Mystery History -- Solved

Kevin wins with his 9:11 p.m. Wednesday guess "Judging by the vinyl LPs, I would say it is early 1960s. I think a deer ran through her house. Notice how none of the plant vegetation is around the plant except for one leaf that fell quite away from the dirt. The deer may have eaten the plant. The ironing board was knocked over too. The iron is under the far chair. The deer probably took the ironing board when it left. It would make a perfect deer-shaped sleeping platform out in the woods."

(Karin was on the right track with her 3:33 p.m. Tuesday guess "It can't be a quake -- look at the lamp and the records. How about an animal ran through the house -- a raccoon or a bear" but there are no second-place prizes in Mystery History.)

In the photo above, taken April 15, 1955, a distraught Betty Reed and her cat survey her wrecked living room after a 150-lb. male deer crashed through the window.

Here she is at the window with her five-year-old son Jay (and that darn cat):


Turns out the buck had come down from a nearby hillside to the residential neighborhood. But soon it caught the attention of a dog, which began barking loudly and frightened the poor thing to the point where it went berserk.

The buck also smashed through a window of the Reeds' next-door neighbor Jeanne Davis, in this photo with her daughter Virginia:


It wasn't long before Officer William Paisley of the Pasadena Police Department and Officers Cecil Fraser (left) and Howard Bishop of the Pasadena Humane Society arrived. Since the buck had become a threat to safety, they decided on a swift course of action.


It was pronounced dead at the scene. The neighborhood kids were awe-struck.


Many thanks to the University of Southern California.

Voluntary Evacuation of Pasadena Neighborhood

Residents of the Florecita neighborhood in the far northwestern portion of Pasadena have been advised to evacuate their homes on a voluntary basis. (Florecita is way up near the top of the red area on the map above.)

The streets are Florecita Drive, Florecita Way, Florecita Lane, Florecita Terrace and Crestford Drive.

All residents of this District 1 neighborhood are strongly encouraged to pack important personal belongings and vital records, and go to another location away from potential fire hazards. Do not wait for a mandatory evacuation order!

There is no imminent danger for this neighborhood at this time, but a shift in weather patterns could create a hazard situation.

Pasadena fire engines and personnel are waiting nearby to protect homes and other structures if the need arises.

Any resident of the neighborhood who does not have an alternative place to go, such as a friend’s or relative’s home, can go to an evacuation site that has been established at Jackson Elementary School, 593 W. Woodbury Dr. in Altadena. The American Red Cross Pasadena-Pomona Valley Chapter is staffing the site and the Pasadena Humane Society has set up a portable animal shelter for pets.

Periodic media briefings will be conducted at the evacuation site by Los Angeles County Fire Department and Pasadena Fire Department.

See this page of our city website for more information about evacuation.