by Paul R. Spitzzeri
The donation by John and Barbara Clonts of hundreds of documents pertaining to North Whittier Heights, renamed Hacienda Heights, and left to them when they bought, in 1964, the residence of the tract’s original sales agent, Grover T. Russell, has been an invaluable resource regarding the early history of the neighboring unincorporated neighborhood, much of which fell within the Workman family’s portion of Rancho La Puente, lost by foreclosure to Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, after whose 1909 death the subdivision soon took place.
We’ve frequently offered posts sharing materials, mostly letters to prospective and actual buyers of tract land from Russell and other Heights officials, and they help us better understand how the project developed in its first few years beginning in 1913 when the subdivision opened. This post takes us to nearly three years later and a quartet of missives from Russell to recipients in Southern California and New York City promoting opportunities in acquiring agricultural land in the community.
The Apple City recipient was A. Buerkle, who resided in a building just off the southeast corner of Central Park and Russell’s typical reply began with the mailing, separately, of “a descriptive folder of our property in which you will find articles explaining the soil, water and climatic conditions of the holdings as well as a map of a portion of Southern California on which the approximate location of the subdivision is indicated and a map of a portion of the property as subdivided.”
Also common to the letters, of course, was the pricing as Russell informed Buerkle that “the holdings is [sic] divided into tracts of 5, 10 and up to 50 acres in size and the price of these unplanted subdivisions range from $450.00 to $800.00 per acre, according to the location and lay of each particular property.” The sections that were in “low rolling foothill” areas were cheaper than those that were level or on “the main slope of the property” and this was because that portion “requires a little more expense in levelling for planting and some extra attention when irrigating.” It was added, however, that “the better drainage and elevation gives it a better climate and for scenic homesites, it is without a peer in all the Southland,” while “the more experienced orchardists really prefer these rolling hills to the more level lands.”
On offer, as well, were properties of 5 to 50 acres, fetching $775 to $1050 per acre and on which were “one, two and three year old Eureka lemon, Valencia orange and Marsh seedless grapefruit groves on the main slopes or on the rolling hill lands.” Other available lands had “young grafted one and two year old softshell walnut groves” priced at $700 to $850 per acre. Russell added,
We have sold approximately $450,000.00 worth of this property in tracts of 5 acres and up since the property was first offered on the market, May 17th, 1913 and a consideration portion of the sales have been made to successful orchardists from the best surrounding districts of Southern California.
Russell further informed Buerkle that the terms of both planted and unplanted tracts comprised a 20% down payment, a further fifth paid up within two years and the rest within a half decade “where a purchaser so desires,” while there could also be arrangements for the planting and care of orchards by the Association.
Concluding that if Buerkle was interested in the property “which is both a most attractive investment and a desirable location for a future country home, suburban to Los Angeles,” Russell extended an invitation to anyone the recipient knew in the area to see the tract. Another option was contact with the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the regional realty board or the First National Bank of Los Angeles, which underwrote financing, “as to the merit of our property and the ability and reliability of this firm.” There was also the Whittier Chamber of Commerce “whose members are more familiar with the property than anyone else except ourselves,” this a reflection of, beyond the tract name, how tied the subdivision was to the Quaker City.
Ideal, naturally, was for Buerkle to travel to the region and see North Whitter Heights, as Russell observed that “we appreciate fully the disadvantages of trying to sell a high class property of this kind by correspondence.” As he often did, the agent then concluded, “we feel confident that if you will make a careful investigation of the merits of our property as a high class investment and a desirable location for a suburban home, that you will decided to locate at North Whittier Heights.”
Two of the other letters, sent to F.E. Smith of Ontario and F.Z. King of Clearwater, now Paramount, to the southwest near Long Beach, were mirror images of the Buerkle letters, without the references to the out-of-state status of Buerkle’s missive. The final piece of correspondence was to Mrs. John S. Watts of Wildomar, a town near Temecula in Riverside County and varied because of her specific interest, to which Russell replied, “I will state that if I was to itemize indefinitely, all of the properties which we have for sale or exchange in Southern California,” beyond North Whittier Heights, ” that it would take a pretty lengthy letter to begin to tell you even about a portion of it.”
After giving Watts the same general information as to the other correspondents (though he gave the upper acreage amounts of 5000, which had to have been an error), Russell informed her that, “I will state that there are no exchanges of any kind on the North Whittier Heights properties. We have, however, many other properties listed with us, on which the Owners will expect a portion of their properties in exchange.” He then concluded, apparently not thinking Wildomar is in southern California,
If you are in the market for something in the way of a small Ranch or Orchard in Southern California, I shall be pleased to hear from you regarding the kind of property outright on terms, I would like to have you state the kind of terms which you would like to have the property, but if you have in mind offering us property you have for exchange for property in Southern California, I will be glad to have you state definitely what you have and the kind of a deal you would like to make.
Meanwhile, media references to North Whittier Heights from February included ads from Russell’s boss, Edwin G. Hart, who was instrumental in introducing the avocado (sometimes called an alligator pear) to the region and later went on to found the “avocado subdivisions” of the adjacent La Habra Heights and Vista north of San Diego. The Los Angeles Tribune of the 2nd observed, as many such examples did regarding agricultural potential, that the tract was “Protected From Floods and Frosts” for its groves and orchards of avocados, lemons, oranges and walnuts.
The piece added that the offered properties were as stated in Russell’s letters, while claiming (again, as so often was the case in selling subdivisions) that “the soil is rich and the deep and the water and climatic conditions are the best” a virtual guarantee that “you can grow a large quantity and fine quality of fruit at the lowest cost of production.” Finally, it was asserted that “this property is located on the slopes of the frost and flood protected Whittier hills, in one of the most picturesque locations for a suburban home in all the Southland.” Those interested were referred to Hart’s agent, Russell and his Whittier real estate partner, Gurney D. Maple, at Hart’s office in the Union Oil Building, which still stands, in downtown Los Angeles.
Also on the 2nd was the incorporation, by Hart, Russell and three others, with capital stock of $45,000, of the North Whittier Heights Citrus Association, which built and operated a packing house, completed in 1919 and razed perhaps two decades or so ago, at the north end of the community and utilized the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake (sold in the 1920s to the Union Pacific) Railroad line. A prior post here, thanks to another donation by the Clonts’ neighbor, Paula Martin, whose family was instrumental in the Association’s formation and operation.
The Los Angeles Express of the 5th ran a new ad by Hart in which there were some small differences to the prior one, including that North Whittier Heights was “supplied with both domestic and irrigation water by one of the most efficient and permanent water systems in Southern California.” Moreover, it was stated that “there has been over 1000 acres of this property planted to orchards during the last three years,” while comparing them with any in California “will convince you of the merit of North Whittier Heights.”
Another Express ad a week later had a slightly adjusted text, in which it was proclaimed, in language closely related to the letters that,
If once you see the high-class North Whittier Heights citrus, walnut and avocado subdivision, you will be convinced that it has the essential conditions of soil, water, climate and location for the greatest success for developing orchards that pay, and that the property is an ideal location for a suburban villa home.
These and other advertisements ran throughout the month in regional papers and, in its issue of the 27th, the Los Angeles Times published a brief report from Hart that there was “an increasing demand for citrus, walnut and avocado lands in the Whittier district and other areas adapted to these crops in the vicinity of Los Angeles.” Moreover, the developed informed the paper of five sales in the past month of property planted to two-year-old lemons and oranges with the amounts being a bit north of $50,000,” while there were purchases of land “immediately to the north of this subdivision.”
This last reference may have concerned another recently establish subdivision on lands adjacent to North Whittier Heights, just south of the Homestead, and formerly owned by the Rowland family, which long held the other half of Rancho La Puente for three quarters of a century to that date. John D. Kwis (1882-1953), a native of Findlay, a city south of Toledo, Ohio, was a real estate agent in Los Angeles, migrating to the city by 1909 and working for Charles Mason’s firm, which soon took on another partner and was known as Mason-Moon.
The company became the agents for several tracts in and around what was then known as Puente (becoming La Puente in 1956 upon incorporation), including Rowland family lands. After Kwis bought 10 acres from Mason-Moon at the close of 1910, he followed the next March with a purchase of 150 acres, spending more than $42,000 in the pair of deals. With the second, it was announced that a subdivision would soon be established and the Mason-Moon firm began advertising for the Kwis Tract by late summer.
In advertisements from early 1912, the Kwis Tract, comprising 200 acres, was said to be “especially adapted for growing Citrus Fruits, English Walnuts and Berries” and 5 and 10 acre parcels with water available was priced at $500 an acre, with 25% down and the rest owed in year installments for three years at 6% interest. The subdivision was south of today’s Gale Avenue, west of Hacienda Boulevard, east of Vallecito and probably as far south as Newton Street, with Kwis Avenue running north to south through its midst and along which is Kwis Elementary School.
Other La Puente lands offered by Mason-Moon included Buena Vista Heights, including 109 lots situated on the lower slopes of Puente Hill (now Industry Hills), a few blocks from downtown Puente—this is between Temple Street on the north and Las Vecinas Drive on the south and from Glendora Avenue on the west to east of Stimson (then called 4th Street)—and Otterbein, on what previously the Forster-Rowland Tract, in modern Rowland Heights, and named for the founder of the United Church of the Brethren, which built a retired ministers’ home, which still exists on Otterbein Road next to the 60 Freeway and east of Nogales Street.
By fall 1912, the real estate company was known as Mason-Kwis-Cram and it operated for a few years with Kwis going out on his own following its dissolution. The 29 February 1916 (yes, it was a leap year) edition of the Whittier News, citing the Puente Journal, noted that,
Work has commenced on the building of a road through the Kwis tract, south of Puente, known as Kwis avenue, which will connect with the Turnbull Canyon road [the modern Kwis Avenue doesn’t make that link, however]. The road passes through the property of Tetley & Cox [Tetley Street is south of Newton] on the south of the Kwis tract, and parallels Tenth street [now Turnbull Canyon Road] in North Whittier Heights.
It was added that Hart bought some of the right-of-way for the new thoroughfare, obviously believing it enhanced the value of his North Whittier Heights property, while other stretches were acquired by those holding lands there and the paper concluded, “it opens up a direct roadway through several hundred acres of walnut and orange land.”
Having these letters and other materials, thanks to the Clonts donation, continues to allow us to learn more about our local history, specifically the early development of today’s Hacienda Heights, which, for close to seven decades has been a bedroom community, but which for decades prior to the 1950s had a notable agricultural history.