Mystery History -- Solved!

A few people nibbled around the edges but two people came closest first, so I'm calling it a tie: Karin with her 7:48 a.m. Tuesday guess "I think they're filming a movie in Castle Green" and Daniel with his 4:10 p.m. Tuesday guess "It is Rudy Valentino kissing the hand of a woman in the Hotel Green, now known as the Castle Green."

In the 1919 photo above, silent screen star Rudolph Valentino kisses the hand of Dorothy Gish at the Hotel Green during a scene from "Nobody Home." The film, also called "Out of Luck," is about an extremely superstitious young woman who is wooed by two men: one villainous and one virtuous. Valentino played the shady guy. (The plot thickens!). There's a nice little story about the filming here.

Now the historic Castle Green, the building was once part of a trio of hotel buildings in the vast Hotel Green complex.

Here's a circa 1905 photo that shows all three buildings in the complex. If you look very closely, you can see the enclosed bridge that connected the buildings on the west and east side of Raymond (half the bridge, including the little tower, still stands today). The photographer was standing in the new Central Park.


And here's a page from a historic illustrated souvenir booklet showing the huge complex from a similar angle, with the park a little more mature.


The one-story building at the southeast corner of Raymond Avenue and Green Street -- now Stats Floral Supply -- is all that's left of the east building in the complex. Note the curvature of the window on the corner, which is very similar to the two remaining buildings.


Here's the Castle Green today on the west side of Raymond Avenue between Green and Dayton streets:


The interiors are spectacular and haven't changed much in all these years:






And here's the original portion of the complex, which now is the Green Hotel Apartments at the southeast corner of Green Street and Fair Oaks Avenue, along with some first-floor businesses:


I've seen and heard the history dozens upon dozens of times. Perhaps the best eye-witness account is in my favorite local reference book, "Pasadena: Historical and Personal" by J.W. Wood, published in 1917, which can be found in the Centennial Room at Pasadena Central Library:

The Green was an outcome of the frenzied boom and Ed Webster's altitudinous ambition. Webster was the top-notcher in enterprise about 1886-87, when ranches were being sliced up into town lots. Property owners like Romayne Williams and P.G. Wooster, who fortunately owned "ranches" down along the newly opened Raymond Avenue, were strictly "in it." Wooster owned the property where now stands the Green Hotel and part of Central Park. Williams' land lay just south of Wooster's; therefore, when came the trend of speculation in that direction, Wooster parted with some of his land to Webster and Webster started to build a hotel on it. To help things along, he also built a depot for the Santa Fé on condition that that road would move its office from north of Colorado Street, where it then was, to the new location. Of course, this being handed a fine new brick depot that cost $10,000, situated on a fine lot, all free of charge, the Santa Fé people couldn't refuse, and with due modesty and kindly feeling moved to the new location. This was in 1887. Thus was begun the original edifice, then called the Webster, later the Green Hotel.

Colonel Green happened into Pasadena one fine day and met Andrew McNally and some other congenial spirits. I believe William Morgan later joined "the crows." It didn't take Webster long to get these gentlemen interested in Pasadena, and it was through his efforts that they eventually made large investments and became regular winter residents. Then Webster ran out of money, and what more natural than that he borrow from Green? He did that very thing, and in the distressful end, when Webster got a monkey wrench in his financial machinery, Green had a two-story unfinished hotel on his hands that he did not want. This was in 1891. Morgan fared likewise, but only drew a smaller building on Raymond Avenue which still is part of the Morgan estate.

Green enlarged and improved his purchase and made it a high-class hostelry. He built the west wing in the park that surrounds it; then buying the Wooster Block on Fair Oaks Avenue, and including that in the plant in 1895. J.H. Holmes, a brother-in-law of Colonel Green, was made manager of the business and brought to it much fame as a high-class hotel; for Major Holmes had the "hotel genius," lacking which it bodes no man to attempt such an undertaking. These two structures, the east and the west wing, are joined, Siamese twinlike, by a bridge which spans the thoroughfare between – an unique link. Not a "bridge of sighs," indeed, but a causeway to neighborly comity between the dwelling places. The Green was conducted by Major Holmes until he became lessee of the U.S. Grant Hotel at San Diego. In 1916 the Green was leased to D.M. Linnard, who now conducts it as one of his trio, and has recreated its former prestige.

I could go on forever but I won't. You can find more history on the Castle Green and Pasadena Heritage websites.

The Castle Green is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A homeowners association takes care of the inside of the building; Pasadena Heritage and Friends of the Castle Green raises funds for exterior restoration. (In the interest of full disclosure, I serve on the Friends board).

The Castle Green is open to the public only two days each year for tours, the proceeds of which help fund those exterior renovations. The next tour is on Sunday, June 26. The grounds behind those heavy gates, the first floor common areas and several of the privately owned apartments will be open for anyone and everyone to see and learn more about this architectural wonder designated by the city council years ago as an official City of Pasadena Treasure.

Do you have a historic property that you'd like to preserve? Take a gander at the web pages for the Design and Historic Preservation Section of the Pasadena Planning Department.


Many thanks to the Castle Green, Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Heritage and Pasadena Museum of History.

Mystery History -- Solved!

Bill H. wins with his 3:59 p.m. Tuesday guess "...this is a construction photo of the Christian Science Building at Green and Oakland."

In the 1910 photos above and below, construction of the First Church of Christ, Scientist is in various stages at the southeast corner of Green Street and Oakland Avenue.


The church cost $100,000 to build. It was designed by architect Franklin P. Burnham of Chicago, who also designed the Georgia State Capitol, Carnegie Art Museum, and the Riverside County Courthouse.

In 1903 Pasadena's burgeoning Christian Science community built its first church at the southeast corner of Colorado Boulevard and Madison Avenue:


It was expanded in 1905:


1905 was also the year the land at Green and Oakland was purchased. After years of fundraising drives and proposals from various architects, Burnham was hired and construction began in 1910. It was completed the following year.


The church had the largest number of square feet of any building in Pasadena at the time. It was designed to be completely fireproof and was topped by one of the earliest examples of a reinforced concrete dome.

Nearly a century after this church was built, structural work revealed the need for a large-scale seismic upgrade. The project team, led by Architectural Resources Group, analyzed the building’s condition, installed a major structural system that is virtually invisible, and restored historic finishes. And they did it all in 18 months with a budget of only $3.5 million, without disrupting a single church service.

The retrofit and restoration project received the prestigious Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy in 2009.

Pasadena's rich history includes incredible architecture of churches throughout the community, past and present.

The City of Pasadena has dozens of partners in the faith community that are actively engaged in helping us tackle issues ranging from homelessness to violence prevention.


Many thanks to Pasadena Museum of History, Los Angeles Conservancy, Architectural Resources Group and the University of Southern California.

Mystery History -- Solved!

Wanda wins with her 8:17 p.m. Tuesday guess "Charles Frederick Holder at the Valley Hunt Club?" (Wanda, you didn't link to any contact info, so please e-mail me at aerdman@cityofpasadena.net and I'll tell you about your fabulous prize.)

In the 1910 photo above, Charles Frederick Holder sits in the library of his Pasadena home.

The rectangular photo above the mantel is of Catalina Island where he explored and fished. The man in the framed photo above the mantel is Charles Darwin, one of his heroes.

Born to a wealthy Quaker family in Massachusetts, Holder was an explorer, college professor, philanthropist, conservationist, sportsman, master swordsman and author.

It's not surprising that he had a love of the great outdoors and all things nature-related: His father, Dr. Joseph Holder, was the curator of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. As a child, Charles hunted and fished with his father in locations along the eastern seaboard and spent hours on end exploring every corner of the museum; in 1871 he became his father's assistant at the museum and began writing about natural history.

When he was in his 30s, Charles was diagnosed with a lung condition. He followed the advice of his doctors and moved west, settling in Pasadena in 1885 with his wife, Sarah Ufford Holder.

They were active in Pasadena's civic and cultural affairs: He served on the boards of trustees of the public library and the public school system and was the first president of the Tournament of Roses, and she was on the board of directors of the Pasadena Children's Training Society, a home and school for what now would be considered foster children (it morphed into Hathaway-Sycamores).

Here's a charming illustration of the public library from Charles F. Holder's book All About Pasadena and Its Vicinity (1889, Lee and Shepard publishers):


Excerpt from the book:

The public buildings of Pasadena speak well for its future. On Fair Oaks Avenue is the Young Men's Christian Association, a large and expensive building in course of erection. On Colorado Street near the extensive Carr estate the Union Club-House is rising, and returning to Raymond Avenue we find the Public Library building, the finest of the kind west of Denver. Here is a fine collection of books, and a reading-room containing all the papers and periodicals of the day. The reading-room is free to all visitors, and books are obtainable by paying a small monthly fee.

In the library are the rooms and museum of the Pasadena Academy of Sciences -- which eventually will contain some of the finest collections in Southern California, among which may be mentioned the H.N. Rust collection of antiquities, ranging from the mount builders of the West to the California aborigines; the Carr collection of fossils, representing the great and varied field covered by New York State; the zoölogical collections of Delos Arnold and C.F. Holder, while many other citizens of Pasadena propose to contribute their private collections, which will make the museum one of the most valuable in the State.

Holder co-founded, along with Dr. Francis Rowland, the Valley Hunt Club* in 1888.

Here's a photo of Holder circa 1889 with Valley Hunt Club foxhounds. The photo is in his book Life in the Open (1906, G.P. Putnam's Sons publishers):


In 1890, members of the Valley Hunt Club invited their friends on the east coast to an annual mid-winter holiday in Pasadena where they could watch chariot races, jousting, foot races, polo and tug-of-war under the warm California sun.

Here's a chariot race (that's Throop University on the right, which would become Caltech):


Holder had an idea for expanding the event:

"In New York, people are buried in snow," he announced at a Valley Hunt Club meeting. "Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise."

And the Tournament of Roses was born.

He and Rowland were the grand marshals of the 1910 Tournament of Roses.

Holder founded the Tuna Club of Avalon on Catalina Island, where he fished and explored for many years.

Here he is in a photo captioned "Mr. Holder fishing for sheepshead, Catalina Islands" from his book Big Game at Sea (1908, Hodder and Stoughton publishers):



He lost his life in 1915 as a result of a terrible automobile accident. He was 66 years old.



Garrett Newkirk wrote this in an article the day after Holder’s death:

Dr. Holder was a man of the finest fiber, lover of all that is good, a hater of evil and despiser of shams. He will ever remain in the memory of those who knew him best as a type of the truest gentleman, a loving husband, a faithful friend, a patriotic citizen.

In 1998, Holder was inducted in the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.


Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Museum of History and Tournament of Roses.

* Please note I very rarely link to Wikipedia pages, but in this case it was necessary because the Valley Hunt Club's site is available to members only.

Mystery History -- Solved!

Roberta wins with her 12:16 a.m. Wednesday guess "Ah, the joy of research. A crowd at J. Herbert Hall Jewelers, located on Colorado. An immense diamond is (being) placed in the store window."

In the 1910 photo above (uncropped this time), a Pasadena police officer stands guard outside the J. Herbert Hall Company as a small crowd gathers.

Here's an excerpt from The Pasadena Star, Sept. 24, 1910:

Hundreds of people gazed with awe at a big pebble in the window of the J. Herbert Hall company all day today, the awe being due to the fact that the insignificant stone is a diamond 61¾ carats in weight, worth an unknown number of thousands of dollars. All day a policeman in uniform stood beside the window to see that no one smashed the glass and made off with the costly pebble.

The big, smooth, uncut diamond rested on a mirrored placque surrounded by handsome unmounted but finished diamonds which in themselves would have made a considerable display...

...Because of the remarkable interest in the display the big uncut diamond will remain on show all day Monday.

And this is from an article published the day before:

...Mr. Hall anticipates that it will finally produce one perfect forty-two carat stone and, perhaps, some smaller ones...

...for twenty years it has been uncut in the possession of one family. It was found in a river bed in South Africa, pledged for a large loan and finally taken when the loan was unpaid. It is now to be put in finished form, one of the largest diamonds in the west...

...The value of the display is so great that a special policeman will be stationed at the window to thwart any effort at smashing the glass by some expert sneak thief who might chance to hear of the valuable stone...

On Nov. 13, 1899, Canada-born watchmaker and optometrist J. Herbert Hall founded a small optical and jewelry store at 43 E. Colorado St.

Timing is everything. Extensive diamond deposits were discovered in Africa in the late 19th century, and by the early 1900s a new trend had taken hold across America: The average betrothed young woman didn't want to wait for a simple gold wedding band to adorn her third finger, left hand; she wanted a diamond to signify her engagement.

J. Herbert Hall sold his first diamond ring for $22 and the business took off like a rocket, becoming the most popular spot in town for purchasing engagement rings, fine china ("Back then we were the place to go to register china patterns," a former employee said years later), strings of pearls and, of course, tried-and-true gold watches.

When wristwatches came into popularity in 1914, Mr. Hall stocked them to the rafters and made a killing.

A well-known businessman in Pasadena, he was a charter member of the Pasadena Rotary Club, served as president of the Pasadena Merchants Association, commander of the Pasadena Commandery of the Knights Templar (known popularly as the Masonic Temple) and president of the California Gold and Silversmiths Association. He also served on most of the committees of the Tournament of Roses Association over the years.

His philanthropy, which he planned with his wife Sarah, was renowned and much appreciated. Among his many gifts were a swimming pool for the YWCA summer camp in the mountains and monetary donations to local schools for curriculum materials.

In addition to a spacious home, the Halls owned an apartment building on what is now the Fuller Theological Seminary campus. They even commissioned that little architectural firm Greene & Greene to make some alterations in 1916. The building, at 451-453-455 Ford Place, is still in use and is a contributing property to the Ford Place Historic District, which recently was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.




Throughout the years until his death in 1951 at age 79, he remained one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Pasadena. After his death, his brother Walter took over the company and oversaw a huge boom and expansion.

In 1973 J. Herbert Hall Jewelers was sold to Gordon Jewelers Corp. and was expanded to a 19-store chain in three states. I don't know what happened, but today there are only of couple of J. Herbert Hall Jewelers in Arizona and Texas.

Here's a really bad poem that was included in a Sept. 13, 1910, J. Herbert Hall Jewelers ad celebrating September as Sapphire Month:

September the Sapphire

Those who are born when autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breeze.
A sapphire on their hand should bind--
It will bring Wisdom to the mind.

We have them in pins, pendants, rings and bracelets as high as $250.00 and as low as $7.50

Many thanks to our talented researchers at Pasadena Central Library, including Dan McLaughlin who helped me with this post. There's never any challenge too great or small, and believe me I've tossed some doozies their way!

Please join me in congratulating our lead research librarian Martha Camacho, who in November was was named one of the American Library Association's emerging leaders of 2010!

Mystery History -- Solved

It has been several weeks since I've stumped you, and now I've done it again. Some of you came close but didn't quite get there. You can't win 'em all!

In the photo above, two Red Cross nurses and a child in an Uncle Sam costume prepare to march in the Patriotism Day Parade on March 28, 1917, in support of the United States entering World War I.

Following are excerpts from three articles in the Pasadena Star-News on March 26, 1917:

PATRIOTISM TO BE SHOWN ON WEDNESDAY
Loyal Spirit of Pasadena Will Be in Evidence On That Day

Indications are that Pasadena's "Patriotism Day" observance Wednesday evening will be one of the greatest patriotic celebrations ever held on the Pacific coast...

...Patriotic organizations, civil war veterans, business men's groups and others will participate in the great parade which will precede the patriotic mass meeting in Library park Wednesday night. The parade will mobilize on Madison avenue, on both sides of Colorado street, and will start promptly at 7 o'clock to march to Library Park, where the mass meeting is scheduled to open at 7:30 o'clock.

Among the organizations and groups which is now known will be in the parade are members of the Grand Army of the Republic and G.A.R. fife and drum corps. Pasadena company No. 1 of the American Red Cross Ambulance corps, the Loyal Legion, members of the Monterey training camp, Spanish-American war veterans, Sons of Veterans, Throop college students, Pasadena Military academy students and division of business men, including merchants, bankers, automobile dealers and other business groups...

...One feature of "patriotism day" is displaying of the Stars and Stripes everywhere. It was noted by the committee today that this custom is already prevalent, Old glory being seen on every hand.

Here's a 1922 photo of the Pasadena chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic mentioned in the article above -- veterans of the U.S. Civil War who fought for the North.

Display of Flags Now patriotic Duty Says City Official

That the present crisis in international affairs constitutes a "special occasion" warranting the display of the United States flag in Pasadena to the fullest extent possible, was the statement today of Chairman A.L. Hamilton of the City Commission.

Recently the city distributed 150 large American flags, a gift from Mrs. E.W. Brooks. The number had been increased from 100, the amount originally provided, because of the great demand. Everyone receiving one of these flags agreed to display it on all holidays and special occasions.

Chairman Hamilton remarked today upon the fact that few of the flags seemed to be in evidence, and he said the present situation was one calling for the showing of the flag as a mark of patriotic spirit.

"The American flag," said Chairman Hamilton, "stands for right and freedom and justice. Those are the principles that should be called to mind when one sees the American flag flying.

Here's a photo of Chairman Hamilton from the Hall of Mayors.

NEW INTEREST IN RESERVE CORPS
Prospective Officers Are Signing Up Rapidly at Throop College

As a result of the announcement that applications for commissions as first and second lieutenants in the officers' reserve corps may be made locally to Captain Louis R. Ball, military commandant of Throop college, increased interest has resulted and many calls for information received...

...City officials continue to take the lead in steps to prepare themselves or offer themselves for United States service. City Attorney James Howard is among those signed up for the officers' reserve corps and City Prosecutor L.L. Riccardi has followed in his footsteps. Both are studying for the examinations and will be members of the instruction class when it is started.

Today J.E. Carpenter, superintendent of the municipal water plant, consulted with City Engineer R.V. Orbison relative to finding a place in the service in the event of war where his experience would be of value. Even if the city had not declared it would keep open the position of any employe that enlisted, Mr. Carpenter asserted he felt it his duty to offer his services.

Congress approved President Woodrow Wilson's request for a war resolution on April 6, 1917.

The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce had a float in the 1918 Rose Parade -- a flower-laden tank with doughboys on it.


Pasadena's World War I Memorial is at the northeast corner of Colorado and Orange Grove boulevards.


Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library, Tournament of Roses Association, George Eastman House Photography Collection and Michael Beck.

Mystery History -- Solved

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Actually, two.

Mike was the first to log in a guess with "Looks like the Colorado St Bridge. People crossing the bridge by old car. Others crossing by foot, or perhaps preparing to take a leap of faith. 1913, or at least back in the last century."

Minutes later, Liz guessed "it's the opening day celebration of the Colorado street bridge."

The photo above ran in the Los Angeles Examiner in 1913.

It doesn't specify that the photo was taken on opening day, but since the bridge was dedicated Dec. 13, 1913, and there were few days remaining in that calendar year, I figure that for the purposes of Mystery History and Mike and Liz, it's close enough. (Our library researchers are twitching as they read this!)

At that time the Colorado Street Bridge was the longest and highest concrete arch bridge in the world.

Here's the bridge in 1920 (note the tiny Parker Mayberry Bridge that runs below it).

The mighty structure was preceded by the Scoville Bridge, built in 1887.

Here's the Scoville Bridge next to the Colorado Street Bridge (under construction):

J.W. Wood was an eyewitness to the history of the bridge, and you'll find his carefully detailed information on page 389 of his book "Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal":

Perhaps the most notable achievement, outside the Polytechnic High School group, for which the Board of Trade labored was the Colorado Street Bridge. It has not only contributed much to the popularity of the city, making it a link in the splendid automobile driveway that lures thousands of pleasure seekers along the great valley boulevard, but is in itself a thing of beauty. Constructed of reinforced concrete in a substantial way, it has not lost beauty of lines and curves in its substantiality. It is said to be one of the great concrete bridges of the United States, being 1,468 feet in length and 160 feet above the Arroyo bottom at its highest span. The cost was $200,000, with something added for the land approaches. As this bridge was to be part of the county boulevard system, the supervisors appropriated $100,000 toward the cost of construction.*

A propaganda for bonds to pay for this project was undertaken by the Board of Trade. Harry Geohegan was president of the board and A. Bertonneau secretary. I must give these men the credit of organizing an effective campaign. President Geohegan appointed a committee of twenty-five members of the board to determine whether this bridge should be built on a level with Colorado Street or at a lower level. Some objections had to be met, for certain residents near by believed their property would be damaged by the nearness of the bridge. These urged the "low" structure, but the committee decided upon the "high," and determined, with the assistance of the engineer's office and architect, the place of beginning, its course and landing spot. Its completion vindicated their judgment. W.F. Knight was chairman of the campaign committee, and to his insistence and determination many opposing opinions were overcome and to his diplomacy belongs much much credit for placating the strenuous ones. It required a hard campaign to induce the voter to accept the proposition, but it was accomplished by a vote of 5,270 for and 813 against. Upon the adjustment of a case where condemnation proceedings were found necessary the Colorado Street approach to this bridge will be widened to double its present width, and this approach will then be beautified and parked and made much more attractive than it is now. At this same election the purchase of Monk Hill and Carmelita for park purposes were beaten.

* Suggestive plans had been voluntarily made by the engineering firm of Williams & Nishkian and submitted by them for approval. Mayor Thum, however, appointed Fred E. Wilcox as his architectural adviser and Waddell and Harrington was employed to make others. These differed little from the Williams & Nishkian plans, however, but were accepted by the Mayor, and everything arranged for a vote upon the project.

Engineer John Alexander Waddell and contractor John Drake Mercereau collaborated on the phenomenal feat.

The bridge was constructed between July 1912 and December 1913 -- a quarter century before the Golden Gate Bridge. Up to 100 workers at a time were paid $2 to $4.50 a day to do the construction work. It wasn't without personal cost, though: Four men lost their lives after falsework on which they were standing collapsed.

(There's a popular ghost story -- total urban legend -- that goes like this: A worker on the Colorado Street Bridge fell head-first into wet concrete that had been poured into one of the bridge pilings. The other workers, realizing they'd never reach him in time to save him, left his body in the quick-drying cement. On very dark nights, his howling soul can be heard pleading to be released from the bridge's confines.)

I've always liked this 1940 postcard:

The aerial shot on this undated postcard shows the dramatic curvature of the Colorado Street Bridge (the one to the south):

The Colorado Street Bridge was named a historical civil engineering landmark in 1975 by the American Society of Civil Engineers, a cultural heritage landmark by the Pasadena City Council in 1979 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

The bridge has had almost as many lives as that proverbial cat! It was set to be demolished in 1935 to make way for a freeway that never happened (at that time, anyway). Then in 1951, when the Foothill (210) Freeway became a real possibility, Caltrans called for the bridge to be demolished, but the public outcry was so loud that Caltrans finally backed off and built their own bridge right next to the historic structure.

The Colorado Street bridge was closed in 1989 due to safety hazards, two years after the Whittier Narrows earthquake.

With the dedicated leadership of Pasadena Heritage, officials in the Pasadena Public Works Department and citizens in the community, funds were raised and spirits were lifted as plans began to take shape for total rehabilitation of the bridge. It was stripped down to its 11 arches, the entire superstructure was rebuilt and the underground supports were strengthened. It reopened in 1994 with great fanfare.

For many years Pasadena Heritage has held an annual summer celebration on the Colorado Street Bridge. This year a smaller yet no less important celebration was held. I'm told the major event will return next summer.

St. Paul, Minnesota, also has a Colorado Street Bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places:





Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library.

Mystery History -- Solved

Congratulations to Susan Carrier, who wins with her guess "Woodrow Wilson on the campaign trail?"

In the 1911 photo above, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson leans over the railing of a caboose during a stop in Pasadena on a cross-country campaign tour. He was elected the 28th president of the United States the following year.

The people of Pasadena hosted a luncheon for the candidate May 11, 1911, at the Hotel Maryland, shown in the photo below.


Here's an excerpt from an article in that afternoon's Pasadena Daily News:

Few such public utterances on national questions have ever been heard in Pasadena before. Not even the semi-divine Roosevelt came out as strong on his cherished subjects as did Governor Wilson.

Assuming Mayor Thomas Earley was at the luncheon, here's his portrait from the Hall of Mayors.


As I did with the big reveal about President Theodore Roosevelt's visit to Pasadena, I'll post Governor Wilson's remarks tomorrow.

Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library and Pasadena Museum of History.

Mystery History -- Solved

Liz wins with her guess "The first transcontinental airplane flight Calbraith CaliPerry Rodgers took from sheepshead Bay New York September 17 1911 landing at Tournament Park November 15 1911."

In the photo above, renowned aviator Calbraith Perry Rodgers takes off from Sheepshead Bay, New York (Long Island), on Sept. 17, 1911, in a contest to see who could complete the first transcontinental flight.

Here he is shortly before takeoff:


His destination: Pasadena, Calif.

This was neither an ordinary pilot nor an ordinary flight: Rodgers was a fearless risk-taker who didn't let anything stand in his way. In fact, you might call him the Chuck Yeager of his day.


In August 1911 he won the World's Grand Endurance Aviation Contest in Chicago, staying in the air for 27 hours over a period of nine days. (Back then, this was big! After all, it would be another 16 years before Charles Lindberg made his famous transatlantic flight.)

At about the same time William Randolph Hearst, in an effort to encourage aviation, put up $50,000 as a prize for the first pilot to fly a plane from coast to coast in less than 30 days, whether east to west or west to east.

Rodgers jumped at the chance! He would pilot a Wright Company Model EX, a single-seater biplane with a 32-foot wingspan and no windshield. It was a modified Model B designed for very short exhibition flights. Armour and Company stepped up as the sponsor; in return, Rodgers named his plane "Vin Fiz" in honor of Armour's newly launched grape soft drink.


When Rodgers took off from Sheepshead Bay, he carried the first transcontinental U.S. Mail pouch.

Remember, this was a plane designed for exhibition flights, not distance. He missed the deadline and landed in Pasadena on Nov. 5 (another pilot* had already won the prize).

During his transcontinental flight he used 1,230 gallons of gasoline, landed 69 times, had 15 accidents and lost 25 days due to weather and mechanical difficulties.


Actually, he was expected on Nov. 4. It's a safe bet that Mayor William Thum was among the guests at a special gathering that day in Tournament Park organized by D.M. Linnard, owner of the Maryland Hotel. While they waited for the aniticipated arrival, there was a contest between the Reds and Whites of the Pasadena Polo Club. Shortly after sunset, the dignitaries received word that Rodgers would not be able to fly in until the next day. Rain checks were distributed to the crowd before they left for the night. The next day, after word had spread far and wide of the impending landing, more than 20,000 people showed up!

Here's William Thum's portrait from the Hall of Mayors:


Excerpt from a telegraph received by the New York Times from Rodgers and printed on Nov. 6, 1911:

. . .I soon saw Pasadena in the distance, but went to the wrong end of town before discovering my proper landing place. . .I did a few spiral glides for [the crowd] and then made a nice landing at about 4:04 o’clock. They gave me a royal welcome, congratulating me on all sides. I was escorted to a waiting motor car and driven around the track a few times, and they made me stand up so every one could see me. They had enveloped me in the American flag and they made a great hullabaloo. There were at least 20,000 persons there. They are certainly the most hospitable people that I have met and I hope I will be able to stay at Pasadena for quite a while. . .

Here’s how the Pasadena Daily News described it:

Spiraling downward from dizzy heights above, the greatest aviator in the world, who by sheer force of will and nerves of steel, had accomplished the impossible, stepped out from among his frail fabric of wood, wires and canvas to be wrapped in the American flag by Mrs. R. D. Davis, wife of the president of the Board of Trade, and Miss Irene Grosse.

Thousands swarmed on the field to pay tribute to Rodgers. He was encompassed by battalions of the sweetest, fairest women in the land, the elite of all that is beautiful in Pasadena, conquered by a brave man and mighty pleased with the conqueror.

Never once during this charge of beauteous femininity did the nerve of the aviator desert him, although once or twice he manifested some concern at the intentions of the sea of faces before him. There was but one single escape, however, over the same path which brought him there, but his motor had gone dead and he evinced no desire to remount into a region made impossible of pursuit by the stern rule of Sir Isaac Newton. Hence he remained and stood the test with the same iron nerve that characterized his transcontinental voyage.

There was newspaper coverage galore, and even books were written about the flight:


Although Pasadena was the official terminus of the flight, Rodgers set off for Long Beach on Nov. 12 with the intention of dipping into the Pacific Ocean. But he crashed along the way, sustaining serious injuries that delayed his goal by a month. He was determined to finish what he started, so with his leg in a cast and his crutches tied to the plane, he took off again on Dec. 10 and landed safely after touching his wheels into the water.

On Jan. 1, 1912, the very first aircraft flew over the Rose Parade route twice, at 9:45 and 10:15 a.m. It was the Wright biplane piloted by Cal Rodgers, who dropped rose petals all along the way to excited throngs. The parade began at 10:45 a.m., followed by chariot races and football at Tournament Park.

Los Angeles Times -- Dec. 25, 1911:

...Instead of gazing into clear sky dotted only by fleecy clouds, the spectators will have an aeroplane crossing and recrossing their path and rose petals will rain down upon them.

...Aviator Rodgers is to make two flights in the forenoon before the parade. Each time he will fly from Tournament Park to a point over Orange Grove and back.

Cal Rodgers was one of a kind. Although he didn't win the prize for his transcontinental flight, he became a household name at the time and had more national recognition than the winning pilot -- then and now.

Four months after landing in Pasadena, he flew into a flock of birds near Long Beach and crashed into the ocean. He did not survive the impact. It was the 22nd fatality in American airplane history.


This courageous aviation pioneeer was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1964.

On May 21 I posted about another aviation feat at Tournament Park. The park is privately owned.

More about the "Vin Fiz" here.

* Eight pilots entered the competition but only two -- Cal Rodgers and Robert G. Fowler -- successfully made it from coast to coast. Fowler won the $50,000 for flying from Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to Jacksonville, Florida, before the deadline.

Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Museum of History, Tournament of Roses Association, National Aviation Hall of Fame and Florida Aviation Historical Society.