Echo Mtn. Echoes Spring 1998, a magazine of Southern California history in general and Thaddeus Lowe and his mountain railway in particular

<body bgcolor="#FEFEEB" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080" alink="#FF0000"> <p align="center"><img src="../../echo.jpg" alt="incline, great, great incline, henry, ford, henry ford, turnout, bull, wheel, bull wheel, cawston, ostrich, monkey, flower, stereo, card, stereo card, The Great Incline, Echo Mtn. Echoes, a magazine of southern California history and collectables, especially about Mount Lowe and Thaddeus Lowe's Mountain Railway featuring many old historic photographs, stories, and biographies of the communities of the San Gabriel Mountains and valley from the 1890's on. Pictorial and editorial information about historic Echo Mountain and Mount Lowe in the Angeles National Forest area of the San Gabriel mountains of Southern California, just above Altadena in the Los Angeles foothills, including articles, historic photographs, history, biographies, and events related to Thaddeus Lowe's mountain railway. treasure, hunt, hunter, hunting, treasure hunter, treasure hunt, treasure hunting, gold, mine, mining, miner, gold mine, gold mining, gold miner, prospect, prospector, prospecting, gold pospector, gold prospecting, cave, caves, cave-in, seekers, minerals, ore, Dawn, Mine, Dawn Mine, mount, Mount Lowe, Mount Lowe Railway, Mount Lowe Railroad, history, railway, railway history, railraod, railroad history, i ncline, incline railroad, Altadena, Altadena history, southern california, southern california history, San Gabriel, San Gabriel Valley, San Gabriel Valley history, Millard, Millard Canyon, Thaddeus, Thaddeus Lowe, Pasadena, Pasadena history, California, California history, California history railroads, California history railways, Pacific, Pacific Electric, Pacific Electric Railway, red, red cars, trolley, 1890s, turn of the century, photographs, old photographs, historic photographs, collectables, collectibles, spoons, stamps, postcards, post cards, antique, antique postcards, biography, Brown, Brown Mountain, camp, camping, collector, culture, cultural heritage, heritage, Dawn, Dawn Mine, mine, gold, gold mine, gold mining, East, East Fork, Echo Mountain, Inspiration, Inspiration Point, foothill, foothills, forest, founders, settler, settlers, Eaton, glen, granite, hike, hiking, hiking southern california, hiking San Gabriels, hiking Angeles, hotel, memorabilia, Baldy, Wilson, resorts, nature, nostalgia, nostalgic, observatory, old, outdoor, peak, picture, photo, photos, photo tour, river, riparian, tree, trail, vacation, valley, walking, walking era, water, waterfall, West, West Fork, 1900, azusa, Angeles, Angeles Forest, beauty, souvenir, rubio, seco, glen, arroyo" border="1" width="204" height="82"></p> <hr size="5" noshade> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Artistik, FormalScrp421 BT"><strong>The Great Incline</strong></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="3">By Jake Brouwer</font></p> <div align="right"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" align="right"> <tr> <font size="3"><td align="center"><img src="v3n1inclinecolor.jpg" alt="An early postcard of The Great Incline" border="1" width="249" height="540"></font></td> </tr> <tr> <font size="3"><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="249"><p align="center"></font><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1"><strong>An early postcard of The Great Incline</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><font size="3"><p>When most of us think of the Scenic Mt. Lowe Railway the first thing that comes to mind is the Great  Incline. For many of us this is because the Incline is the most depicted feature of the railway in photographs and on souvenirs. For some it is the feature remembered most from first hand experience. Those of you that do remember are among a lucky few today that can relive the experience of the ride up to Echo Mountain. </p> <p>Some say it was a frightening experience for a timid person. Others marveled at its ingenuity and most were simply awestruck by the beauty that opened up before them as they rose into the sky. The movement of the car was smooth and easy as it rose above the platform at Rubio Station revealing the Rubio amphitheater. The mountains seemed to rise with you at first but at the same time the picture before you increased in size every minute as you rose. When finally you pass the MacPherson trestle, the San Gabriel Valley unfolds its splendor before you and helps to keep your fears at bay of the drop that lies before you and on either side. As you near the top, far down in the valley you can see the serpentine <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/steep_trails/chapter_10.html" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/steep_trails/chapter_10.html")">San Gabriel River</a>  winding its way to the ocean, <a href="http://cw.scouting.org.za/appleton.html" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://cw.scouting.org.za/appleton.html")">Signal Hill</a> at Long Beach, and the Twin Peaks on <a href="http://www.catalina.com/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.catalina.com/")">Catalina Island</a>.</p> <p>I suppose then that its a good thing that you knew nothing of the goings on the in day before your holiday brought you to the Incline railway. </p> <p>It was around 9:00 AM the prior day that a crew of 13 from the mechanical department and 3 from the electrical department began the task of unloading the tool car at Rubio Station. Their job that day was to change the cable that held and pulled the cars up and down the Incline. Mr. Phelps from W. S. Steel Products came to the incline personally to inspect the cable where 17 to 20 wires were reported to be broken. Phelps stated that this trouble is caused by a single bad and large wire having got into this strand and this wire is taking all the wear and may even be expected to break to an even greater extent. All of the breaks were in the one wire and no other wires were affected except a couple of places where the wire had broken at the braze. So, apparently not a big deal, a new cable was ordered and the work crew set out to replace the new cable. Cutting, splicing, winding and pulling comprised the next 14 hours until the completed cable attached to the cars was run through the winding gear at Echo to take out any possible twists and prevent spinning when the cars are loaded. After three round trips were made with the cable the clamps were all attached to the new cable and at 2:45 AM the cars made the first run up the Incline. By 4:30 AM the job was done and the Scenic Mt. Lowe railway was ready for another day of operation. </p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="v3n1WORKPARTY.jpg" border="1" alt="Mt. Lowe work party after completing daily repairs" width="350" height="274"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="350" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"></font><strong><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1">A crew of workmen pose for a picture after completing repairs which were a day to day behind the scenes occurrence.  Can you identify anyone in this picture.  If so, please let us know at</font><font face="Verdana" color="#008000"><small><small>Land~Sea Discovery Group<br> PO Box 401904<br> Hesperia, Ca. 92340</small></small></font></strong></td> <font size="3"> </tr> </table> </div><p>Had one been aware of this activity the night before one might have reconsidered a trip to Echo that day however it was just another day in the life of this Great Incline. In fact it turns out that the cable was replaced nearly every three years as a precaution. In all its years of operation there were no accidents or equipment failures causing injuries thanks to <a href="http://www.erha.org/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.erha.org/")">Pacific Electric's</a> inspection policies. J. Haughton and M. Blackmur and their crews throughout their employment for the railway routinely did inspections and repairs on the incline machinery. Reports were kept in logbooks and signed by each respective inspector. These men tested the automatic clutches, hand brakes, and bad slices. Gears, sheaves, and wheels were sounded for possible fractures. Turnbuckles and tension rods were adjusted on the Incline cars. Burned out motors were replaced and old armatures sent off to the <a href="http://www.ci.torrance.ca.us/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.ci.torrance.ca.us/")">Torrance</a> shops for repair. There were many men involved in the after hours, behind the scenes, day to day operations of this Great Incline that MacPherson and Lowe brought to be.</p> <p>From the day David J. Macpherson met with Professor Thaddeus Lowe unstoppable forces were set into motion that have staggered the imagination of most who attempt to comprehend. From railway offices set up on the second floor of Lowes partially refurbished <a href="http://aaaim.com/echo/v2n1/opera9.htm" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://aaaim.com/echo/v2n1/opera9.htm")">Pasadena Grand Opera House</a>, Macpherson reviewed and studied plans for the railway. Estimates were made and soon crews were put together to start work on the Incline. </p> <p>The first task was to build a pack trail up to Echo Mountain so supplies could be brought up to the new construction camp. Mules and burros being the main mode of transportation in the mountains. Burros were also used to carry water and cement for building the walls and buttresses where the track would be laid. The grade of the Incline was all done by hand and careful blasting the most difficult part being the mountain ridge later dubbed Granite Gorge. All possible laborers were put to work on this phase of the project. The grade was so precipitous and the slopes so unstable that most of the materials for this phase were carried in on the backs of men. It took eight months to complete the grade through Granite Gorge before a single tie could be laid. The debris had to be carried up the slope 50 feet and then dumped off a side canyon. </p> <p>The next job to surmount was that of the deep canyon just beyond Granite gorge. Engineer David J. Macpherson designed and built the trestle later named after him. It was 200 feet long and stood 114 feet higher on its upper end. Macpherson Trestle was one of the great engineering wonders of the time. Before it could be completed however, a construction cable had to be elevated into place. A huge manila rope was used to haul the cable up the mountain, drawn by 4 horses hitched to a winch which wound the rope on a spool as the cable was drawn up. It took two hours to bring up the 3000-pound cable.</p> <div align="right"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" align="right"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1TURNOUT.jpg" alt="The bullwheel on Echo Mtn." border="1" width="350" height="318"></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="350"><p align="center"></font><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1"><strong>A great shot of the turnout on the Great Incline looking down towards Rubio Pavilion</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p>Ties, trestle timber, spikes, and rails could now be brought up with ease. Tracks were laid on one side at first to bring supplies and building materials up. The tracks consisted of three 20-pound rails, which rested on stringers framed into the ties to prevent creeping. Lowes idea of a turnout in the center of the Incline allowing cars to pass was incorporated and a fourth track was laid at the turnout. The tracks were placed 3 ½ feet apart. On January 19, 1893 the Macpherson Trestle was completed and soon after in February the Incline tracks were complete. </p> <p>The <a href="http://www.imaginet.fr/~mikeaz/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.imaginet.fr/~mikeaz/")"><font size="3">Incline</font></a> starts at an elevation of 2200 feet at Rubio Station platform and rises to Echo Mountain, which is 3500 feet. It is upwards of 3000 feet in length and makes a direct ascent of 1245 feet. The grade begins at 60% (meaning a rise of 60 feet in going 100 feet in elevation) and continues until after passing the turnout where it takes on an amazing 62% for some distance. Then it makes two buckles, one to 58% and as it nears the summit it buckles to 48% thus making it the steepest railway in the world at the time. <br clear="all"> </p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1BULLWHEELCLR.jpg" border="1" alt="The bullwheel on Echo Mtn." width="270" height="197"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="270" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1"><strong>The "bullwheel" rests quietly on Echo Mountain, a testament to the engineering skills of men like David Macpherson and Thaddeus Lowe</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p>The endless permanent cable was installed in March of 1893, being the finest cable built and was tested to withstand to a strain of 100 tons. It was 1¼ inches thick and weighed over 6 tons. At the top of the Incline the traction cable is wound around a driving drum or "bullwheel" three times. At the bottom the cable passes through a horizontal sheave which is carried on a weighted frame and also serves the additional purpose of a tension carriage. A second steel cable 1½ inches thick is employed as a safety cable. The grip for the traction cable is placed beneath the front platform of the car and the safety grip is under the middle of the car. The moment the traction rope is released the safety grip instantly closes on the other cable making a decent impossible. Tests were frequently made to test the safety cable and the cars were expected to stop within two feet. The best manufactured friction brakes and speed regulators were also attached to the machinery controlling the cable should the operator fail to stop the car in the proper place.</p> <div align="right"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" align="right"> <tr> <td align="center"><p align="center"><img src="V3N1BOTTOMUP.jpg" alt="A bottom up view of the Incline" border="1" width="350" height="135"></td> </tr> <tr> <font size="4"><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="350"><p align="center"></font><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1"><strong>A view of the Incline from the bottom up</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p><small>The cast iron, 9 foot diameter bullwheel had 72 automatic grip sheaves around its circumference which employed 45 at one time to grip the great traction cable greatly reducing wear on the cable. A 100 horsepower motor going 500 revolutions per minute was reduced down by a series of gears and pinons so that by the time it reached the grip sheaves on the bullwheel it was reduced to 13 revolutions per minute. By this means the cars could be pulled up the Incline at approximately 4 miles per hour. It took 6 minutes to complete the ride to the top. Water and electricity powered the motor, kept in the Incline Powerhouse. </small></p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1PECARDOWN.jpg" border="1" alt="A Pacific Electric Car travels down the Incline" width="350" height="319"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="350" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1"><strong>A Pacific Electric Car travels down the Incline towards Rubio</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p><small>On June 21, 1893 the Incline was operated by electricity for the first time. On <a href="http://www.movieeye.com/reviews/id4.shtml" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.movieeye.com/reviews/id4.shtml")">July 4</a>, 1893 with much fanfare, the Mt. Lowe railway was officially opened to the public. A few thousand people were on hand to witness the event and many paid the $5.00 fee to ride the rails. The Pasadena City Band was given the honor of the first ride up to Echo Mountain playing "<i>Nearer My god to Thee</i>." </small></p> <p><small>During the next 44 years the Great Incline was to witness the passing of hundreds of thousands of people over its rails. Tourists, conventioneers, workmen, chambermaids, cooks, conductors, and tycoons all traveled along the only route possible to Echo Mountain and points beyond. The Incline not only took people up but also brought up building materials for all the hotels on Echo and the alpine Tavern. The narrow gauge cars for the Alpine division were brought up on the trucks of the Incline cars. Gold ore was shipped from Dawn Station to the Incline and on down to marketplace. On two separate occasions automobiles were brought up the Incline for publicity purposes.</small><br clear="all"> <img src="V3N1PECARUP.jpg" border="1" align="right" width="350" height="246"></p> <p><small>Before its official "Last Run" by the Railroad Boosters on Dec.5, 1937 the Incline also had experienced fire caused by the windstorm of 1905. It helped to pull Helen Drew to safety after a landslide at Rubio, and had a power line destroy a good part of Macpherson Trestle, all causing temporary delays of service. The Inclines final days were in 1940 when a salvage company slowly dismantled what was left.</small><br clear="all"> </p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1BOBWILDE.jpg" border="1" alt="Robert Wilde" width="350" height="170"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="350"><p align="center"><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1"><strong>A restive Robert Wilde admires the view of the depths of Rubio Canyon from the lower end of Macpherson Trestle</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p><small>To end on a happier note perhaps one of the people to whom we can most be thankful for in remembering the Great Incline of the Scenic Mt. Lowe Railway is Charles Lawrence, official photographer of the railway. His group photos taken at the top of the Incline have helped keep the memory alive in thousands of homes across America. Imagine if you will rummaging through the old trunk in the attic and finding the Incline photo shown on the cover of this publication. Imagine the memories and discoveries locked within. Smile.</small><br clear="all"> </p> <div align="center"><center><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" background="../garysmap.jpg"> <tr> <td width="100%"><p align="center"><br> <strong><font color="#0000FF" size="7" face="Griffon, Playbill, Algerian">Hiking Mt. Lowe Trails</font><font color="#C0C0C0" size="1" face="Griffon, Playbill, Algerian">.</font></strong></td> </tr> </table> </center></div><p align="center"><font color="#800040" size="5" face="Impact, Arial Black">Quest For The Incline<br> </font><font size="3">By Lee Zebold</font></p> <font SIZE="2"><p></font><font size="3">On Sunday, December 8, 1996, Bill Ferguson, my daughter Timarie and I, along with our copy of "<a href="http://aaaim.com/echo/Market.htm" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://aaaim.com/echo/Market.htm")">Mt. Lowe, the Railway to the Clouds</a>,"by C. Seims, (that we purchased from Jake Brouwer at the Re-Dedication of the Ramada on November 16) lit out for Rubio Canyon which I hadn't seen since my boyhood days as a boy scout back in the 50's.</p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1INCLINEDRWING.jpg" border="1" alt="The Great Incline Drawing" width="200" height="423"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="200" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"></font><font size="1" face="Verdana" color="#800040"><strong>Lee Zebold is a local businessman, Mt. Lowe fan, and a Forest Service Volunteer.</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p>We hiked up the "right of way" right off where Maiden Lane and Rubio Dr. Intersect. I was disappointed when after about 1/4 of a mile our path was blocked off by the development of some new houses under construction. Since we didn't know at the time of the right of way trail that hits Rubio Vista Road, and after some fence jumping, we made our way up the no trespassing road where Camp Huntington used to be. Almost immediately we scrambled down into the creek so as not to be trespassing on anyone's private property.</p> <p>The whole idea of going up there was to find the old incline and maybe climb it to the top of Echo Mountain. Occasionally we would stop at certain points, and compare them to the pictures we'd find in the book. We saw almost identical views from where we stood when comparing the same shot form a camera taken back in the early 1900's. It really was a thrill.</p> <p>In all my life, even as a Boy Scout, I had never seen the incline from the bottom. Only from the top looking down. We eventually passed the spot where the pavilion had once been, not realizing that it had been built on stilts. We went to the waterfall before realizing we had passed the spot. Backtracking paid off for we used the guidelines and maps in the book, which turned out to be a reliable source. When we finally discovered what must have been the base of the Incline, Bill thought he saw a trail, and started to go up it. Timarie and I stayed behind. It wasn't long before he called to us that this was the trail- it had yellow ribbons marking it. So the three of us started going up the switchbacks. The yellow ribbons really helped us stay on the proper path, because the trail is not used much, and is not easily observed. </p> <p>As we progressed up the mountain, it became obvious that we were on the right path because we would run into old rails and rail ties When we came upon what was left of MacPherson's Bridge it was a wonderment to look at the abutments that had been the base for the bridge structure. I was amazed to be looking at these things, all the while realizing that my whole life I had lived in this area, and never saw this remnant of the old railway. It was almost like finding a new toy under the Christmas Tree.</p> <p>The occasional yellow ribbons lead us up the trail in good fashion. It was later that we learned that this was the original trail used by the mules taking materials and supplies up to the top of Echo for building the structures. Paul Ayers had called me about going up the following Saturday to work on finding artifacts and the Armature he had found over the side. When I told him about our hike, he explained that he had gone up the day before and marked the trail with the yellow ribbons. He wanted to establish the trail, and by marking it clearly, even the casual, uninformed hiker would be able to follow the proper course. What a coincidence.</p> <p>We finally got up to Echo. It was a real hike. We were pooped. But what an unforgettable experience.</p> <p align="center"><font color="#008080" size="6" face="Technical, Book Antiqua"><strong>Henry Ford Visits Mt. Lowe</strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">By Michael Patris</font></p> <div align="right"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" align="right"> <tr> <font size="3"><td align="center"><img src="v3n1fordincline.jpg" alt="Henry Ford with family and friends at Mt. Lowe" border="1" width="317" height="540"></font></td> </tr> <tr> <font size="3"><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="317"><p align="center"></font><strong><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#008080">This typical Mt. Lowe Incline photograph, probably taken by Charles Lawrence, shows the world famous Henry Ford, (lower right), along with family and friends at the top of the Incline.</font><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1">  </font><font face="Verdana" color="#000000" size="1">This photograph courtesy the Michael Patris Collection</font><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1">.</font></strong></td> </tr> </table> </div><font SIZE="2"><p></font><font size="3">The advent of the twentieth century brought many changes to people around the world and none greater than those right hear in the united states.</p> <p>Mass transportation was becoming more and more affordable for the common man. Everything from the electric trolley to the automobile was proving to be more than a mere passing fancy. People by the thousands were venturing out of their hometowns and cities to take a look at the wondrous world around them. These people were from all parts of the world and from every socioeconomic background. </p> <p>Automobile mogul <a href="http://www.hfmgv.org/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.hfmgv.org/")">Henry Ford</a> was not only responsible for giving the common man a way to tour about, but was also one of those who did the touring as well. </p> <p>Henry Ford and wife Clara were among the richest people in the nation and took to traveling around the world to view its great wonders. Mass production of the <a href="http://www.mtfca.com/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.mtfca.com/")">Model T</a> in 1908 brought millions of dollars to the Ford Empire and in 1914 the automobile assembly line was born. Henry Ford was so proud of his accomplishment he decided to put the assembly line on display for the world to view at the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915. It was a smashing success.</p> <p>While on the West Coast the Ford family, accompanied by young <a href="http://www.macsautoparts.com/eds.html" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.macsautoparts.com/eds.html")">Edsel</a> Ford, would visit places in Southern California such as Universal City, Cawston Ostrich Farm, Catalina Island, and the Mt. Lowe Incline.</p> <p>For many years the Ford family would return to the San Gabriel Valley as Claras sister and brother-in-law lived in a craftsman styled home near the corner of Santa Rosa and Alameda Streets in Altadena. George Brubaker and Eva Bryant Brubaker played host and hostess to not only the Henry Fords, but Mr. And Mrs. Harvey <a href="http://www.firesyn.com/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.firesyn.com/")">Firestone</a> (Firestone Tires), Luther Burbank (botanist), Mr. And Mrs. (Commander) Sir Percival Perry, and <a href="http://www.thomasedison.com/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.thomasedison.com/")">Thomas Edison</a>. These well know figures were just like the rest of an emerging population, who wanted to explore the world around them, especially wonders like the great Mt. Lowe Incline.</p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1FORDFILM.jpg" border="1" alt="Henry Ford poses with the camera and family" width="350" height="181"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="350" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"></font><strong><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#008080">Henry Ford poses with the camera used to shoot film about the Mt. Lowe experience for the FORD EDUCATIONAL WEEKLY.  Looking on from the left to right is one Ford's entourage, Edsel Ford, Rose Flint, her father, and Clara Ford. </font><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1"> </font><font face="Verdana" color="#000000" size="1">Photo courtesy Michael Patris</font></strong></td> </tr> </table> </div><p>Henry Ford had always been an imaginative tinkerer and admired the work that went into the making of the incline. He would return many times between 1907, when his sister-in-law and brother-in-law were married, and the late 1920s. The auto magnate would marvel at the incline cars going up a 63% average grade for nearly two-thirds of a mile. He wondered how such an engineering masterpiece could operate so flawlessly and provide so much pleasure. </p> <p>In the name of education, Ford sent camera crews to hundreds of locations around the globe to bring an unfamiliar world to the eyes of young and old alike.</p> <p>One of the first locations chosen for the FORD EDUCATIONAL WEEKLY was none other than the great cable incline at Mt. Lowe. Ford himself came along on this particular trip, giving Pacific Electric Patrons the wonders of the San Gabriel Valley and an arms distance look at a world famous mogul enjoying a simple outing with his family.</p> <p>Henry Ford always insisted he was a simple man; man of nature, bird watcher, and an amateur astronomer. A far cry from his 1300 acre estate, "Fair Lane" (namesake of his 50s and 60s automobiles) which in 1915 boasted a $1.9 million dollar price tag. </p> <p>The powerhouse at Echo Mountain is said to have served as a model for his own powerhouse at Fair Lane, the sole supply of electricity to run the massive estate. </p> <p>Ford insisted his estate fit in with the surrounding landscape and that is just one aspect he loved so much about the incline railroad. So little of the San Gabriel Mountains were disturbed upon completion of the railway from Rubio Pavilion all the way up to Alpine Tavern. The little white opera cars could be seen traversing the hill from time to time and a few buildings dotted the top of Echo Mountain. Just enough to make the people down below ask themselves what it must be like to go up the hill for a ride. </p> <p>Although the Fords were on vacation all the gentleman wore dress shoes, suits, and ties  and dont forget your hat! The women still wore high top shoes and long dresses. </p> <p>There is no evidence that Henry Ford met Thaddeus Lowe, but the two pioneers had quite a bit in common. Lowe made and lost several fortunes and died nearly broke trying to have fulfilled his mountain railway dream. Subsequently he lost control of his trolley line by the time Henry Ford had come to admire it. Ford had made and lost a few small fortunes of his own trying to perfect an automobile fit for the masses. Both men were amateur astronomers, naturalists, and visionaries. Both were dedicated family men. Too bad Ford and Lowe hadnt met earlier. Perhaps Henry Ford could have altered local history with his love for the Mount Lowe Incline and the necessary money professor Lowe lacked to fulfill his mountain dream </p> <p>The photographs included with this story have been documented by the Henry Ford museum to have been taken during the winter of 1915-1916. The Fords commonly spent the winter months in California sightseeing and visiting family.</p> <p>On this particular trip Clara Ford brought along friend Rose Flint. Rose was married to Dutee Flint, head of Ford Motor Companies New England sales office in Providence Rhode Island. Her father accompanied Rose on this trip as it was frowned upon for a woman to travel unescorted in that day and age.</p> <p>None of the other people in the photograph could be identified, however owner of Pasadena Ford, Lewis J. Hampton maybe among those photographed as Hampton and Ford were long time personal friends.</p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <font size="3"><td align="center"><img src="V3N1CAWSTON1.jpg" border="1" alt="The Cawston Ostrich Farm in South Pasadena" width="350" height="110"></font></td> </tr> <tr> <font size="3"><td width="350" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"></font><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#008080"><strong>The Cawston Ostrich Farm in South Pasadena was one of the more unusual sites visited by people from the world over, like Henry Ford.</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p><font size="1" face="Verdana"><em><strong>This piece was written by friend Michael Patris.  Michael is one of the most avid collectors of Mt. Lowe memorabilia on the scene today.  Michael has been featured in collector magazine and lectured on Mt. Lowe for various groups.  Go to a paper, rail, postcard show, or antique meet today and chances are you'll bump into him, I do all the time</strong>. <br clear="all"> </em></font></p> <div align="center"><center><table border="1" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td align="center" width="100%" bgcolor="#808000"><font color="#FFFF00" size="7" face="Artistik, FormalScrp421 BT"><strong>Flora and Fauna</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </center></div><p align="center"><font color="#FF0000" size="5" face="Impact, Arial Black"><strong>Journeys To Echo Mountain<br> </strong></font><font size="3" face="Arial"><br> </font><font size="3">By</font><b> </b><a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~nyerges/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://home.earthlink.net/~nyerges/")"><font size="3">Christopher Nyerges</font></a></p> <font SIZE="2"><p></font><font size="3">My very first introduction to the Angeles National Forest was the Sam Merrill Trail at the top of Lake Avenue in Altadena. My brother and neighborhood friends would typically just walk up Lake Avenue from our home just below Woodbury Road. Sometimes wed get a ride, and then wed hike up what seemed a tremendously long and tiring trail to Echo Mountain. In fact, the trail is probably not even three miles, but back then, with the switchbacks and dryness of summer, it seemed as if we were entering a different time zone, as if we were going into the past. </p> <p>Finally at the top, we never had a shortage of things to see and things to do. And remember, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Echo Mountain seemed much more wild than it is today. Back then, the visitors were fewer, and there were no interpretive signs for the tourists. We would carefully walk amidst the many yucca plants, trying to determine the exact dimensions of the old hotel and other buildings. Once, my hiking partner Joe Sierra and I spent the afternoon discovering about pine nuts. We had seen pine nuts from the store, and wed eaten them, and so when we found a huge pine cone from one of the old trees on Echo Mountain, we decided to figure out how to get the seeds. The cone we found was huge, but not fully mature, so the scales were closed. We just took a rock and gradually broke open the cone, bit by bit, while the thin-shelled black seeds fell out, one by one. We thought they were delicious!</p> <p>On clear days, we had that incredible vista and could actually see the two peaks of Catalina Island. In fact, regardless of the air and smog conditions, we often ended our trip by sitting atop the old cement staircase just looking down at the sprawling city to the south. It gave us such a superior view, such a lofty vantage point that we felt truly set apart, as if the city we were looking at below was something other than our home. It was this very loftiness that gave rise to so many of our philosophical discussions about the nature of life and the eventual result of overpopulation. </p> <p>Gradually, I would visit Echo Mountain in every season, at all times of the day and night, in rain, snow, and heat.</p> <p>Echo Mountain used to be a great spot to view the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Weve begin our hike in the late afternoon, view the <a href="http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/news2/fireworks.t.k12.safety.html" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/news2/fireworks.t.k12.safety.html")">fireworks</a> and have a meal, and then get back to Altadena around midnight. </p> <p></font><img src="V3N1MONKEYFLOWER.jpg" alt="Sticky Monkey Flower" border="1" align="left" hspace="5" width="322" height="540"><font size="3">Ive very much enjoyed early morning summer hikes up the Sam Merrill Trail, viewing the many flowering plants along the way, flowers that are only seen after a wet spring, such as the miners lettuce, and monkey flower, and Indian paintbrush and many other delicate flowers. To me, in those early mornings with dew on the spider webs and a bit of fog still in the air, the trail and the surroundings were sacred land. They were a place of mental and physical development, and a time where I could find my spiritual roots. </p> <p>I have only traveled up the path of the incline to Echo Mountain on a few occasions. My friend Daniel McPherson first showed me the way, and we saw many of the wooden foundations of the incline, and even some of the old rails. Though eroded in sections, we were able to hike most of the old route starting from Rubio Canyon all the way up to Echo Mountain.</p> <p>I have lost count of how many times Ive been to Echo Mountain because I have been there so many times. It was like my backyard. And since leading hiking classes for Pasadena and Glendale City Colleges, I have taken hundreds of students there and encountered many others there on the top.</p> <p>Two interesting encounters come to mind.</p> <p>Once, about 13 years ago, my hiking class and I met a man at the top who said he was there to win a bet. He was apparently skilled in primitive fire starting, primitive weapons, shelter making, and generally seemed to know how to live off the land. When we met him, hed already made a dozen or so arrowheads from the broken glass scattered around Echo Mountain, and hed made arrow shafts as well. He said he was going to make a bow soon and use them to capture some of his meals. Hed planned to close in that old huge fireplace and use it as his shelter for the following week. For fire, he said hed use a bow and drill. I was impressed. He said he had to stay there for 10 days with only what he carried in -- which was just his clothes and a knife -- and if he came out OK, hed win the bet. (I dont recall what hed win). Since I wanted to know the outcome, I gave him my magnesium fire starter and my business card in exchange for his promise that hed contact me when he got out and tell me how it went. I never heard from him.</p> <p>On another occasion, our entire hiking class had finished lunch on one January afternoon. It began to snow! I was surprised that it would snow at such a location, but we marveled in it. As we were departing, a woman and her girl scouts came by and asked if we had any matches. "No, I never carry any," I told her. She said they were out on the third day of week-long backpacking trip and ran out of their book matches. She said they got moist and were all used up. I was a bit amazed that anyone would depend on book matches, and I gave her my magnesium fire starter and a quick demonstration. With that tool, shed have no problems, except for the snow, and we quickly departed. (I never heard back from her either. Fortunately, I never read about her and her girls in the paper).</p> <p>The Echo Mountain area is really one of the great historic spots in the Angeles National Forest, as well as a good spot to study the flora, fauna, and to view the city. Always play it safe and carry a canteen of water, a magnesium fire starter, a good knife (such as a <a href="http://www.victorinox.ch/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.victorinox.ch/")">Swiss Army knife</a>), and tell someone your itinerary. A good local trail book is <a href="http://aaaim.com/echo/Market.htm" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://aaaim.com/echo/Market.htm")">John Robinson's TRAILS OF THE ANGELES</a>.</font></p> <hr width="85%"> <blockquote> <p><font SIZE="2"><em><strong>Nyerges' latest book, ENTER THE FOREST, about the Angeles National Forest, is now available.  He is also the author of GUIDE TO WILD FOODS, and TESTING YOUR OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SKILLS.  His books are available  at all Sport Chalet stores and via Shcool of Self-reliance, Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041. A copy of his class and outing schedule is also available from SOS, or on-line at http://home.earthlink.net/~nyerges/.</strong></em></font></p> </blockquote> <p align="center"><font color="#008080" size="6" face="Courier New, Courier"><strong>News of our readers</strong></font></p> <p><font size="3"><img src="../v2n1/newsof.jpg" alt="Mt. Lowe Post Office" align="left" border="1" hspace="15" vspace="5" width="276" height="417">On <b>New Years Day</b> I decided to take the trek up the fire road to Dawn Station and then hike into Millard Canyon and on to down to the gold mine. Even in those early morning hours the drone of dirigibles were present while they floated above Colorado Blvd vying for position above the <a href="http://rosebowl.com/" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://rosebowl.com/")">Pasadena Rose Parade</a>. I counted at least five in their number. Before long another peace breaker came onto the bright blue canvas above me spewing clouds of white graffiti from its tail. This buzzing biplane wrote out <b>STAR NEWS</b> in giant white letters for all who would wrench their necks to see. Another message of the day was <strong><a href="http://www.mcs.net/~klast/www/bond.html" target="UrlWindow" onclick="UrlWindowOpener("http://www.mcs.net/~klast/www/bond.html")">007</a></strong>, the message getting much better reviews than the movie itself in my book. </font></p> <font size="3"><p>Once at the Dawn Station site, I took a break in the shade at the foot of the trail to the gold mine and hoped my dreams to get the structure rebuilt would go through. The seed had been planted early in 1997 and brought up again in October 1997 on a workday on Mt. Lowe. The SMLHC liked the idea of having a rest stop half way up to the tavern for hikers and bikers and for me especially the structure would just about complete my Dawn Mine experiences. </p> <div align="right"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" align="right"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1SETTINGSTAKES.jpg" alt="Setting stakes for Dawn Station waiting structure" border="1" width="321" height="540"></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="321"><p align="center"></font><font face="Verdana" color="#008080" size="1"><strong>Forest Service Volunteer John Harrigan measures and sets stake for the Dawn Station waiting structure, while Lee Varnum looks on.</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p>After an orange slice or two I took off down the "<b>Trail to the Gold Mine</b>." The trail was a bit airy in parts complete with washouts, rockslides, and the occasional fallen tree trunk but before long things were going quite well. One particular item of interest; along this trail is the artists vantage point of the beautiful painting of Millard Canyon hanging in the <b>Altadena Library</b>. On this day one could see down the length of the canyon and all the way out to the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles. On to the gold mine I went, stopping briefly at the home site of the Ryans, owners of the mine in much earlier days. I sat on the peninsula their house was built on and just listened for a while to the sound of the water falling over a small four-foot fall. I passed on visiting the mine. After all six times last year was enough. </p> <p>An hour later I was above Millard Falls hearing the echoes of dogs barking and hikers laughing in the spray.</p> <p><b>January 10, 1998</b> the <b>SMLHC</b> went up to Inspiration Point to repair shingles that had blown off the shelter. Despite the drenching rain storm the night before four volunteers showed up to work. Besides the roof we also secured the flag pole along the little trail to Easter Rock and then hauled rock down to the Dawn site for another days work there. Brian, John, Jim and Jake did the days work. </p> <p><b>December 1997</b> Thanks to photos provided to me by <b>Charles Seims</b> and one in my own collection taken by <b>Ralph Melching</b>, our own SMLHC member <b>John Harrigan</b> was able to put together a fantastic set of plans to work from for rebuilding the Dawn Station waiting structure. In <b>January 1998</b> two nice donations came in from <b>Alpine Division Scale Models</b> and <b>Tim Friend</b>. Thanks a lot fellas!</p> <b><div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" align="left"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="V3N1DAWNSITE.jpg" border="1" alt="Dawn Waiting Station location" width="270" height="171"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="270" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"><font face="Verdana" color="#008080" size="1"><strong>Site for the proposed Dawn Station Waiting structure.  Photo taken January 1997.</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> </div><p>January 24, 1998 </b>members of the SMLHC, <b>Brian Marcroft</b>, <b>John Harrigan</b>, <b>Scott Nielson</b>, <b>Lee</b> <b>Varnum, Bill Crouch, Kent Hamel, and Jake Brouwer</b> measured and than leveled out the platform area for the Dawn Station. It was a good 5-hour workday and a lot was accomplished.</p> <p>A reminder to all Mt. Lowe and Thaddeus Lowe collectors. <b>DONT GIVE UP! </b>There are items to find around nearly every corner, just be aware and <b>LOOK</b>. In January I came up with a Civil War book from 1895 that had two pictures of Lowes balloon and a full-page picture of Lowes gas machines. ($15.) Also found were a Scientific American 1893 with a description of the new Scenic Mt. Lowe Railroad and a narrative about its power sources. ($5.) A brochure of the Alpine Tavern found on the WWW. ($8.)</p> <p>February brought to the Southland a good deal of rain and a wonderful covering of snow on Mt. Lowe. A few trips were made up to the Dawn Station waiting structure site and a few more donations trickled in.</p> <p>On February 16, 1998 the <b>San Gabriel Valley Tribune</b> did a nice piece on our plans for the Dawn structure. Shortly afterwards donations came in from <b>Fred and Edna Smith</b>, <b>Victor McVey, Joseph</b> and <b>Wanda Drown, Geraldine Davis</b>, and <b>Dave and Lisa Lewis</b>. Thanks!</p> <p>March was pretty quiet as far as news goes. Michael Patris notified me that he was asked to host the opening ceremonies for the Collectors Convention in Pomona in June 1998. Michael will also be lecturing on collecting Mt. Lowe memorabilia.</p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Artistik, FormalScrp421 BT"><strong>Collector's Corner</strong></font></p> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left"> <tr> <font FACE="Arial" size="2"><b><td align="center"><img src="steroincline.jpg" border="1" alt="Mt. Lowe Spoon" width="350" height="174"></b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <b><font FACE="Arial" size="2"><td width="350" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"></font></b><strong><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1">This early stereo card from the Keystone view company offered people from far away lands the opportunity to see the Great Incline in a three dimensional way. An American pastime way before television was to pass view cards around the room oohing at the wonders of the modern world.</font></strong></td> </tr> </table> </div><font SIZE="2"><p ALIGN="JUSTIFY"></font><font size="3">Collecting Mt. Lowe memorabilia can be a fun and rewarding hobby and take it from me, it does not take a rich man to do it. You just need a love of Mt. Lowe and the willingness to hunt for your treasures when ever you can.</p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Some things can run into some big dollars like glassware and signed documents but some of the neatest finds might run only a few dollars.</p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The stereocard shown above ran only $12. in an antique store in Ventura. A month ago my wife came up to me after poking around the Cal Poly Swap and handed me an old piece of paper which turned out to be a program for the Ladies Auxiliary of Railway Conductors which included the Echo and Mt. Lowe Divisions! The item was only $2.00!</p> <div align="right"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="right"> <tr> <font FACE="Arial" size="2"><b><td align="center"><img src="v3n1JADEDISH.jpg" border="1" alt="Mt. Lowe Spoon" width="270" height="268"></b></font></td> </font> </tr> <tr> <b><font FACE="Arial" size="2"><td width="270" align="right" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><p align="center"></font></b><strong><font face="Verdana" color="#008000" size="1">This ornate Jade green dish features the Great Incline and the surrounding area in white relief.</font><font face="Verdana" size="1"> From the Michael Patris collection</font></strong></td> </tr> </table> </div><p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Original photos turn up from time to time in old photo albums that can be found at estate and garage sales. These pictures can be bought for a few dollars but are worth much more to the collector. I have found a few neat photos and postcards in those big boxes that people put out for you to rummage through. Quite often they have no idea what is in the box.</p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Great Incline which is the subject of this issue can be found on nearly everything imaginable. Ive heard tell of hand held fans, watch fobs, orange crate labels, lantern slides, playing cards, pewter cups, and much more. How about the little white creamer Michael Patris and I just missed a few weeks back at the Orange Empire Railway Museum Show? You just never know. If you have a computer be sure to check out auctions as items have turned up there also. Just get out there and look. </p> <b><font FACE="Arial" size="2"><div align="center"><center><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10"> <tr> <td><img src="v3n1bowl.jpg" border="1" alt="Mt. Lowe Spoon" width="93" height="170"></td> <td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="200"></font></b><strong><font color="#008000" face="Verdana" size="1">Collectors souvenir spoons sometimes feature the Great Incline on the stem but most often and most collectable are spoons showing the Incline in the bowl as shown here. There are said to be in the neighborhood of 100 different Mt. Lowe spoons.</font></strong></td> </tr> </table> </center></div><p><br clear="all"> </p> <div align="center"><center><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td align="center" width="100%" bgcolor="#808080"><p align="center"><br> <img src="../v2n1/editor.jpg" border="1" width="320" height="114"></td> </tr> </table> </center></div><p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright, Brush Script MT"><strong>Well here we are in the spring of 1998. If you were living in 1938 you may recall the extreme weather of that year that wiped out much of the railroad. I wonder what they called the storm back then? </p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">This issue introduces us to the Great Incline, probably the most depicted site on the railroad. If youre not familiar with some of the facts about the Incline the main article will fill you in, if you know all there is, hopefully the presentation will be enough to interest you.</p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">While putting this issue to bed I came up with at least five more subjects to write about, adding to my list of around twenty-five. I realized I wanted to know more about the Incline cars, sources of power, the powerhouse, the fires that plagued the railway, and Charles Lawrence. To those of you that thought Id run out of things to write about I say "raspberries."</p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Our summer issue will be based on flight. T.S.C. Lowes days of flight that is and his granddaughter Florence "Pancho" Lowe Barnes. It should be of interest to those unaware of the railways founder and his family. </p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Be sure to tell a friend about our paper. About 24 people have not renewed for the new year and about 15 new subscribers have logged on so we are a bit behind. </p> <p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Enjoy the spring flowers.</strong></font></p> <font FACE="Brush Script MT"><p ALIGN="CENTER"><big><big><big>Jake Brouwer</big></big></big></font></p> <hr> <p align="center"><font size="2"><b><img src="../v2n2/emecvr1.jpg" border="1" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="540" height="349"></b></font></p> </body>