Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 30, 2016

Mountain View News Saturday, July 30, 2016 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side

by Deanne Davis 


“History is not a burden on the memory, but anillumination of the soul.” Lord Acton 

And who exactly is Lord Acton? He was one ofthe great personalities of the nineteenth century,
considered to be one of the most learned Englishmenof his time, described as “the magistrate of history.”
He made the history of liberty his life’s work andwas the dude who said, “Power tends to corrupt andabsolute power corrupts absolutely.”

The plaque pictured here is on the side of a stonepillar in front of the Church of the Ascension onBaldwin. While walking Sierra Madre on a constantbasis, my charming and ever cooperative walkingcompanion, John, and I have walked past the Churchof the Ascension about a million times. It’s our usual 
place to vote, daughter, Crissy, did Kindergartenthere, we’ve been to several events there but only thisweek saw this nifty brass plaque. It tells us that Ernest

A. Coxhead was the architect, the church was built in 
1888 and it is, indeed, an Historical Landmark. There 
are a bunch of these around town, including a housejust down the street from us which was one of theearliest homes in Sierra Madre, predating ours. Ourhome, btw, was built in 1916 and we actually met alady who lived here as a young child and told us greatstories about hanging her little brother out a secondstory window and shooting their .22’s down in thebasement. Good times! 
Thinking about historical landmarks, I did a bit ofresearch... thank you, Google... and discovered thatthere are over a thousand historical landmarks in Los 
Angeles County alone. Including the following:

#1041 – Site of the Childhood Home of the Beach 
Boys – It was here that Brian, Dennis and Carl 
Wilson developed their unique musical skills. Alsohere during Labor Day weekend 1961 they, alongwith cousin, Mike Love, and buddy, Al Jardine,
recorded ‘Surfin’ ”. In case you’ve always wanted tosee where those guys grew up, it’s at 3701 W. 119th St.,
Hawthorne. 

#993 Watts Towers of Simon Rodia – These towers 
are probably the best known work of folk art sculptureanywhere. Using hand tools and cast off materials 

(glass, shell, pottery pieces and broken tile) Italianimmigrant Simon Rodia spent 30 years building atribute to his adopted country and a monument to thespirit of individuals who make their dreams tangible.
If you’ve never seen these, they’re at 1765 E. 107th St.,
Los Angeles.

#990 Christmas Tree Lane – We’ve all been there 
but did you know this: the 135 Deodar Cedar treeswere planted in 1885 by the Woodbury Family,
founders of Altadena. First organized by F.C. Nashin 1920, the Mile of Christmas Trees has been strungwith 10,000 lights each holiday season through theefforts of volunteers and the Christmas Tree Lane 
Association. It is the oldest large-scale Christmaslighting spectacle in Southern California. Santa RosaAve. both sides of the street from Woodbury Ave. ToAltadena Dr. in Altadena. So when you go there thisChristmas, you can dazzle all the people in your carwith this great trivia!

We have more great historical landmarks right herein town, for instance, Lizzie’s Trail Inn/HistoricalMuseum at the foot of the Mt. Wilson Trail, which 
was once a provisioning station for the pack mules,
with a still conveniently located in the northwestroom. Then there’s Charley’s Cabin, home of CharlesChantry, who came west seeking gold, arrived inSierra Madre around 1905 and rented burros to 
children visiting Carter’s Camp. It’s right whereWoodland Drive meets Sturtevant in the Canyon.

We actually have 48 properties listed as 
Designated Historical Properties, including PioneerCemetery, the old North Church of Sierra MadreCongregational Church which was built in 1890,
the E. Waldo Ward Ranch and Home, built in 1903, 
Ascension Church, of course and if you wanderaround town, you’ll see markers in the most unlikelyplaces. Next time you’re out Walking Sierra Madre,
see how many you can spot. We’re a pretty historicalbunch, just ask the Historical Preservation Society!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” isavailable there… 
An excellent graduation gift, by the way! 

SIERRA MADRE PUBLIC BLOTTER 


During this time period, the Sierra Madre Police 
Department responded to approximately 182 
daytime calls for service. 

Monday, July 18Officers responded to the SMPD lobby at 1:45 p.m. 
in regards to a possible grand theft report. The 
victim stated she met an individual on an on line 
dating service in June and started a relationship 
with him. In the months of June and July, the 
victim deposited large sums of money to several 
accounts using different names other than the 
name of the individual she met on line. The victim 
was unsuccessful in locating the suspect after she 
started checking the last known address and cell 
numbers of the suspect prior to notifying the police.
Case forwarded to Detectives 

Tuesday, July 19 

At around 8:30 a.m. officers were dispatched to a 
report of a non-injury traffic accident at Baldwin 
Ave. and Montecito Ave. Based on all statements 
given by the drivers, it was determined that the 
driver attempting to park his car was at fault. 
Information was exchanged by both drivers and 
no injuries reported. 

Friday, July 22Officers responded to the station lobby at 5:40 p.m.
regarding a false impersonation report. The victimstated her ex-boyfriend had personal pictures of her andthreatened to use them to ruin her life and humiliate 
her. Later that day, the victim became aware of picturesof her in social media created by her ex-boyfriend. On7/23/16 after a conversation with her ex-boyfriend,
he agreed to take down the social media page.
Case forwarded to Detectives for further 
investigation. 

Rare Book Displayed at Sierra Madre Public Library 


Exquisite wood blocks and a stunning hand-
printed book, Early California with block prints in 
color by the late Sierra Madre artist and resident 
Marvin (Elmer) Weese, are on display in August 
at the Sierra Madre Public Library.

Weese was a master of wood print art. He lived 
in Sierra Madre for 38 years. As an active member 
in the community, he ran the Sierra Madre City 
Hall Art Gallery and had artistic ties to noted 
local artist Alfred Dewey. 

In the late 1930’s Weese combined his passions 
of early California history, southwestern Native 
American culture, wood block printing and 
photography into one project. Weese cut out 160 
blocks in linoleum on wood and used 200 colors to 
create block prints illustrating early Sierra Madre 
and California history. Each illustration required 
the creation of five wood blocks. Beauty, detail 
and expertise shine in each of the 38 wood block 
prints that make up his handmade masterpiece.

The block print illustrations of his book are 

made from a process involving the creation of 
watercolor sketches, block cut-outs and hand-
printing – a project that took Weese 15 years to 
complete. The artist’s book, and a portfolio of 
prints from it, are part of Sierra Madre Library’s 
rare book collection. 

The collection includes rare editions and 
signed copies of books with special Sierra Madre, 
San Gabriel Valley and California interests. The 
archive is jointly owned by the Sierra Madre 
Public Library and the Sierra Madre Historical 
Preservation Society. It includes historical Sierra 
Madre documents, photographs (prints and 
negatives), slides, maps, sound recordings, oral 
histories, moving images, scrapbooks, ledgers, 
news clippings, books, works of art and ephemera.

The public is welcome to make appointments 
to view other rare books and to use the local 
history archives. Please contact Michelle An at 
the Library at: 626- 355-7186, or by email: Man@
cityofsierramadre.com. 

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