by Paul R. Spitzzeri
Following Sunday’s presentation to the Monrovia Historical Society and carrying on after the first part of this post delved into some of the earliest history of the San Gabriel Mountains foothill town, we return to June 1886, as greater Los Angeles’ second major development and growth boom (following one from the late Sixties through mid Seventies) followed largely from the regional establishment of a direct transcontinental railroad connection by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe company at the end of the prior year.
Locally, the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad was heading east toward the Santa Fe link and this, of course, aided projects like Monrovia, with the LA&SVRR’s president, James F. Crank, being a major investor in the new town, along with John D. Bicknell, Edward F. Spence and namesake William N. Monroe. Another notable Los Angeles investor in land in the area was William Lacy, a pipe manufacturer who was partner with William R. Rowland in oil wells in the Puente Hills not far to the southeast.
The Los Angeles Herald of the 15th reported that Lacy acquired over 700 acres south of Monrovia, as well as Fish Canyon, at the west edge of the mouth of San Gabriel Canyon in what is today the northeast corner of Duarte and “which has a lovely trout stream and some of the most charming scenery in the world,” not to mention some remarkable falls. It was added that Lacy aimed to divert water from that stream to a reservoir for irrigating his property near Monrovia.
With regard to water, the paper’s edition of the 20th editorialized that those who made Pasadena such a success did so with the prudent provision of plenty of the precious fluid and it added that “last week residents of that burg bought $15,000 worth of lots and blocks at Monrovia,” while acquisitions were made others recently, as well. Moreover, it was remarked,
The moral in the rapid development of such schemes lies in the fact that they are perfected by men who command large [financial] means and are able to develop and distribute water. With these desiderata once assured growth and prosperity follow as the night the day. The completion of the Los Angeles & San Gabriel Valley Railway to Monrovia station, at the foot of Magnolia avenue, will doubtless start a genuine “boom” in this new and promising settlement.
Two days later, the Los Angeles Times quoted from a Crown City source that Perry M. Green (a major early figure in Pasadena, but not the namesake of the street or the hotel of note), Theodore P. Lukens (a prominent conservationist, two-time mayor and namesake of a peak in the San Gabriel range) and others bought 50 acres or five blocks of 10 acres for $20,000 for immediate subdivision and sale.
Separately, the paper observed that the price of $400 an acre “illustrates pointedly the wonderful enhancement of values along the foothill belt,” because, two years prior, Monrovia did not exist and land fetched $100 an acre, but two years before that it was half the price and two further years back a mere $12.50—the result was “enough to take away the breath of the most audacious real estate man in the country.”
Meanwhile, there were brief reports in the Herald during the last two weeks of the month that a two-story structure with three stores on the first floor and apartments above was to be built, along with a livery and boarding stable by G.M. Smith, while S.R. Palmer was to built a packing house at Magnolia and Orange avenues, this latter now Colorado Boulevard, for fruit raised at Monrovia, as well as from Duarte, Santa Anita and Sierra Madre orchards.
The last June item of note concerned the importance of climate and development and the Pasadena syndicate purchase was again invoked as the Herald of the 24th observed that, “probably these Pasadenans recognize the fact that Monrovia has a climate even better than their own, because the altitude is greater and the air rarer and purer.” Having paid what it insisted amounted to some $550 an acre on average, the paper remarked that it was “stranger still [that] a number of lots were sold on the plateau where Mr. Samuel B. Keefer, of the Grand Central Hotel, New York city, designs building his large hotel, at $1,000 an acre.” Given this remarkable circumstance, it concluded, “how happy are those who, undeterred by the success of people who don’t believe in buying ‘climate,’ fearlessly waded in and bought property at Monrovia at bed-rock figures?”
On the first of July, the Herald remarked in an editorial that,
Although Monrovia is the creation of but the other day, there is more building going on there now than in any town in Southern California, with the exception of Los Angeles. Hotels and business houses are springing up on every hand, and the work of substantial improvement is proceeding very rapidly . . . There is really something magical in the rapidity with which these beautiful foothill lands are being settled up and improved.
Another notable adjunct was the announcement in the Herald of the 16th that W.A. Field bought nearly 1,300 acres near Monrovia, with the paper rhapsodizing about the “wild, picturesque and beautiful” landscape with a stream issuing from the mountains, springs and “a divide overlooking the valley and gradually sloping into a grove of mountain live oaks is a natural site for a hotel.” This would appear to be the hilly area of east Monrovia bordering Bradbury and Field was said to contemplate calling the area Deer Park and to supply the new town with water from his property.
In its issue of the 20th, the paper offered another short laudation of the the new community, asserting that “the rate at which the new settlement of Monrovia is improving is one of the marvels of the day.” As the LA&SVRR continued its eastward march, it commented, the adjacent towns of Duarte and Azusa “will share in this magical transformation.”
A week later, Monroe and his brother Campbell formed a real estate business with William A. Pile, managed by the elder Monroe and Pile’s sons Milton and William and, when the trio visited Los Angeles, the Herald of the 27th noted that they reported “four new stores in process of construction and a $10,000 house under contract,” while the new town hall was to be opened in a few days. Coming soon were a bakery, the realtors’ office and the addition that “the new hotel is nearing completion” and was expected to be opened the 1st of September and “ring with the sound of revelry at night from the voices of fair women and brave men.” At the end of the month, it was reported that the town’s first church, for Methodists was being designed by a Pasadena architect, Harry Ridgway, and was to cost $5,000.
August was quiet, other than Crank telling the Herald that “the ground [was] laid out for the Monrovia depot” of the LA&SGVRR on Myrtle Avenue with the company’s draftsperson being the architect and it anticipated that the structure would be finished in just three weeks, and an advertisement on the 21st from the new Monrovia Land Company that visitors could take the train to Lamanda Park (east Pasadena) or Santa Anita and then carriage rides to town.
The town hall, inevitably, was delayed, but was dedicated in early September with the Herald of the 8th remarking that Spence, the mayor of Los Angeles and “who will become a resident of that charming place in the sweet subsequently,” was the orator, while William Monroe presided over the festivities. The paper’s rival, Henry Z. Osborne of the Los Angeles Express “made an excellent address in his usually happy manner,” while an amateur troupe, including one of the Monroes and Pile and several others provided musical entertainment and a recitation. The conclusion was that, “the whole affair passed off in a delightful manner and established Monrovia as a musical and literary center.”
Two days later, an advertisement was printed for the town’s first restaurant with J.M. Davis naming his establishment after the little burg and “where meals will be served for 25 cents,” while he had a side business selling books, cigars periodicals, stationery and tobacco and, not surprisingly, given that the ad appeared in it, as an agent for the Herald. Another first establishment, a saloon, however, went belly up by the end of September, leading the paper to comment that the “place has now to depend on pure mountain water for a beverage.” The good news was that “the first ball of the young Monrovians” was to be held that evening.
More firsts came at the end of the month when it was noted that “Monrovia has let a contract to build a fine public school,” this at Mayflower and Orange (Colorado), where Monroe Elementary is now situated, while “in a few days a new Baptist Church will be begun in that thriving place.” The Herald added that a half-dozen residences were also in the midst of construction.
Regarding that shuttered saloon, the news got the attention of the Oakland Enquirer, which cracked that the tavern’s demise meant that “some of the citizens of the place threaten to move into another irrigation district,” but whether the Times was playing along is not entirely clear as, in its issue of the 13th, it rejoined, “we demand a red-headed explanation of this encarnardined [incarnadined] slander on the pueblo in question.”
On 20 October, a landmark event occurred that, however, seemed to get almost no press attention, other than a brief remark by the Times that “the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad ran its first train to Monrovia.” There were, though, two decent-length descriptions of the rapidly growing town, including one from the Herald on the 19th that observed “Monrovia, although the youngest town in the [San Gabriel] valley, is one of the best known and most prosperous.” Trains were expected that week and “everything about the place indicates life and activity.”
The hotel (not the Grand View) was considered one of the finest in the area “and the magnificent climate and pure mountain water will doubtless attract a large crowd of winter visitors.” The Baptist church was close to completion, as were ten houses, while the aforementioned Monrovia Land Company had Los Angeles contractor, A.C. Hintors, working on a half-dozen dwellings. Two stores were in operation and the Angel City lumber firm of Kerckhoff-Cuzner had a branch yard open. With this activity, “Monrovia is at present one of the most delightful settlements in the county and its growth this winter must be rapid.”
A few days prior, the Pomona Times-Courier “had the satisfaction of having a look at the thriving new town” and professed to be “greatly surprised at its phenomenal growth.” It remarked that half a year back it didn’t exist “even in name,” but “now it has a number of fine buildings,” including that “fine, large hotel” as well as “many buildings of lesser pretensions.” Among the list of enterprises for a population of 150 to patronize were stores, blacksmith and carpentry shops, a drug store, post office, restaurants, realtors, but no saloons, while the office of Monroe & Pile was considered a handsome edifice.
Edward Buck, it was continued, was establishing a printing office and was soon expected to launch the town’s first newspaper. The framing of the Baptist church was observed along with up to eight other new structures, and the Times-Courier concluded,
Our stay was too limited for anything like a general observation, but we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. W.N. Monroe, who is dividing his time between watching his political fences and attending to the duties of Lord Mayor, and from him learned that transfers in Monrovia real estate are progressing at a lively rate. There is certainly a fine country about the town, water is said to be abundant, and there is good reason for believing that Monrovia will continue to grow and prosper.
By 6 November, the LA&SGVRR was publishing its schedule showing weekday service from what it called the “West Duarte (Monrovia)” station. In a “Monrovia Items” section in the Herald of the 10th, it was stated that there were three such trains, with service to and from downtown Los Angeles taking 54 minutes. Keefer’s Grand View Hotel was having a 40-foot addition, though the establishment had not yet opened, while that newspaper was expected to issue its first weekly edition soon.
Wanted for the town were a livery stable and teamster operator; a clothing, boot and shoe store; and a bakery, while also called for was “a nursery out of the frost belt.” For a bit of humor, it was said that “Monrovia’s County Treasurer has reduced the price of lots to Republicans 50 per cent” and raised those to Democrats at the same percentage “and has procured dynamite to blow all mugwumps out of the town as soon as they are discovered,” the term “mugwump” meaning those who were apolitical or independent in their sympathies.
On the 11th, both the Herald and the Times reported that the first shipments of granite from Sawpit Canyon were shipped by rail to Los Angeles, where the material, of “fine texture and color” and considered “beautiful” was to be used for new buildings. One of these, in fact, was the new headquarters for the Times—this was the edifice destroyed by domestic terrorism in 1910.
With the completion of the rail line to Monrovia, Hiram A. Unruh, “Lucky” Baldwin’s business manager, began advertising for the “Monrovia Station, Santa Anita Tract,” selling 200 lots of 8,000 square feet from $100 to $400 and offering 1,000 acres in parcels from five to 20 acres at $250 to $500 an acre. The importance of rail service included ads from the LA&SVRR for “The Orange Belt Route,” with five trains offered in the “Tourists’ Route to The Paradise of Southern California” as far as Duarte, though a map showed the line extending to Mud Springs, now San Dimas, and round-trip fares at $2.
On the 20th, the first issue of the Monrovia Planet (not a daily, that had to wait for Superman) came off Buck’s press and the Times responded with a “Rah for booming Monrovia!” A few days later, the paper commented that the editor “promises to make an excellent exponent of the resources of the mountain settlement [!], whose rapid growth is phenomenal, even for Southern California.”
In its issue of the 13th, the Times provided another notable description of the hurrying hamlet, calling it “a tropical paradise” and, at just half a year in existence, having 40 houses, those pair of houses of worship, stores and more, while Keefer’s 60-room hotel, named as the Grand View, was expected to open quite soon. With water delivered to every lot by iron pipes and sold with the land as part of the recorded deed, readers were advised,
Old-comers, as well as strangers, should visit Monrovia and select them a home . . . One visit to Monrovia will settle the fact that it is one of the most beautiful colonies in Los Angeles county.
The featured photo here is another very early Monrovia image, taken by Charles H. Shaffner—who took the view in the first post—and commissioned for investment bankers L.H. Green and Company showing folks on an east-west street. We’ll return soon with a concluding third part to this post, so be on the lookout for it!