TO MOUNT LOWE WITH LOVE

[Music] [Music] it all began when Pasadena was barely 17 years old a railroad to the stars from Pasadena to Mount Wilson the world's greatest mountain enterprise it was the dream of two men David J McPherson a brilliant young civil engineer who designed the Pasadena Mount Wilson railroad and professor Thaddeus SC Lowe a wealthy inventor who provided the financial backing to build the railroad incorporated June 2nd 1891 the Pasadena Mount Wilson Railroad was busy making plans it was to be a combination of beautiful mountain hotels and Glen's and a Scenic Railroad operated entirely by electricity the first of its kind in the world like all great enterprises however the railroad was not without setbacks Toulon Macpherson's dismay they soon learned that the Pasadena Mount Wilson railroad existed on paper only for they were unable to gain any concessions from the owners of the property leading to Mount Wilson undaunted they conducted another survey a close examination of Macpherson's original map to Mount Wilson showed the right-of-way passing through a place called Rubio Canyon 1,300 feet above Rubio Canyon Lake Echo Mountain which would provide a breathtaking setting for a mountain hotel a new objective had been found Echo Mountain 3,500 feet above the sea the first leg of the trip from Mountain Junction in Altadena to Rubio Canyon would be a standard electric trolley route Rubio Canyon would provide a beautiful setting for a hotel and entertainment pavilion built between the walls of the canyon from Rubio to Echo Mountain passengers would be carried up the great incline by cable cars upon reaching the summit of Echo Mountain 3500 feet above sea level guests would Lodge at the spacious echo in house which provided a magnificent view of Southern California in December 1891 professor Lowell drove the first state marking the beginning of construction the starting point for this unique railroad was called Mountain Junction in Altadena just north of the City of Pasadena the setting was the beautiful High Mesa and mountains of both Altadena and they looked deceptively inviting in reality the task was Herculean three separate operations were underway simultaneously the roadbed to rubio including the hotel and pavilion the great incline and construction of the Echo Mountain House and the smaller Chalet atop Echo Mountain most of the roadbed in to Rubio Canyon had to be blasted out from perpendicular cliffs in several sections Rock drilling crews hung suspended by ropes down the face of the cliffs in order to obtain a foothold for the railway at some points polls for the trolley wires would have to be set in solid rock owing to the steep and difficult terrain most of the grading and filling necessary was done by hand a back-breaking task that was to take over a year to complete during one of his many visits to the construction site Lowe made a trip with friends to a mountain peak west of Mount Wilson upon learning that the summit had northern aim than Oak Mountain his friends promptly renamed it mount Lowe in honor of the developer after the roadbed was completed to the foot of the incline at rubio canyon rails were laid in flatbed cars pulled by horses were now able to bring in larger quantities of supplies grading on the incline had been completed and the men could now begin laying ties starting at the base of the incline and working up before track could be laid however a 40 foot chasm had to be bridged the inventive McPherson was equal to the task designing a 200 foot long trestle with the upper portion of the bridge being 114 feet higher than the lower portion it was appropriately named the McPherson trestle when permanent rails were in place temporary rollers were installed and a rope let down from the top of Echo Mountain to the base of the incline some 3,000 feet away it was securely attached to a three thousand pound construction cable which was then pulled to the top with the windlass powered by eight horses the cable may be seen in the lower left corner it took over two hours to haul the cable to the top with a construction cable in place supplies were loaded from flat cars at the base of the incline and hauled to the top of Echo Mountain in an endless procession of material for the city on the mountain when the supplies crossed McPherson trestle they were transversing some of the most rugged terrain in the Sierra Madre mountain range the small construction camp at Echo mountain began to grow moving from a tent kitchen operation to its first permanent building although it would not be ready for opening day work was being rushed on Echo Mountain House the larger of the two hotels on the mountain it was the apple of professor Lowe's eye and he planned to make it the showplace of Southern California the smaller hotel the chalet was located on the eastern bluff overlooking Rubio Canyon and would definitely be ready for opening day perhaps the most poignant episode in the history of the mount Lowe railroad is that of El Marion William Dekker the remarkable engineer from the Edison Company who designed and supervised the installation of the electrical system of the Mountain Railroad Decker shown in front to the left of professor Lowe fought a lifelong losing battle with tuberculosis he was so dedicated to the success of the electrical system for the railroad that nearly every day he was care in a cart to the base of Rubio Canyon where he could supervise the installation of the electrical equipment Decker's dedication to the railroad cost in his life for he died at the age of 41 less than a month after the opening of the line in the beginning electrical power was supplied by a combination of generating stations in Altadena Junction Rubio Canyon and Echo Mountain in 1899 however the Edison Company predecessor to the Southern California Edison Company provided all the electricity necessary to operate the railroad from a steam generating plant in Los Angeles and add motor generator set in Edison's Altadena substation the incline mechanism was the invention of Andrew Holliday who engineered the cable railway over the hills of San Francisco to cable cars were attached to opposite ends of an endless cable while one car was pulled to the top of the incline the other car would be sent to the base of the incline at Rubio Canyon the cable itself was an inch and a half in diameter made from the finest steel available the huge bull wheel around which the cable revolved was nine feet in diameter was seventy-two automatic grips arranged so that forty five of them were gripping at the same time when the cable reached the bull wheel it was reduced to 13 revolutions a minute a year in seven months two and 1/2 miles of electric railway from Altadena to Rubio Canyon 3,000 feet of cable inclined rail way over a 62 percent grade from Rubio to Echo Mountain and carved by men mules picks shovels and dynamite they're a construction job the most challenging in the world was completed by June 21st 1893 both the trolley line and the incline had been successfully tested with electrical power the first passenger cars were ingeniously converted from flatbed work cars by the addition of benches and a canopy July 4th 1893 the opening of the Mount Lowell railroad at Mountain Junction crowds were waiting in line to ride the first trolley cars to a place called Rubio Canyon over 400 people paid $5 each for a roundtrip ticket on opening day as they left familiar surroundings the passengers were thrilled to find the tracks curving gently into the natural beauty of the canyon greater still was their delight to find a magnificent hotel and entertainment pavilion dropped as if by magic between the walls of Rubio Canyon for most it was a pine scented fairyland the dining room beneath the upper pavilion was some 35 feet by 110 feet in size guests could view the splendor of Rubio Canyon while enjoying fresh grown fruits and flowers at each table and though not many knew it during the early history of California this very spot was the hideout of the notorious bandit Vasquez trails bridges and stairs took visitors over and around sparkling streams to fern Glen's and cameo pools at night 2,000 Japanese lanterns lit the area turning streams trees and canyon walls into a dreamland of light in color the upper pavilion boasted one of the finest and largest dance floors in Southern California and was the scene of many a gala weekend party but now the moment everyone had been waiting for word had come down from the top of the incline [Applause] every eye was riveted on the incline the cable car had already left Rubio pavilion and was on its way to Echo Mountain with the first passengers the crowd watched as it disappeared in the distance but where was the car from Echo as if from heaven with Old Glory flying in the crowd cheering mightily the little white cable car finally appeared descending gently to the Rubio pavilion as the car ascending the incline neared the summit passengers saw for the first time the smaller hotel the chalet which became popular from the start as a mountain resort and provided a dining room that overlooked the valley below in the following year the second and larger hotel the Echo Mountain House was ready it was without doubt one of the finest and best equipped mountain resorts in the world the hotel had an enchanting aroma of fresh pine and the bill of fare was unsurpassed in Southern California it was everything low had hoped for and included a delightful children zoo one of the most durable memories of Mount low for most Southern Californians was the light that shone from echo Mountain the great searchlight had been one of the most popular attractions at the Chicago World's Fair and later the San Francisco Fair it so intrigued low that at the close of the San Francisco Fair he purchased the instrument and had it shipped and installed at Echo Mountain it weighed 6,000 pounds instead 11 feet high it's three million candlepower was projected to all corners of Southern California over a distance of 150 miles the city on the mountain also boasted one of the finest observatories in California for it was one of professor Lowe's ambitions to make Echo Mountain the astronomical center of the world the Mount Lowell railroad had arrived overnight Pasadena had become the mecca for travelers from all over the world who wanted to visit the world's greatest mountain railroad but there was more to come for professor Lowell was a man of vision and David Macpherson an imaginative engineer they planned an extension of the railroad from Echo Mountain to another resort at Crystal sprays five miles into the mountains behind Echo Mountain once again Macpherson was called upon to engineer a miracle the design and construction of the Alpine division of the Mount Lowell railroad when construction finally did get underway much of the right-of-way had to be blasted from the site of the mountains that took a team of highly skilled construction men eight months to carve the opening through granite gate alone the Sierra Madre Mountains resisted stubbornly providing no easy route to Crystal Springs in many places substantial bridges and heavy trestles were required to overcome problems created by the rugged terrain water and supplies were constantly in demand to maintain the construction crews and work went on in spite of a heavy winter two years later August 1895 the Alpine section had been completed from an elevation of 3500 feet at Echo Mountain to 5000 feet at Crystal Springs five miles of steel 127 curves and 18 bridges the most daring of which was circular bridge 500 feet in length the upper end was 20 feet higher than the lower and seemed to go right into space before returning to the mountains it was one of the most spectacular view points of the entire trip and granite gate an almost insurmountable barrier of solid rock for eight months men had scraped clawed and blasted until they had carved a narrow pass for the railroad with the last major obstacle overcome the first open-air trolley car made its way over circular bridge and through granite gate toward alpine by november 1895 the first version of the Alpine tavern had been completed guests were delighted to find this comfortable lodger waiting them at the end of their trip from Echo Mountain unfortunately the financial depression of 1896 began to take its toll patronage declined and before professor Lowe could recover his huge investment he lost control of his railroad in the next few years the railroad changed hands several times ironically as if the mountains resented any owner but professor Lowe the first of several tragedies struck at Echo Mountain in the pre-dawn hours of February 5th 1905 burned the Echo Mountain house to the ground on December 9th 1905 a wind of hurricane velocity battered the summit of Echo Mountain for 24 hours the chalet was completely demolished and started a fire that destroyed everything on the mountain with the exception of the observatory by now Pacific Electric owned the Mount Lowell railroad and significant improvements were begun immediately the hotels at Echo Mountain were not rebuilt instead a new powerhouse was erected at the top of the incline and passengers were routed directly through to Alpine tavern the new theme was out with the old in with the new modernized advertised there was an extensive advertising campaign on Billboard's and in all the best magazines and newspapers the world's greatest mountain trip $2.50 round-trip from Pasadena $2 roundtrip all you needed was a ticket business improved immediately and the big red cars began to bring people from every corner of Southern California at the base of the incline every eye turned toward the summit as they waited for the cable car that would lift them to the clouds what was it like to ascend the great incline let's join some early motion picture camera men as they recorded the trip all right very still now this is your mouth long souvenir photo we'll probably never know how many thousands had a souvenir photo taken at the top of the incline maybe the old sign knows Alpine tavern 5,000 feet above the sea mount low six thousand one hundred feet Echo Mountain three thousand five hundred feet above the sea not everyone took the trip lightly however [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the old Alpine tavern underwent many improvements enlarging the building to accommodate more guests and provide better service even the name was changed to the Mount Lowe tavern the tavern engaged some of the finest chefs in Southern California and dinner at mount Lowell was a never to be forgotten experienced hikers thoroughly enjoyed the many trails that led from the tavern each with its own special view of hidden canyons and wildlife and for those who still preferred to ride an open-air train powered by one sleepy mule made an additional scenic excursion from inspiration point sometimes on schedule it wasn't exactly the straightest line between two points and you wouldn't set a speed record getting there still it was all part of the charm inspiration point was a short stroll from the tavern and provided a panoramic view of Southern California unmatched anywhere at night it was a dazzling spectacle of Lights from Pasadena to Catalina Island the areas surrounding the tavern were dotted with additional accommodations ranging from small overnight cabins to comfortable family sized cabins and housekeeping bungalows fully equipped for extended vacations yep everything was up to date at Mount Lowe except for one thing they still had to supply the outlying areas by pack train it was time to bring in an automobile the car could be carried to the summit of the incline alright but who had the nerve to drive it over the five miles of narrow mountain track to the tavern the call went out fine to daring and sober young men for a perilous mission Oh No two men were finally found and the breathtaking trip to the tavern was successfully completed with the delivery of a sparkling new 1915 Metz roadster total purchase price four hundred and seventy five dollars and that's why they call these the good old days [Music] professor Lowe was gone and finally solver his beautiful hotels and observatory at Echo Mountain the pavilion and waterfalls at Rubio Canyon and in the end the mount lo tavern itself victims of fire wind and storms [Music] gone too are the sounds of the big red cars that served not low and all of Southern California victims of progress the great incline a shadow in the underbrush the inclined mechanism and Bowl wheel that once pulled the cable cars were located in the powerhouse at the top of the incline today the giant wheel is the last surviving piece of the mount Lowe railroad marking the spot where the powerhouse once stood the old railroad lasted 45 years from 1893 to the final run in 1938 it had helped make Pasadena famous over the face of the earth and in its time had rightly been called the greatest mountain enterprise in existence - Thaddeus Lowe and David Macpherson however it was reward enough to know they had brought joy to countless thousands who made the unforgettable trip to mount low aboard their railroad is it really all gone well oddly enough many Pasadena's will tell you that when conditions are just right when the clouds cover the mountaintops and it's strangely quiet you can still hear the sounds of the incline in the trolley cars and the happy voices of passengers on their way to mount Lowell you know could be [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause]