Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 26, 2011

6

Mountain Views News Saturday, February 26, 2011


Historical Marker Dedication: Adams’ Pack Station

ARCADIA, Calif. – A new “History Lives Here” 
historical marker showcasing vintage and recent 
photographs and descriptions of the history 
of the last remaining mule pack station in the 
Angeles National Forest – Adams’ Pack Station 
-- will be unveiled at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 17, as 
part of the station’s 75th anniversary celebration 
featuring live music and pulled pork sandwiches 
near the Chantry Flat picnic area at the end of 
Santa Anita Canyon Road.

 This is the seventh marker dedicated by the 
Arcadia Historical Society in less than four years.

The special dedication of the Marker in the area of 
the station and store, which is also a celebration of 
five years of ownership by Deb and Sue Burgess, 
will include local political officials and historians, 
and residents and visitors of Santa Anita Canyon. It 
will take place between live acoustic performances 
by John M from 12 noon - 2 p.m., and Cross 
Town Cowboys from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The public is invited to participate and enjoy 
pulled pork sandwiches made to order in a Dutch 
oven. 

 The barn and two-room bunkhouse/store that 
are still being utilized at Adams’ Pack Station in 
2011 were built in 1936 by J.P. Steele, who was 
the first to obtain a special use permit for a pack 
station, outfitter store and parking lot at the end 
of a new road paved to Chantry Flat in 1935. 
Steele owned First Water Camp in the streambed 
directly below Chantry in the Angeles National 
Forest.

 For the next three-quarters of a century, the 
station’s donkeys and mules would be the lifeline 
for supplies to three active resorts and about 200 
cabins accessible only on foot in Big Santa Anita 
Canyon.

Frank Adams bought the pack station in the fall 
of 1938 and soon hired his brother Bill. Bill and 
his wife Lila packed supplies, delivered mail, 
brought out garbage, sold ice cream and soda, 
greeted visitors and generally took care of the 
canyon for 35 years.

 In 1984, the Adams’ sold the station to Bill’s 
nephew Dennis Lonergan and his wife, Jody, who 
ran the station for 15 years. Bouts with nature 
and the economy forced the Lonergan’s to sell the 
station and move to the city in 1999.

 When Kim Kelley sold the station after five years 
of natural disasters and the closure of the road 
for nearly two years, canyon cabin owners Deb 
Burgess and her mother Sue Burgess restored the 
Adams name to signify a return to the Adams’ 
business model with the help of day-to-day 
general manager Richard Conforti and other 
volunteers.

 Under their stewardship the pack station has 
launched a web site and has become a popular 
gathering place for hikers and families to enjoy 
the expanded merchandise and food offerings of 
the general store and myriad activities, including 
regularly-scheduled outdoor music programs, 
those pulled pork sandwiches, animal petting, 
and guided hikes.

 The series of Historical Markers are part of the 
non-profit Society’s mission to create broader 
public awareness of noteworthy historical events, 
people, and landmarks in Arcadia.

 The Society’s first Historical Marker was 
presented during the Centennial Celebration of 
First Avenue Middle School in October 2007. 
The second was dedicated in May 2008 near 
the peacock fountain at Los Angeles County’s 
Arcadia Park, and the third in July 2008 to mark 
the original City Hall on the northwest corner of 
Huntington Drive and First Avenue.

 Three Markers were dedicated in 2009, beginning 
with Number Four on April 29 at the Woman’s 
Club of Arcadia on First Avenue, followed by two 
dedications during 75th Anniversary celebrations 
at the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce on July 16, 
and Santa Anita Park on opening day, Dec. 26 .

 Upcoming Markers tentatively planned include 
Lucky Baldwin’s original Oakwood Hotel and 
nearby train depot on First Avenue at Santa 
Clara, and the property along Huntington Drive 
that has been the location for the Pony Express 
Museum, the Flamingo Hotel and Santa Anita 
Inn

 The Society would like to thank the City of 
Arcadia for co-funding many of the Markers, 
including Adams’ Pack Station, which was 
installed by the station.

Arcadia Branch of the American Association of 
University Women (AAUW) presents: 

Pasadena Mothers’ Club 

During the last 50 years, the Mothers’ Club 
Family Learning Center of Pasadena has 
successfully reached out to low-income 
families by providing them with a family 
literacy program that promotes strong 
parent-child relationships through education 
and social services. The Mothers’ Club still 
continues to be a model program in the field 
of family literacy. Its guiding principle is 
to educate both parent and child during 
children’s most vulnerable, impressionable 
years—between ages birth and five years. 

The Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center, 
at 980 North Fair Oaks, Pasadena, is in an 
environmentally friendly building that 
provides a comfortable setting in which two 
generations learn at the same time. With 
five classrooms for children ages zero to five 
years, as well as classrooms for adults enrolled 
in English as a Second Language (ESL) and 
Basic Education classes, the learning center 
prepares families to succeed in school and in 
life. For children, that means readiness for 
kindergarten; for parents that means gaining 
language facility and basic skills that enable 
them to break the cycle of poverty.

The Arcadia Branch of the American 
Association of University Women (AAUW) 
and their guests will learn more about the 
Pasadena Mothers’ Club when Executive 
Director Susan Kujawa speaks to the group 
on Monday, March 14. The meeting will take 
place at the Church of the Good Shepherd’s 
Jordan Hall, 400 W. Duarte Road, Arcadia 
(SW corner of Duarte Rd. and Holly Ave.). 
Socializing and refreshments begin at 
6:30 p.m. with Ms. Kujawa’s power point 
presentation to follow at 7:00 p.m. The 
public is invited to this free meeting.

Funding for the Mothers’ Club Family 
Learning Center comes from individuals, 
foundations, and from First 5 Los Angeles’ 
Family Literacy Initiative. Members and 
guests are requested to bring new or gently 
used books for children four years and under 
to the meeting.

Membership in the American Association 
of University Women (AAUW) is open 
to women and men university or college 
graduates, as well as to those holding an 
Associate of Arts degree or its equivalent. 
For more information, please call Tamara 
Kato at (626) 375-6756 or Patricia Dietrich 
at (626) 446-8437.

SPRING 

HAS SPRUNG!

Flowers are blooming, bees 
are buzzing and birds are 
singing! Join us on Saturday, 
March 19 at 2:30 p.m. for 
stories, crafts and more in 
honor of this beautiful time 
of year. Children of all ages 
welcome. No registration is 
needed and Library programs 
are always free.

The Arcadia Public Library 
is located at 20 W. Duarte 
Rd. Arcadia. For more 
information, please call (626) 
821-5566.

Arcadia Police Blotter

For the period of Sunday, February 13, through Saturday, February 
19, the Police Department responded to 906 calls for service of which 
122 required formal investigations. The following is a summary report 
of the major incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, February 13:

Around 12:41 a.m., an automated license plate reader alerted officers 
to an unoccupied vehicle with a felony warrant attached to it. 
About a half-hour later, a male subject entered the vehicle and left 
the area. Officers conducted a traffic stop at Live Oak and Sixth, 
and a 53-year-old male Caucasian was arrested for a $100,000 felony 
warrant.

2. Around 2:43 a.m., units responded to the 500 block of Cornell 
in reference to a domestic disturbance. During an argument, the 
suspect hit her husband in the head with a television remote, causing 
a laceration above his eye. A 23-year-old female Hispanic was 
arrested for inflicting corporal injury to spouse.

Monday, February 14:

3. Between 5:00 p.m. on February 12 and 8:00 a.m. on February 14, a 
commercial burglary occurred in the 1700 block of Oakwood. Unknown 
suspects entered a house that is under construction through 
a secured window. The suspects accessed various rooms and stole 
tools and construction equipment totaling almost $4,200.

4. A grand theft auto occurred between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. 
in the 100 block of East Foothill. Unknown suspect(s) stole a 2005 
Chevy Van with the Edible Arrangement graphics on the vehicle.

Tuesday, February 15:

5. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., units responded to Banana Republic, 
located at Westfield Mall, in reference to a commercial burglary 
that occurred around 12:17 p.m. A sales associate discovered four 
leather jackets worth around $1,300 were missing. A review of their 
surveillance video revealed that a male suspect hid the jackets in a 
shopping bag and left the store.

6. A residential burglary occurred in the 1000 block of Arcadia between 
11:30 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. Unknown suspect(s) pried open 
the front door to gain entrance into the house. Once inside, the 
suspect(s) ransacked rooms and stole a $3,000 watch.

Wednesday, February 16:

7. Between 5:15 p.m. on February 15 and 7:15 a.m. on February 16, 
a commercial burglary occurred at a business in the 500 block of 
North First. Unknown suspect(s) forced open the front door and 
removed computer equipment and miscellaneous property worth 
over $5,600.

8. Shortly before 4:00 p.m., a woman brought a grenade that belonged 
to her father to the police station for disposal. The WWI 
hand grenade was examined and determined to be live. The police 
parking lot was cordoned off and the LASO Bomb Squad was called 
to the scene. The bomb technicians advised that it was unsafe to 
transport the grenade due to its age and condition, so a hole was dug 
in the lawn and the grenade was detonated to render it safe.

Thursday, February 17:

9. Units responded to the 1000 block of Volante in reference to a 
grand theft that occurred between January 16 and February 14. The 
victim discovered two rings, worth about $10,500, were missing 
from her bedroom. She believes that a 25-year-old male African-
American caretaker had taken the rings.

10. Our YES officer responded to First Avenue Middle School, 301 
South First, around 11:00 a.m. in regards to a narcotics investigation. 
Several students advised that a fellow student was selling marijuana 
and Ecstasy pills. A 12-year-old male Filipino was arrested for 
the sale of a controlled substance, and he was later cited and released 
to his father.

Friday, February 18:

11. Around 2:00 a.m., a traffic stop was conducted at Myrtle and 
Live Oak because the driver failed to stop at the limit line for a red 
light. A 24-year-old male Hispanic driver was contacted and it was 
determined that he was operating the vehicle while under the influence 
of an alcoholic beverage. He was arrested at the scene without 
incident.

12. A vehicle was stolen from a repo company located in the 5400 
block of North Peck around 6:34 p.m. The vehicle had a GPS tracking 
system and the car was later recovered in the 900 block of Leorita 
in Baldwin Park.

Saturday, February 19:

13. Four businesses located in the 100 block, 200 block, 500 block, 
and 700 block of South First Avenue were burglarized between 5:00 
p.m. on February 18 and 10:10 a.m. on February 19. 

14. Units were dispatched to Residence Inn, 321 East Huntington, 
around 5:05 p.m. in reference to a grand theft report. After a 
20-year-old female Caucasian guest checked out of her room, it was 
discovered that a 42” flatscreen television, worth about $1,500, was 
missing.

CELEBRATE 
READ ACROSS 
AMERICA!

“You’re never too old, too 
wacky, too wild, to pick up 
a book and read to a child” 
What better way to celebrate 
Dr. Seuss’s birthday than to 
come to the Arcadia Public 
Library on Wednesday March 
2 at 10: 30 a.m. and listen to 
several Arcadia Firefighters 
read aloud to you! Afterwards, 
you’ll get a chance to check 
out one of the fire trucks!

For more information, 
please call (626) 821-5566 
or visit the Library’s website 
at http://library.ci.arcadia.
ca.us. You can also follow us 
on Facebook and Twitter. 
The Arcadia Public Library 
is located at 20 W. Duarte Rd. 
Arcadia.

Free Kaleidoscope Concert 

“Bending Toward the Sun” 

The Classical Kaleidoscope Concert series 
will present its third concert of the season on 
Wednesday, March 2 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 
p.m. in the Cay Mortenson Auditorium at the 
Arcadia Public Library. This special program will 
feature guest author and speaker Leslie Gilbert-
Lurie. The Quartet for the End of Time, composed 
by Olivier Messiaen while he was imprisoned in 
a Nazi concentration camp will be performed 
by Michele Zukovsy, clarinet; Paul Stein, violin; 
Masim Velichkin, cello; and Kevin Fitz-Gerald, 
piano.

The remarkable book “Bending Toward the 
Sun” by Leslie Gilbert-Lurie is about her mother’s 
shattering experience while hiding from the 
Nazis. It is about the profound love between the 
mother, daughter and granddaughter and the 
psychological shadow that shaped their lives. 

Following the classical concert, special guest 
author Leslie Gilbert-Lurie will sign her book 
“Bending Toward the Sun” available for purchase 
at the time of the event. 

You are also cordially invited to meet and speak 
with the musicians. Coffee, provided courtesy of 
Starbucks, and light refreshments will be served. 
Funded by the Arcadia Public Library Foundation, 
the concert is free and no reservations are necessary. 
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Seating is limited, so please 
come early. 

Recreation and Community Services Department 

Guitar Lessons Available!


It’s not too late to sign up for the 
winter session of guitar lessons for 
youth and adults 12 years and above. 
Instructor Tim Fischer, M.F.A., a 
graduate from the California Institute 
of the Arts teaches three levels of guitar. 
Level A teaches all open position 
chords, reading music and tablature 
and learning a repertoire of songs. 
Level B is a continuation of Level A 
teaching the bar chords, strumming 
patterns and learning finger picking 
techniques. Level C teaches fretboard 
theory, scales and modes, blues, improvisation, 
and working on repertoire. 
Guitar classes begin Monday, 
February 28th, $40 for five weeks plus 
a $20 materials fee paid to the instructor 
at the first class meeting. 

For more information, contact the 
Recreation and Community Services 
Department at 626.574.5113. 

CITY OF ARCADIA SENIOR SERVICES 
NOMINATIONS FOR 2011 SENIOR 
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR!

Applications are available at the Arcadia Community Center front desk for 
nominations for the 2011 Senior Citizen of the Year! Do you know someone 
who is: caring and at least 55 years of age; an Arcadia resident; actively 
involved in volunteer work; invaluable to your organization and deserving of 
recognition? If so, then nominate that special person for the 2011 Arcadia 
Senior Citizen of the Year Award. Recipient of the award will be honored at 
the Arcadia Rotary Club’s Salute to Seniors luncheon on Tuesday, May 10th. 
Nominations must be submitted by Friday, March 11, 2011 to the Arcadia 
Community Center, 365 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91066-6021. For more 
information, please call 626.574.5130.

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