Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 28, 2015

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 28, 2015 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis


“Sierra Madre was the starting point for many 
expeditions into the San Gabriel Mountains 
during the “great hiking era,” which began 
in the 1880’s and continued until the Great 
Depression. From a former pack station that 
also functioned as a speak-easy and gambling 
house, this charming mountain community is 
still a great place to walk.”

Charles Fleming – Los Angeles Times

My favorite breakfast companion, John, 
and I were sitting out on our front terrace (I 
know, that’s so pretentious, but it makes me 
feel so much more elegant than ‘front porch’) 
enjoying pumpkin pancakes (best pumpkin 
pancake mix ever is Archer Farms at Target), 
an egg over easy, coffee and the papers. I never 
miss the Saturday section of the Times as I’m 
ridiculously fond of Chris Erskine’s column, 
the food and restaurant pieces, what’s new in 
exercise I couldn’t possibly do, and the “love 
gone wrong” story on the back. 

 Imagine my delight on October 24th to 
find this nifty little piece on a walk through 
Sierra Madre. There was even a map showing 
you exactly where to go to see everything on your 
2.1 mile, one to one and a half hour hike. Mr. 
Fleming has us starting our walk at Lizzie’s Trail 
Inn. Lizzie was quite a gal! Born in Russia near 
Kiev, her parents died within months of her birth. 
She was adopted by a family with nine children and 
on discovering she was adopted at age 18, ran off 
to Kiev, connected with an aunt and immigrated 
to Cincinnati, Ohio with her new family in 1909. 
Married, relocated to Los Angeles in 1911, produced 
two sons and was the landlady at a rooming house 
on Temple. Fluent in nine languages, she worked 
as an interpreter at Los Angeles County Hospital. 
Her first husband, 35 years her senior, passed away. 
One of the rooming house residents became her 
second husband and Lizzie bought the Trail Inn on 
her birthday in 1925. Lizzie was, apparently, quite 
a cook, known far and wide for her fried chicken 
and ravioli dinners. She also, apparently, thought 
Prohibition was a bad idea as her husband’s name 
appeared on search warrants and he pled guilty for 
illegal manufacturing of alcohol at the Trail Inn 
and Richardson House next door. There was also 
talk of hanky panky in the three cabins above the 
inn. Lizzie was a congenial gal with lots of friends. 
If you were the only one in town who could make a 
decent martini, of course you had friends!

 From Lizzie’s Inn, one can contemplate the 
Mt. Wilson Trail “which from 1864 to about 
1905 was the access route, both to the top of Mt. 
Wilson and to the recreation camps and resorts. 
Thousands would hike up the trails each weekend 
and you had to either hire a pack train to haul 
your supplies, or carry them yourself. The pack 
trains of mules, burros and horses hauled the 
supplies, food, water, tents, pianos, telephone 
poles and even the materials for Mt. Wilson’s first 
13” telescope. At the turn of the century, the Mt. 
Wilson pack station served up to 160 animals and 
was located at the site of the present water tank.” 
* The former pack station is now a museum open 
10-noon Saturdays only. Lots of great memorabilia 
in there.

 It’s about a mile and a half up to First Water on 
the Trail and word has it that you can even hear 
water down there in the stream bed for the first 
time in a while. That’s a nice hike, steep in some 
places, but the peaceful beauty when you get there 
is well worth it. I am taking my pumpkin pancake 
connoisseur and Mt. Wilson Trail hiker, John’s, 
word for this as he does it and I don’t.

 A number of years ago, John convinced the 
family who were at that time, about 14, 8, 6 and a 
baby in a back pack, that it would be fun to hike 
down the Mt. Wilson Trail, a distance of about 8 
miles. Not knowing any better, we all agreed to 
this. The baby had a great time jouncing along on 
her Daddy’s back, the younger two had a great time 
running back and forth up and down the Trail, the 
14 year old and I eventually reached the point where 
we begged to be left to die. The kindest thing John 
ever did for me was to lend me his socks as my feet 
were so blistered that I could barely walk. He and 
that 14 year old, who is somewhat older now, still 
hike to First Water together from time to time. 

 Walk this nice circuit through the canyon, past 
Mary’s Market, some time soon. Hope you know 
someone who loves you enough to give you their 
socks!

 *Thanks to the Sierra Madre Historical 
Preservation Society for their quoted material. 

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” is 
available there…

 Christmas is coming! You’ll need gifts!


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com