Don Mazen, autograph.
No indication of who the publisher or printer is. No ISBN.
Christmas 2003 from Viann, Autograph dated 9-5-03
Read: 2004 January 22 to 2004 March 5.
Reviewed: 2004 April 19.
We average Americans who move every three years lose out on the sense of having history with a place. At least we can know a few of the facts and figures through the efforts of a local journalist who goes to the trouble to put together and, apparently, self publishes a book like this.
I say Òself publishedÓ because, except for a copyright notice by the author, there is none of the usual formal identifying or publication information anywhere in the book. Indeed, it contains no reference date except the dated autograph by the author himself! This leads to a little trouble in interpreting phrases like Òjust last yearÓ which appear throughout.
The undated and un-discussed cover photo, in brown tones, is a picture of the valley from somewhere on the way up to where Sacred Heart Academy is today. It could be from the 1920s or even earlier. There are a few roads marking off agricultural sections but there are nearly none of the orienting landmarks of today such as the 210 Freeway, DevilÕs Gate Dam, the Angeles Crest Highway, JPL, or any of the business or residential districts. There is an interesting alluvial fan up where the Angeles Crest enters the mountains today. This is all built over and cannot be seen now but it makes one wonder, was that a 500-year or 1000-year flood?
ItÕs hard to go much further in this review without pointing up some production problems (in addition to the lack of any current date mentioned anywhere), which bear on the quality of the information presented. The Table of Contents is on page 3 followed immediately by the Introduction, some other historical photos, and the first chapter. Each chapter is headed by a page bearing only the words, ÒLa Canada Flintridge History, Chapter XÓ. Although the contents contains chapter titles, these chapter header pages themselves have only the numbers. This makes the book hard to browse and it is difficult to maintain a sense of place in it. Sometimes subsections have titles.
The journalistic quality of the writing varies greatly. Sometimes the author is succinct and to the point in a logical progression. Sometimes heÕs obviously struggled to organize disjoint information, as if from random or categorized newspaper clippings. At a finer level of detail, everything could have used a thorough editorial proofreading. I have considered offering to do this myself for $100 or maybe just as community service. Such gaffs as, ÒGeorge Parrish was the single most person responsible for bringing city status to La Canada FlintridgeÉÓ (p. 184); ÒShe has also been active in a watercolor group from all over the U.S., which has traveled to England, Italy and the Greek Islands to capture their beauty on campus.Ó (p. 191, my emphasis); and ÒIf there was a person more dedicated to his community of La Canada Flintridge and the people who live there, it would be Roger Barkley hands down.Ó (p. 191) are unworthy of a lifetime newspaperman. It appears that some of the material may have been put down hastily and never reviewed before publication. Or, it may just be that Mazen was used to working with (or as) an editor and, in this work, didnÕt have one.
Organizationally, the book starts off strong, beginning after a few anecdotes of fame and obscurity with the ÒÉmilitary Portola Expedition, which opened California for the Spanish in 1769.Ó One of the officers on the expedition, Jose Maria Verdugo, was granted land in this valley and set up Rancho San Rafael to which he retired and where he died in 1828.
The second chapter discusses the Lanternmans, an influential family here from the late 19th through the late 20th century, responsible for many of the good things we enjoy here now.
For about ten or twelve chapters, the major events of the areaÕs development are detailed. This covers everything from incorporation and pre-incorporation, several attempts at converting from septic to sewers (still not complete today), the history and development of schools and the school system, real estate development and developers, a long-time postmistress, clubs, the water district, and of course, The Freeway.
From there, the book closes out with some random thoughts about local newspapers and other institutions, a list and description of about sixteen major movie stars known to have lived or at least to have owned residences here, yet another City Council fight, this one over peacocks. A final chapter is little more than a list of local youth sports organizations and the people who run them. With even less fanfare than the beginning, this listing just ends when it runs out of information, and the reader is left flipping past blank pages 222-224 to the back cover which is a picture and biography of Don Mazen, the author.
The 210 Freeway is central to the history of the area. Not that the people here didnÕt oppose just about everything ever proposed: formation of a water district to join in usage of Colorado River water, incorporation at all (especially in Flintridge), upgrading of the Berkshire Bridge in the early 70s (built 1923), just about anything having to do with the schools and school district pro or con, and several attempts at sewers, they also opposed the freeway, that would cut right through the middle of town, bringing untold noise and traffic to the previously quiet, upscale valley. Another route had been proposed through what is essentially Flintridge in the hills to the south. Deals were made in Sacramento by the influential Lanternman family members but many of the concessions were lost to the untimely death of one of the state commissioners who had not confided any of these deals to anyone. In the end, the freeway came through in 1972, followed by city-hood in 1976. (La Canada Flintridge is the longest official name of a California city.) An even more ambitious Angeles Crest Freeway was never attempted due to exorbitant cost estimates, thank goodness.
My mother tells me that this sort of resistance to anything and everything is common throughout the towns and cities of America, probably the world. Resistance to the Freeway is understandable, however, though it is hard to imagine a reasonable alternative, locally and regionally, so long as every citizen must have his own private vehicle.
In any case, I will now be able to remember that there are about 20,000 residents of LCF and this is unlikely to change inasmuch as the area is essentially built out and zoning changes (or sewersÉ) which would allow densification are not likely. The peak was something below 22,000 É before the Freeway dislocated 500 homes.
It is indeed unfortunate that the school district and city limits were not drawn concurrently. This has been and will continue to be the source of untold unnecessary pain and strife.
Our neighbor, Maggie SmithÕs mother Margaret Pankratz, is mentioned (p. 162) in connection with her work on the Friends of Glenola Parks Committee that, even during our tenure here, had Girl Scouts planting gardens in the park at the north end of town rather than a suffering a new Shell gasoline station. Also briefly mentioned is Kevin Costner in his role as local movie star, local media personality Roger Barkley, and of course Norberg Oberz, the founder of Sports Chalet who was never allowed by an ever recalcitrant City Council to improve his store #1 into a nice shopping park. Not mentioned are William Pickering, ÒMr. JPLÓ, weatherman Dallas Raines, the earthquake lady Lucy Jones, or KFWBÕs Royal Oakes, among other modern luminaries. Perhaps this is by choice or request, or perhaps it is merely simple omission.
JPL is discussed however, including the resistance committee to watch and see that JPL didnÕt grow and make things too crowded here. This committee, of course, has had no measurable effect, except perhaps to keep local energetic civic-minded citizens É busy. Also discussed in some detail are the local YMCA, equestrian trails, two instantiations of a country club, and other interesting tidbits of technology like how much water flows in Pickens Canyon, where the pump stations have been, and when they have had to be upgraded due to growth. There is enough history of Descanso Gardens to launch research in that direction.
It is an interesting place indeed, La Canada Flintridge, pleasant and safe in many ways, but upscale and a bit snooty for my taste.
In the end, I am glad to have had the opportunity to read this book and pick up information which otherwise might have been lost to future generations and newcomers such as myself. (IÕve only been here 17 years this summer.) I couldnÕt help thinking, however, that, while this book might serve as an invaluable reference to someone writing a history that reads like the story of a community with logical progression of events and closure at the present, it is not such a book itself.