A big rig trying to negotiate the S-curve at the summit on Carbon Canyon Road near Summit Ranch and Carriage Hills on the Chino Hills side of the canyon got stuck and caused the road to be partially
closed for a half hour.
The closure was a half-hour ago, at 8:30, and a message has just come in that the road is now clear at 9:00.
As has been mentioned here before and elsewhere, there are too many large trucks ignoring the many advisory signs warning against vehicles longer than 50 feet negotiating that curve.
Some that do try it wind up swinging into opposing lanes to make the curve, risking accidents. Others, like this one, get stuck, causing more inconvenience.
There is a traffic study in phase two underway and there has been an occasional police presence in the form of writing tickets for crossing the double yellow centerline. We'll see what the study and future discussion yield.
31 January 2018
25 January 2018
More Smashes on the Carbon Canyon Road Hit Parade
A post earlier this month highlighted a Chino Hills Champion article reporting on a rash of accidents on Carbon Canyon Road in just the first two weeks of the new year.
The trend has continued with another spate of incidents in the last several days. This includes further damage to signs and other objects on the S-curve on the Chino Hills side, this being one of the most commonly affected areas, along with some of the stretch of highway near the old La Vida Mineral Springs resort site on the Brea portion.
There is, in particular, a sign advising motorists to take the tightest of the several curves between the Carriage Hills and Summit Ranch subdivisions which has been mowed down many times over the years.
It happened again, probably late last Friday night, with the accompanying photo showing not just the remnants of the sign, but also the continued repositioning of the yellow metal bollards that used to be vertical and placed in front of the power pole for its protection. Not only has one of the bollards been horizontal for many months now, but they keep getting hit and pushed further back around the pole and towards the fence behind it. At this rate, the pole is going to get more damaged.
The sign, though conspicuously bent and dented, is back up with two small reflectors placed on the post--evidently as a warning of sorts to drivers, who may not otherwise see the 10-foot tall yellow sign as illuminated by their headlights.
A little to the west of that location at the summit curve is the wreckage left from a recent accident in which a vehicle went over the side, plowing down a sign and part of an old barbed wire fence. This apparently is where the recent DUI incident took place.
On the Brea side, CalTrans District 12 was out this week repairing a chain link fence that was flattened in an accident that took place some months ago.
Meantime, there have been some other crashes that didn't leave that kind of obvious visual evidence, including one yesterday afternoon that involved an overturned car here in Sleepy Hollow.
The Champion article reported on the continuing study being conducted on the state highway, as well as discussions between Chino Hills and Brea and with the California Highway Patrol. Ultimately, while more signage, different or enhanced striping, reflectors, and other elements will be suggested, there is only one way to mitigate speeding, large trucks swinging into opposing lanes or chewing up the shoulder, chemically impaired driving and other forms of wayward navigation of Carbon Canyon Road. That would be somewhat consistent patrolling.
The trend has continued with another spate of incidents in the last several days. This includes further damage to signs and other objects on the S-curve on the Chino Hills side, this being one of the most commonly affected areas, along with some of the stretch of highway near the old La Vida Mineral Springs resort site on the Brea portion.
There is, in particular, a sign advising motorists to take the tightest of the several curves between the Carriage Hills and Summit Ranch subdivisions which has been mowed down many times over the years.
It happened again, probably late last Friday night, with the accompanying photo showing not just the remnants of the sign, but also the continued repositioning of the yellow metal bollards that used to be vertical and placed in front of the power pole for its protection. Not only has one of the bollards been horizontal for many months now, but they keep getting hit and pushed further back around the pole and towards the fence behind it. At this rate, the pole is going to get more damaged.
The sign, though conspicuously bent and dented, is back up with two small reflectors placed on the post--evidently as a warning of sorts to drivers, who may not otherwise see the 10-foot tall yellow sign as illuminated by their headlights.
A little to the west of that location at the summit curve is the wreckage left from a recent accident in which a vehicle went over the side, plowing down a sign and part of an old barbed wire fence. This apparently is where the recent DUI incident took place.
On the Brea side, CalTrans District 12 was out this week repairing a chain link fence that was flattened in an accident that took place some months ago.
Meantime, there have been some other crashes that didn't leave that kind of obvious visual evidence, including one yesterday afternoon that involved an overturned car here in Sleepy Hollow.
The Champion article reported on the continuing study being conducted on the state highway, as well as discussions between Chino Hills and Brea and with the California Highway Patrol. Ultimately, while more signage, different or enhanced striping, reflectors, and other elements will be suggested, there is only one way to mitigate speeding, large trucks swinging into opposing lanes or chewing up the shoulder, chemically impaired driving and other forms of wayward navigation of Carbon Canyon Road. That would be somewhat consistent patrolling.
20 January 2018
The Gaines and Brown Families of Carbon Canyon, Part 8: Olinda Oil Field Photos, 1909
Here are another pair of interesting photos, courtesy of Joyce Harrington, showing members of her family, Argus, Maggie and Earl Brown, at the Olinda oil field in 1909.
Argus, a native of Missouri who also lived in Iowa during his younger years, and Maggie (nee McLeish), also from Missouri but who spent some of her early years in Ohio, married in Worth County, in the northwestern corner of Missouri on the Iowa border, in 1886. They remained there (the county today only has about 2,000 people) until after 1900 when they relocated to California and came to Orange County.
Their daughter Nora, born with her twin brother Ora in January 1898, recorded some of her memories of Olinda many years later and recalled that her family moved there in September 1907 and noted that her father built many of wooden derricks for the oil wells on several leases in the field.
At the time these photos were taken, in 1909 and thereabouts, he was working as a carpenter, the profession listed for him in the 1910 census. However, Nora noted that he later worked as a pumper on the Santa Fe lease, where the Olinda Ranch subdivision is today. Her recollections will be the subject of a post in the future, so check back for that.
Meantime, these images provide a notable look at oil well sites at Olinda over a century ago, especially as we are seeing the last of these remnants of once thriving industry gradually being removed and replaced with the usual trappings of suburbia in the form of houses, shopping centers, parks and schools.
The first photo show Maggie and Argus Brown standing in front of a rough wood structure that might have been a shop for carpentry, ironworking and other vital components of oil field work. At the lower right are about a dozen pipes and other material. A very simple ladder is behind Maggie. The overall appearance is a reminder that wells came and went and associated buildings were not, clearly, designed to last.
The second image is a great one of a trio of young men at a rig and is also notable because someone actually took the time to write information about it. So, we know the view was taken by a Mr. Griffy and it was done on 25 August 1909 at oil well #58, perhaps at the Santa Fe lease though this was not stated.
Captioned "3 of a Kind," the photo shows Earl Brown, son of Argus and Maggie, at the right with his name conveniently written where he stood. He was then about 19 years old and his occupation in the census showed him as a tool dresser, who worked to keep drill bits sharp and engaged in other tasks to make sure the material used on the rig were functioning property. The dresser worked closely with the drillers, which is why the caption was written as it was. At the left is Charles Nevin and in the center Charles Dale, both drillers in the census.
Nevin and Dale were older, more experienced oil field workers. The former was 32 and from Pennsylvania, where America's oil industry started in 1859. He, his wife Frances, also from Pennsylvania, and their son and two daughters (ages 8 months to 8 years), were among the many families that rented company-owned houses on the lease. Dale was a 28 year old native of Illinois, and his Kansas-born wife Lulu and their three sons (ranging from 9 months to 5 years) lived on Santa Fe Avenue on the lease of that name.
Working on the rig was noisy, dirty and physically demanding work and the "3 of a Kind" photo definitely reflects the blue collar labor that kept the oil industry humming during the boom years of the first few decades of the 20th century at Olinda, one of the earliest major fields in greater Los Angeles.
Argus, a native of Missouri who also lived in Iowa during his younger years, and Maggie (nee McLeish), also from Missouri but who spent some of her early years in Ohio, married in Worth County, in the northwestern corner of Missouri on the Iowa border, in 1886. They remained there (the county today only has about 2,000 people) until after 1900 when they relocated to California and came to Orange County.
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| Maggie and Argus Brown at the Olinda oil field, ca. 1909. This and the other photo are courtesy of Brown descendant, Joyce Harrington. Click on any image to see them in enlarged views in a separate window. |
At the time these photos were taken, in 1909 and thereabouts, he was working as a carpenter, the profession listed for him in the 1910 census. However, Nora noted that he later worked as a pumper on the Santa Fe lease, where the Olinda Ranch subdivision is today. Her recollections will be the subject of a post in the future, so check back for that.
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| Earl Brown, son of Argus and Maggie, at the right, who worked as a tool dresser with drillers Charles Nevin, left, and Charles Dale, right, on well #58, probably at the Santa Fe lease (today's Olinda Ranch subdivision), 25 August 1909. |
The first photo show Maggie and Argus Brown standing in front of a rough wood structure that might have been a shop for carpentry, ironworking and other vital components of oil field work. At the lower right are about a dozen pipes and other material. A very simple ladder is behind Maggie. The overall appearance is a reminder that wells came and went and associated buildings were not, clearly, designed to last.
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| The Brown family, at the bottom, as enumerated in the 1910 federal census at Olinda. |
Captioned "3 of a Kind," the photo shows Earl Brown, son of Argus and Maggie, at the right with his name conveniently written where he stood. He was then about 19 years old and his occupation in the census showed him as a tool dresser, who worked to keep drill bits sharp and engaged in other tasks to make sure the material used on the rig were functioning property. The dresser worked closely with the drillers, which is why the caption was written as it was. At the left is Charles Nevin and in the center Charles Dale, both drillers in the census.
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| Charles Nevin and his family listed in the census. |
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| Charles Dale (his family were on the next sheet) from the census. |
15 January 2018
Madrona Request for State Supreme Court Review Denied
This just doesn't happen very often, but the proposed Madrona housing project, which would have brought 162 houses to the north side of Carbon Canyon between Olinda Village and Sleepy Hollow, is now officially revoked.
Old Standard Life Insurance Company, through its conservator in bankruptcy, the State of Idaho, sought a review by the California Supreme Court of the superior court ruling denying the project and the state appeals court order upholding the lower court decision.
The high court, however, denied that request on Friday. Now the Superior Court in Orange County will revoke all the approvals given by the City of Brea in June 2014.
Given the ease with which housing projects are routinely approved and upheld in court, this is a signal milestone. Hills for Everyone, along with other partners, has shepherded this process through, at great financial cost and the time of dedicated volunteers and legal staff.
The Superior Court victory was secured in November 2015, followed by a win at the Appellate Court last October. Friday's denial by the Supreme Court capped a 17-year effort by HFE and many others to fight this egregious project.
For more on this momentous victory, check out this HFE page.
Old Standard Life Insurance Company, through its conservator in bankruptcy, the State of Idaho, sought a review by the California Supreme Court of the superior court ruling denying the project and the state appeals court order upholding the lower court decision.
The high court, however, denied that request on Friday. Now the Superior Court in Orange County will revoke all the approvals given by the City of Brea in June 2014.
Given the ease with which housing projects are routinely approved and upheld in court, this is a signal milestone. Hills for Everyone, along with other partners, has shepherded this process through, at great financial cost and the time of dedicated volunteers and legal staff.
The Superior Court victory was secured in November 2015, followed by a win at the Appellate Court last October. Friday's denial by the Supreme Court capped a 17-year effort by HFE and many others to fight this egregious project.
For more on this momentous victory, check out this HFE page.
13 January 2018
Seven Carbon Canyon Road Accidents in the New Year
It's front page news in this week's Champion, as staff reporter Marianne Napoles wrote that there have been seven (reported) accidents in just two weeks along Carbon Canyon Road, most attributed to unsafe driving.
Whereas it was posted here that there were two accidents within a few hours last Monday, the article stated that there was a third. Napoles observed that the worst of those, noted here and which involved a driver who went off the road near the S-curve and summit on the Chino Hills side and was booked for DUI, was in the same location as a 9 December crash (and there have been others over the years).
It was also noted by local residents that the spot, just west of Carriage Hills Drive, is where 8 of 28 hours would be situated if the Stonefield project, approved by the City of Chino Hills several years ago, was to be built. Presumably, guardrails and other protective elements would be put in place if that development (the site is up for sale) was to be built.
One of those residents, who lives in the Carriage Hills subdivision, was quoted as saying, "Carbon Canyon Road is an on-going mess in any weather," referring to the fact that, while some of the recent accidents took place in rainy conditions, dangerous driving is a regular occurrence, a point made (too) often on this blog. The resident cited growing frustration with deteriorating conditions on the state highway.
With regard to those conditions, the article pointed out that the City of Chino Hills will be considering whether to approve an agreement for a second phase of a study underway about what to do with Carbon Canyon Road with respect to traffic volum and flow, the use of the highway by large trucks, and safety.
The first phase was discussed here last year when it was presented to the city council. The article also stated that a cost-sharing agreement with the City of Brea will be discussed at that meeting next month. If approved, the new phase of the study is anticipated to take about six months to be completed.
Mention was also made of efforts since the fall to address growing traffic, including truck traffic. A recent post here recounted an encounter I had with a long, flatbed truck that had to clip a shoulder berm and go fully into the opposing lane to maneuver through the sharp S-curve. This has happened a number of times in recent years.
Undoubtedly, the growing use of phone apps like Waze, which don't provide information about the road's structure just its volume, has accounted for much of the sharp rise in traffic on the road, which noticeably changed in 2013.
A study completed last spring noted that, between 2010 and 2015, there were 92 accidents (again, these were the reported ones) leading to over 150 injuries and three fatalities. About 2/3 of these were on the Brea side with improper turning and unsafe speed cited as the biggest factors.
With regard to those seven incidents, a list was provided of the incidents, occurring between the 1st and the 10th. Four were determined to involve speeding, with two of them specifically denoted as "speed for conditions," that is, for the rainy conditions. It appears that some people maybe thought it would never rain again after the phenomenally dry conditions up to the end of 2017!
Another cause was someone drifting over the double yellow centerlines. It is remarkable, though, how many drivers think making turns across double yellows, especially at the corner gas station or convenience store is perfectly fine.
The last three reported accidents did not include assigned causes, though one was the DUI. Another, witnessed by my wife, involved a truck skidding across lanes on the last eastbound curve near Old Carbon Canyon Road and might be assigned a "speed for conditions" cause, though, again, that was not stated in the article.
One other detail: descriptions of some of these accidents include the phrase "due to the wet road." This is a commonplace description when crashes occur during rainy weather.
Obviously, an inanimate object cannot cause crashes, unless there is a failure in its structure, such as a loss of pavement through a cave-in, a sinkhole, and so on. When the descriptions provided by law enforcement also say "speed for conditions," that's exactly what the problem often is. Drivers who are accustomed to being able to drive faster and more recklessly than they should during dry conditions (and even those who don't) often don't adjust their driving for inclement weather.
Clearly, some accidents are just that. A split second decision made doesn't necessarily imply recklessness and unlawful conduct, but a good many of the ones reported in those nine days appear to have involved those behaviors.
Studies are understandably needed and some remedies, like signs, grooved centerlines, more reflectors, and so on, are likely to come out of these. The truth is, though, most drivers who speed and are reckless through the Canyon don't care about signs (which are often mowed down), reflectors and other measures. They're driving the way they do because there's no one to prevent them.
Patrols and enforcement have been sporadic and spotty and virutally never happen in the evenings or on weekends, when, by far, most of the worst incidents have occurred. Invariably, cost and staffing priorities are cited as why the presence of law enforcement is low. Seven accidents in nine days seems, even by the jaded standards of Carbon Canyon Road, excessive.
Nothing will affect drivers' behaviors more than when they see a patrol car. It doesn't have to be, as a city official once expressed it to no purpose, 24/7. It just needs to be occasional and consistent enough so that it becomes known that there is a good likelihood that regular enforcement takes place.
Otherwise, the speeding and reckless driving, and the big trucks crossing lanes to navigate the curves will continue, no matter how many studies are conducted, meetings held, and articles about crashes published.
Whereas it was posted here that there were two accidents within a few hours last Monday, the article stated that there was a third. Napoles observed that the worst of those, noted here and which involved a driver who went off the road near the S-curve and summit on the Chino Hills side and was booked for DUI, was in the same location as a 9 December crash (and there have been others over the years).
It was also noted by local residents that the spot, just west of Carriage Hills Drive, is where 8 of 28 hours would be situated if the Stonefield project, approved by the City of Chino Hills several years ago, was to be built. Presumably, guardrails and other protective elements would be put in place if that development (the site is up for sale) was to be built.
One of those residents, who lives in the Carriage Hills subdivision, was quoted as saying, "Carbon Canyon Road is an on-going mess in any weather," referring to the fact that, while some of the recent accidents took place in rainy conditions, dangerous driving is a regular occurrence, a point made (too) often on this blog. The resident cited growing frustration with deteriorating conditions on the state highway.
With regard to those conditions, the article pointed out that the City of Chino Hills will be considering whether to approve an agreement for a second phase of a study underway about what to do with Carbon Canyon Road with respect to traffic volum and flow, the use of the highway by large trucks, and safety.
The first phase was discussed here last year when it was presented to the city council. The article also stated that a cost-sharing agreement with the City of Brea will be discussed at that meeting next month. If approved, the new phase of the study is anticipated to take about six months to be completed.
Mention was also made of efforts since the fall to address growing traffic, including truck traffic. A recent post here recounted an encounter I had with a long, flatbed truck that had to clip a shoulder berm and go fully into the opposing lane to maneuver through the sharp S-curve. This has happened a number of times in recent years.
Undoubtedly, the growing use of phone apps like Waze, which don't provide information about the road's structure just its volume, has accounted for much of the sharp rise in traffic on the road, which noticeably changed in 2013.
A study completed last spring noted that, between 2010 and 2015, there were 92 accidents (again, these were the reported ones) leading to over 150 injuries and three fatalities. About 2/3 of these were on the Brea side with improper turning and unsafe speed cited as the biggest factors.
With regard to those seven incidents, a list was provided of the incidents, occurring between the 1st and the 10th. Four were determined to involve speeding, with two of them specifically denoted as "speed for conditions," that is, for the rainy conditions. It appears that some people maybe thought it would never rain again after the phenomenally dry conditions up to the end of 2017!
Another cause was someone drifting over the double yellow centerlines. It is remarkable, though, how many drivers think making turns across double yellows, especially at the corner gas station or convenience store is perfectly fine.
The last three reported accidents did not include assigned causes, though one was the DUI. Another, witnessed by my wife, involved a truck skidding across lanes on the last eastbound curve near Old Carbon Canyon Road and might be assigned a "speed for conditions" cause, though, again, that was not stated in the article.
One other detail: descriptions of some of these accidents include the phrase "due to the wet road." This is a commonplace description when crashes occur during rainy weather.
Obviously, an inanimate object cannot cause crashes, unless there is a failure in its structure, such as a loss of pavement through a cave-in, a sinkhole, and so on. When the descriptions provided by law enforcement also say "speed for conditions," that's exactly what the problem often is. Drivers who are accustomed to being able to drive faster and more recklessly than they should during dry conditions (and even those who don't) often don't adjust their driving for inclement weather.
Clearly, some accidents are just that. A split second decision made doesn't necessarily imply recklessness and unlawful conduct, but a good many of the ones reported in those nine days appear to have involved those behaviors.
Studies are understandably needed and some remedies, like signs, grooved centerlines, more reflectors, and so on, are likely to come out of these. The truth is, though, most drivers who speed and are reckless through the Canyon don't care about signs (which are often mowed down), reflectors and other measures. They're driving the way they do because there's no one to prevent them.
Patrols and enforcement have been sporadic and spotty and virutally never happen in the evenings or on weekends, when, by far, most of the worst incidents have occurred. Invariably, cost and staffing priorities are cited as why the presence of law enforcement is low. Seven accidents in nine days seems, even by the jaded standards of Carbon Canyon Road, excessive.
Nothing will affect drivers' behaviors more than when they see a patrol car. It doesn't have to be, as a city official once expressed it to no purpose, 24/7. It just needs to be occasional and consistent enough so that it becomes known that there is a good likelihood that regular enforcement takes place.
Otherwise, the speeding and reckless driving, and the big trucks crossing lanes to navigate the curves will continue, no matter how many studies are conducted, meetings held, and articles about crashes published.
"History of the Hills" Column in the "Champion"
I'm honored and privileged to have been asked to contribute a monthly column called "History of the Hills" in the Commentary/Opinion section of our amazing 130 year-old newspaper, the Champion.
The first column is in today's edition and touches upon the native indigenous people (Indians) of our area. Future columns will go into the early days of Rancho Santa Ana del Chino and its first two owners, Antonio María Lugo and his son-in-law, Isaac Williams. The rancho's west boundary extended into Carbon Canyon to about where the Circle K convenience store is just east of Sleepy Hollow. There will be posts down the road (!) about the Canyon, too.
You have to either subscribe to the print or electronic editions to read the column, so here is the link to the paper's website.
The first column is in today's edition and touches upon the native indigenous people (Indians) of our area. Future columns will go into the early days of Rancho Santa Ana del Chino and its first two owners, Antonio María Lugo and his son-in-law, Isaac Williams. The rancho's west boundary extended into Carbon Canyon to about where the Circle K convenience store is just east of Sleepy Hollow. There will be posts down the road (!) about the Canyon, too.
You have to either subscribe to the print or electronic editions to read the column, so here is the link to the paper's website.
09 January 2018
Two Major Accidents Yesterday in Carbon Canyon
It's always easy to blame the rain, especially when we had 12/100 of an inch since the season started on 1 October, but there were two major traffic accidents yesterday on Carbon Canyon Road.
My wife had the misfortune to be caught behind both. With the first one, she remained on scene to be a witness as she was the car right behind the crash. A truck came down the last portion of the S-curve heading east, skidded into the westbound lane, and badly damaged a vehicle.
The second one, however, got reported on in the Chino/Chino Hills Champion by Josh Thompson thusly:
There's a lot more rain today so, if you're driving Carbon Canyon Road, be extra careful and watchful.
My wife had the misfortune to be caught behind both. With the first one, she remained on scene to be a witness as she was the car right behind the crash. A truck came down the last portion of the S-curve heading east, skidded into the westbound lane, and badly damaged a vehicle.
The second one, however, got reported on in the Chino/Chino Hills Champion by Josh Thompson thusly:
Fortunately, Velez went off the side of the road and not into opposing traffic where he could have killed someone.Chino Hills police jailed a 35-year-old man on suspicion of driving under the influence Monday night after his vehicle fell 50 to 75 down an embankment, trapping his car on a barbed wire fence.Mario Velez was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He was later released with a citation, according to San Bernardino County jail records.Deputies were called at 5:50 p.m. to Carbon Canyon Road and Carriage Hills Lane on a report a vehicle went off the road, said Chino Hills Police Sgt. Eno Lassiter.“The driver was not injured. During the investigation, deputies learned the driver was intoxicated and lost control of the vehicle,” Sgt. Lassiter said.Mr. Velez was arrested at 6:59 p.m.Traffic on Carbon Canyon Road was congested until the road opened shortly after 8 p.m., according to the City of Chino Hills.
There's a lot more rain today so, if you're driving Carbon Canyon Road, be extra careful and watchful.
01 January 2018
Sleepy Hollow Photographs, 1930s/1940s
First off—Happy New Year to everyone and hope you have a great 2018.
The same generous neighbors who loaned the David Purington reminiscences that have appeared in two installments here to date followed up with some other great material relating to Sleepy Hollow history.
These include copies of community newsletters from the mid-1960s and late 1970s, community calendars from the early 1970s and some photographs dating as far back as th 1930s. A few of the latter are being shared in this post.
One is a great view taken from northwest part of Sleepy Hollow and looking to the south and east. There are a smattering of houses on the steep slopes off Hay Drive as it winds up in switchback fashion from Rosemary Lane down towards the lower part of the photo and with Carbon Canyon Road at the very bottom.
There is a large light-colored home at the center and to the right of that, below and above Hay Drive, are two structures that are still standing. The one above the road with a set of windows at the left and a single one at the right of the facing elevation was built in 1929, according to its current owner. The one below, a Craftsman style dwelling, with a small second story tower, is the other. The homes flanking the Craftsman may still be there, as well.
At the bottom towards the lower right corner is a Pueblo-style unit with a garage accessed off Carbon Canyon Road. At the top, above the 1929 house, is another 1920s-era house on Grandview Lane that is likely still there. Otherwise, there was still plenty of space left for later buildings in subsequent decades.
The other two photographs are taken from near the same vantage point and it looks to this observer like the view is from the southeast corner of Sleepy Hollow from about Francis Drive and its intersection with Hay Drive, which would be the dirt road moving off from the center and lower left of the respective photos.
If this assumption is correct, the photos look back to about where the first image was taken, with Lion's Canyon being just beyond the community and to the right of the bare patch at the bottom of the sloping hillside at the west side of that canyon, which is the entrance to today's St. Joseph's Hill of Hope campus. In the more horizontal of the two views, Carbon Canyon Road would move from the center of the right margin up towards that bare patch.
These rare early views of Sleepy Hollow not only show the community within probably 20 years of its 1923 founding, but also indicate just how rural and remote the neighborhood was 70-80 or more years ago. Looking at the chapparal and other vegetation and thinking about the primitive state of firefighting generally, much less in an isolated area like Sleepy Hollow, it's remarkable that there wasn't more destruction from the wildfires that have occasionally burst forth in Carbon Canyon.
The situation has changed considerably, but the rural quality of the community, even as suburbanization has crept closer over the years, is what has been both a great attraction for its residents and a risk, as well.
The same generous neighbors who loaned the David Purington reminiscences that have appeared in two installments here to date followed up with some other great material relating to Sleepy Hollow history.
These include copies of community newsletters from the mid-1960s and late 1970s, community calendars from the early 1970s and some photographs dating as far back as th 1930s. A few of the latter are being shared in this post.
One is a great view taken from northwest part of Sleepy Hollow and looking to the south and east. There are a smattering of houses on the steep slopes off Hay Drive as it winds up in switchback fashion from Rosemary Lane down towards the lower part of the photo and with Carbon Canyon Road at the very bottom.
There is a large light-colored home at the center and to the right of that, below and above Hay Drive, are two structures that are still standing. The one above the road with a set of windows at the left and a single one at the right of the facing elevation was built in 1929, according to its current owner. The one below, a Craftsman style dwelling, with a small second story tower, is the other. The homes flanking the Craftsman may still be there, as well.
At the bottom towards the lower right corner is a Pueblo-style unit with a garage accessed off Carbon Canyon Road. At the top, above the 1929 house, is another 1920s-era house on Grandview Lane that is likely still there. Otherwise, there was still plenty of space left for later buildings in subsequent decades.
The other two photographs are taken from near the same vantage point and it looks to this observer like the view is from the southeast corner of Sleepy Hollow from about Francis Drive and its intersection with Hay Drive, which would be the dirt road moving off from the center and lower left of the respective photos.
If this assumption is correct, the photos look back to about where the first image was taken, with Lion's Canyon being just beyond the community and to the right of the bare patch at the bottom of the sloping hillside at the west side of that canyon, which is the entrance to today's St. Joseph's Hill of Hope campus. In the more horizontal of the two views, Carbon Canyon Road would move from the center of the right margin up towards that bare patch.
These rare early views of Sleepy Hollow not only show the community within probably 20 years of its 1923 founding, but also indicate just how rural and remote the neighborhood was 70-80 or more years ago. Looking at the chapparal and other vegetation and thinking about the primitive state of firefighting generally, much less in an isolated area like Sleepy Hollow, it's remarkable that there wasn't more destruction from the wildfires that have occasionally burst forth in Carbon Canyon.
The situation has changed considerably, but the rural quality of the community, even as suburbanization has crept closer over the years, is what has been both a great attraction for its residents and a risk, as well.