun. Through its use a continuous photographic record of the sun’s surface is maintained, day by day, with a motion-picture camera of a special kind. The 150-foot tower has a lens of 150 feet focal length, and a spectograph 75 feet in length. It is chiefly used for observation of the magnetic fields in sun spots, and for measuring solar rotation.
The 12-INCH TELESCOPE (visitors 8 p.m.; free), south of the swimming pool is in a metal dome, some 20 feet high. Planets visible through the telescope are recorded daily on the dome’s bulletin board. Visitors are permitted to peer through the lens. Daily at 8 p.m. an astronomical lecture (free) is given in the hotel, or at the telescope when the attendance is small.
The AUDITORIUM, a concrete structure with steep sloping roof of iron sheeting, was opened in 1937 to provide a meeting room for scientific lectures. In the building, which seats 272, lectures (Fri. 7:30 p.m.; adm. free but by card obtainable at office, 813 Santa Barbara St., Pasadena) are given by members of the staff and demonstrated with slides and instruments.
In the EXHIBIT HALL (open daily 1:30-2:30 p.m.; free), opposite the auditorium, are displayed astronomical instruments, charts, graphs, and hundreds of transparencies, mounted in such manner as to illustrate the various types of research undertaken by the observatory. The transparencies are produced from some 70,000 plates made during the course of the observatory’s existence.
Behind the maze of mathematical formulae that obscures his activity from the layman, the researcher at Mount Wilson Observatory is participating in a drama a thousand times more thrilling than the tales told by the most imaginative fictionist. Through the silent hours of the night he sits on the mountain peak, alone with the far-flung family of the universe, that man may know a little more of his relation to that universe, and of the beginnings, meaning, and destiny of the earth. Sitting at the eyepiece on the lofty, cramped perch in the shadow of the giant instrument, he knows that he alone in all the world is following the westward movement of some distant star, for no other telescope will reach so far into the outer spaces. On any night he may be as fortunate as Dr. Edwin Powell Hubble was one winter night in 1936, when his photographic plate caught a beam of light, just arrived on earth but created seven million years ago in the distant island universe NGC 4275, when a giant star, 50 times hotter and 10 million times brighter than earth’s sun, unaccountably exploded. The light Dr. Hubble saw that night, and which anyone can now see on a photograph in the museum, had been traveling 186,000 miles a second through space since long before man first appeared on earth. Thirty thousand years before it reached earth it passed the outer fringes of the Milky Way; five years before it was inside Promina Centuri, earth’s nearest star. A month after it struck Mount Wilson’s photographic plate it had faded from the view of man, leaving only a photographic record of a mighty celestial cataclysm and the satisfaction for Dr. Hubble of knowing that he had been the first man since 1901 to witness such a spectacle and the second since the telescope was invented.