Tres Hermanos Ranch Hike on 22 April!

 After a series of guided tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch, the newest event at this roughly 2,500-acre local gem, managed by an authority comprised of the cities of Chino Hills, Diamond Bar and Industry, is a self-guided three-mile hike from Grand Avenue Park in Chino Hills to the ranch headquarters and back. For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/CityofDiamondBarCA/posts/pfbid0v18nQHDFvSdPRsepSXSGtFZ86bZDekC7ChrMjfRnnBRL94SL9Ez8hfPZ1vmw8swul

ABC-7 Meteorologist Leslie López Returns to Litel Elementary

Many of us in the Chino Hills side of Carbon Canyon sent our kids to Litel Elementary School to get their first years of education, so it was very interesting to see ABC-7 promote the fact that one of its meteorologists, Leslie López, was educated at the school.

So, she recently returned with her two young children to revisit Litel and to see what the school is doing for its current student population.  During the experience, López also spoke with a 5th grade class and stated "it was a gift to be able to give back to the place that once poured so much into my life.

Check out the story HERE.

Carbon Canyon Historic Artifact #68: A First Day Cancellation for the Sleepy Hollow Rural Station Post Office, 1 April 1954

The establishment in 1923 of the Sleepy Hollow community on the western edge of Chino Hills in Carbon Canyon was primarily for people to have vacation cabins and enjoy the peace and solitude of what was then a rural area where Orange and San Bernardino counties meet.  While there were a few permanent residents, most property owners who had dwellings were those whose primary domicile was somewhere else and this basically remained the case for more than a quarter-century.

As prior posts here have observed with the federal censuses of 1930, 1940 and 1950, the population in the little hamlet was quite small in those first two counts, with 40 persons enumerated as the Roaring Twenties came to an end and a 15% increase to 46 denizens as the Depression was soon followed by the Second World War.

  But, by the time the Fifties arrived with another greater Los Angeles boom and suburbanization creeping steadily eastward into Orange County, the eastern San Gabriel Valley and western San Bernardino County, there was a dramatic shift in the 1950 count as the Sleepy Hollow population just about tripled to 135 residents.  There were also a gas station, two cafés (one with a grocery store), so the community was starting to look a lot less like a remote outpost and more like a small town.

Still, it was a bit surprising to learn that there was, for a few years, during the Fifties, an official post office in Sleepy Hollow.  Technically it was a "rural station," a classification with the United States Postal Service that was the same as a branch until 1908 and which was also part of the Rural Free Delivery system established as the 19th century came to a close.  Many people old enough to remember the television show, Mayberry RFD, off-shoot of The Andy Griffith Show probably did not know what those letters stood for.

In any case, the Chino Champion, our weekly newspaper since 1887, informed its readers in the issue of 11 March 1954 that,

Effective April 1, a rural station will be located in Sleepy Hollow, according to Mrs. Buena Phillips, postmaster.  Mrs. Leona E. Purrington [sic] will be in charge and mail will be supplied by the regular rural carrier.  Money orders will be available as will stamps and parcel post mailing.

Lila Craig's column, "Carbon Canyon Capers,"  in the 8 April edition of the paper shared the news that,

Well!  It's finally happened.  Sleepy Hollow is becoming more and more recognized as an established community, rather than a place where property owners just spend week-ends or holidays. We have a Post Office—well, a sub-station anyway.  It is located in Ichabod's Store and Cafe and Mrs. Leone Purington is clerk-in-charge.  We even have our own cancellation stamp that shows where our mail is coming from.  All of the services are offered that any big post office has.  Money orders, stamps, postcards, etc.  Outgoing mail leaves around 11:00 a.m.  More and more in the past few years Sleepy Hollow has been getting 'on the map'.  It seems that all of the approximatey [sic] 350 residents make up an unofficial Chamber of Commerce, and we are extremely proud of the strides we have made to make our section more desirable.  Our little Post Office which opened April 1st, is one of the big steps to let people know we are here.  We know we are being watched, because somebody set up a billboard just south of the summit.  Thanks so much to Postmaster Buena Phillips and her efforts to help us take this step forward.

The building in which Ichabod's Store and Café (tied, of course, to the old Washington Irving story of Sleepy Hollow and the hapless Ichabod Crane) was located was on the north side of Carbon Canyon Road and Oak Way Lane and was razed several years ago after the City of Chino Hills acquired the property.  The reference to about 350 residents, though one wonders if this was strictly in Sleepy Hollow or in the area served by the station including other parts of the Canyon, shows remarkable growth in just four years.

Chino Champion, 11 March 1954.

It was owned by David Purington, son of Sleepy Hollow founders Cleve and Elizabeth Purington, and his wife Leone was the "clerk-in-charge" mentioned in both Champion references.  She was born Leone Evelyn Gathercole in New Hampshire and moved as a young child with her family to El Monte and then lived in Pomona.  She was a graduate of Pomona High School and married David Purington in 1940 and the couple settled in Sleepy Hollow and operated the store and restaurant.  Leone also occasionally wrote a column about the community for the Champion called "Ichabod's Corner."

The station's life-span, however, was not much more than three years, however.  This was likely due to the fact that the Puringtons decided to sell Ichabod's, as a want ad in the Santa Ana Register from 25 May 1957 showed.  The new owner perhaps did not want the added responsibility of running the station, though there may have been other reasons.  Whatever the reason(s), the station was discontinued on 9 August.

Champion, 8 April 1954.

The featured artifact here is a "first-day cancellation" which were sought by philatelists, a fancy term for a stamp collector.  Dated on that inaugural day of operation, the reply postal card with a preprinted two-cent stamp has the cancelation clearly imprinted—after all, Purington's stamp was brand new!  On the reverse is a second stamp (again, new) and the card was mailed to Gustav Lund of Martinez, a town northeast of Berkeley.

On the reverse, Purington wrote:

Dear Mr. Lund, Here's your 1st day cancellation from Sleepy Hollow, Carbon Canyon.  We're out of Pomona about 3 miles.  Have a cafe and grocery called Ichabod's.  Thanks for interest.  Leone Purington, Clerk-in-charge.

Pasted down on the card are brief printed statements regarding the establishment and discontinuation of the station.  

While it is a innocuous little artifact and the station did not long operate, it does reflect the dramatic changes coming to Sleepy Hollow as it increasingly became a residential community in the post-World War II period.

Chino Hills Historical Society Commemorates Los Serranos Country Club's 100th Anniversary This Monday the 9th

This coming Monday the 9th @ 7 p.m., the Chino Hills Historical Society offers presentations to commemorate the centennial of the Los Serranos Country Club.  Join us at the Club, 15656 Yorba Avenue (Los Serranos Country Club Drive coming in from Soquel Canyon Parkway to the south), for this special 100th anniversary event.

In April 1925, a group of Long Beach investors, having purchased the Home Ranch and adobe house built by Joseph Bridger, opened Los Serranos and hoped to draw golf enthusiasts from greater Los Angeles to go out to the beautiful rural setting and enjoy the sport and atmosphere.  Despite a significant investment and substantial publicity, the Great Depression led to a change of ownership and the club was plagued by financial issues for years afterward.

After a brief period as the Black-owned Valparaiso Recreation Center and more changes in ownership, Paul Greening, who owned a few thousand acres in the Chino Hills area, bought the property and, in 1953 leased the Club to tennis champion Jack Kramer and partners, with Kramer becoming sole lessee eight years later.  Over seven decades later, the Kramer family continues the operation of a century-old Chino Hills institution.

There will be a pair of talks, including by David Kramer, one of Chino Hills' Unsung Heroes for 2025, as well as a display of photos and other artifacts related to the Club's history.

Chino Hills Historical Society Presentation on the La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts

From the Chino Hills Historical Society: 

The next meeting of the Chino Hills Historical Society is coming up on Monday, October 14 at 7:00 pm at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive.  Join us for the last presentation of our 2024 series focused on Carbon Canyon history. The topic is In Hot Water:  The La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts.

Carbon Canyon got its name for presumed coal deposits, but it was best-known through the 20^th century for its mineral springs.  This presentation looks at the well-known La Vida Mineral Springs Resort in Brea near Olinda Village, which offered hot mineral water baths and pools, a motel, café and a bottled-water plant. Its carbonated water was widely sold in many flavors and was promoted for its many purported health benefits. Nearby, just within San Bernardino County in Sleepy Hollow, was the far lesser known and shorter-lived Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs, which had baths, lodging and food. Today, the latter is completely gone, except for concrete tub remnants, while little is left of La Vida. Paul R. Spitzzeri will share some of the fascinating history that has flowed from the two sites.  He always mixes stories and interesting history for an enjoyable evening.

Yesterday's Second Round of Tres Hermanos Ranch Tours

With a waiting list of a few hundred persons from the inaugural tours, held last September, of Tres Hermanos Ranch, owned by the City of Industry and adjacent to Carbon Canyon in the cities of Chino Hills and Diamond Bar, the governing body, the Tres Hermanos Conservation Authority (TRCA) offered a second route of visits to the ranch yesterday.

Four groups were ferried into the property from the nearby Diamond Bar Community Center and made three stops during a warm morning, learning about the management, natural history and cultural history of the ranch.  We'll see when and what future offerings will be, but there is certainly strong community interest in this remarkable place.

To read more about yesterday's excursions, check out: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2024/06/15/tres-hermanos-ranch-tour-postview-william-benjamin-scott-1868-1920/.

Chino Hills Historical Society Talk on Carbon Canyon History TONIGHT

Join us this evening for a presentation to the Chino Hills Historical Society on Carbon Canyon history, specifically to a site off Canyon Hills Road north of Carbon Canyon Road where the former Workmen's Circle/Kinder Ring camp went through a series of uses, including the Canyon Hills Swim and Saddle Club, the Canyon Hills Country Club, the Ponderosa Bar and Motel and Purple Haze.

The talk will large cover the period from 1964-1975, but will make brief references to the recent use of the site, including today's Canyon Hills Stables and Canyon Hills Cottages, but the most bizarre element will undoubtedly be the short and strange history of Ski Villa, with its infamous plastic needle slope and which lasted under 2 years at the location.  A special guest will be Ingrid P. Wicken, who runs the California Ski Library of Norco and who will share some Ski Villa history, as well.

The presentation is at 7 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High School and we hope to see you there!

Carbon Canyon Talk for Chino Hills Historical Society on 10 June

Chino Hills Historical Society Presents:

Camp Kinder Ring to Purple Haze, Part Two

Monday, June 10, 2024 (Rescheduled from June 17)

 

The Chino Hills Historical Society will host a presentation by Chino Hills resident and historian Paul R. Spitzzeri at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 10 at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive.  (Rescheduled from June 17.)

 “Our 2024 meetings focus on Carbon Canyon history,” said Denise Cattern, President. “Paul R. Spitzzeri, our local historian has put together a series of talks on the subject.”

The June 10 Chino Hills Historical Society meeting will continue the “Camp Kinder Ring to Purple Haze” series, “Part Two” – about the history of the site off Canyon Hills Road where Ski Villa was located, Canyon Hills Country Club, the Ponderosa Bar and Motel, and Purple Haze, where counterculture was in full swing in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Mr. Spitzzeri has invited special guest Ingrid Wicken, of the California Ski Library in Norco, to attend the meeting to share her knowledge about Ski Villa. 

On Monday, October 14, the next presentation will be “In Hot Water: The La Vida and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resorts.”

Mr. Spitzzeri has lived in Chino Hills for 27 years. He is the Museum Director at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in the City of Industry, where he has worked since 1988. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree in history from California State University, Fullerton. He has also published local, regional and state history in many journals and anthologies. His book, The Workman and Temple Families of Southern California, won a 2009 Award of Merit from the

American Association for State and Local History. Since 2008, Paul has maintained the blog www.carboncanyonchronicle.blogspot.com. He also writes a monthly column about local history for Champion Newspapers.

 The Chino Hills Historical Society is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization funded through memberships and donations.  Sign up for the Historical Society’s email list by sending an email to chhistory@aol.com. For additional information, please send an email or call (909) 597-6449. 

Sleepy Hollow Centennial Commemorative Poster Available Now!

It was quite a two-day celebration of them 100th anniversary of the founding of Sleepy Hollow, with a community event held on Sunday afternoon and a Chino Hills Historical Society presentation at the city community center on Monday evening.

In addition to sharing historical artifacts, a carousel of great photos spanning most of the neighborhood's history, reminiscences of some long-time residents, and a slide-illustrated talk about the community, descendants of Sleepy Hollow founders Cleve and Elizabeth Purington came in from Hawaii, Oregon and elsewhere in California to take part and share memories of their years living in this remarkable Carbon Canyon enclave.

A great way to keep the celebration going is to have your very own limited edition commemorative poster by Sleepy Hollow resident and artist Lena Sekine.   This beautiful design evokes the feeling of residing in a special place and looks great in a gold-edged frame.  Included is a brief history of the neighborhood with a pair of very rare circa 1930s photos.

There were only 100 copies of this signed print, which can be yours for $22, so be sure to head over to Lena's Etsy store to get one before they run out.

Sleepy Hollow's 100th Anniversary Presentation This Monday the 16th

In October 1923, Cleve and Elizabeth Purington; Charles and Olga Hale; George Wanley; and Charles M. Witter filed the official tract map for the subdivision of Sleepy Hollow, nestled on 80 acres in Carbon Canyon on the southwestern edge of San Bernardino County at the border with Orange County.

That year marked the peak of a massive real estate boom in greater Los Angeles and Sleepy Hollow was unusual in that it was divided into small cabin lots for owners to build a get-away on rather than intended for a large number of full-time residents.

The community remained small, with under 150 persons through 1950, but it developed a tight-knit neighborhood spirit (sometimes literally with its Sleepy "Holloween" events complete with the headless horseman who chased the hapless and helpless Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving's 1820s story that spread the name and fame of Sleepy Hollow, New York) over the years.

With a local water district, woman's club, volunteer firefighting force, community church, stores and café, and more, Sleepy Hollow retained a distinct identity that is still maintained by those who live in its roughly 130 houses today, even as the relentless march of suburbanization has creeped up to the very edges of the community.

This Monday, the 16th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center (14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High), the 100th anniversary of Sleepy Hollow will be commemorated in a presentation sponsored by the Chino Hills Historical Society.  In addition to a slide-illustrated talk, there'll be some last-minute additions, so please be sure to join us for this slice of early Chino Hills history!

A Photo Recap of the First-Ever Public Tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch

It was a beautiful day today out at Tres Hermanos Ranch, the 2,445-acre parcel administered by an Authority composed of the cities of Chino Hills, Diamond Bar and Industry, as the first-ever public tours of this amazing property, situated just north of Carbon Canyon, were offered.

Authority officials and staff from the three cities did a great job of organizing and carrying out this initial offering, for which the available 104 seats were snapped up in a matter of minutes, with some 400 persons placed on a waiting list.

Tours were held at 9, 10, and 11 a.m. as well as Noon with guests meeting at the nearby Diamond Bar Community Center and transported by bus to the ranch.  Ben Montgomery and Dan Fox, the city managers of Chino Hills, in which 70% of the ranch is situated, and Diamond Bar, which comprises the remaining 30%, rode along on the buses and provided information. 

Their Industry counterpart, Joshua Nelson, who has an extensive engineering background, met visitors at the first stop, the Arnold Reservoir, dating to about 1918, and discussed it and future work to be done to better stabilize and support it. 

 

At the second stop, near some historic barns and outbuildings, yours truly, a Chino Hills resident and director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, a City of Industry owned and funded historic site, provided a general historical background.

The third and last location was deep in the southern reaches of Tres Hermanos, a beautiful and isolated locale, where Cal Poly Pomona emeritus professor of plant sciences, Dan Hostetler, also a Chino Hills resident, talked about the flora and fauna, past and present, at the Ranch.

Given that this was a first effort, it was remarkably well-run by the dedicated staff of the Authority and the three cities and guests appeared to be astounded and impressed by the ranch and, we hope, the information given by the presenters.

There needs to be an evaluation of the event and consideration of what future possibilities might be entertained for further public access, so those interested in knowing more can periodically check the Authority website.

Meanwhile, for those who want to know more about the early history of the ranch, along with a review of how the day went, please head over to The Homestead Blog for a post covering these topics.

First-Ever Public Tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch on 23 September

Guided tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch, the 2,445-acre property in Diamond Bar and Chino Hills and administered by a joint-powers authority comprised of those two cities and the City of Industry, will be offered to the public for the first time on Saturday, 23 September on the hour from 9 a.m. to Noon.

A 1925 view from near what is now Grand Avenue looking southwest toward the Tres Hermanos Ranch headquarters, left of center on the knoll, and outbuildings to the left.  Courtesy of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, City of Industry.

Registration for these free 1 1/2-hour visits, focusing on the ranch's history, flora and fauna and more, opens on Tuesday, 5 September at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis with a waitlist established for cancellations. Space is very limited, so, if you're interested in going, make your reservation early. For more information, go to: https://treshermanos.org/2023/08/22/guided-tours-of-the-ranch-offered/.

Tres Hermanos Ranch History Presentation on 6 May

In light of recent developments involving the nearly 2,500-acre Tres Hermanos Ranch, the last major undevelopment parcel in this area, and a new collaboration between the cities of Chino Hills, Diamond Bar and Industry concerning the future of the ranch, the Chino Hills Historical Society has just issued a press release about an upcoming presentation on the history of Tres Hermanos.

The PowerPoint-illustrated talk will take place on Monday, 6 March at 7 p.m. and be held at the Chino Hills Community Center at 14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High School.  The presentation will talk about the land's use as public land during the pre-American period and then as part of cattle raising by a variety of owners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the 1910s, the tres hermanos, or "three brothers" who were actually good friends, William B. Scott, William R. Rowland, and Harry Chandler acquired a portion of a larger property and named it Tres Hermanos Ranch.  A house was built and these powerful figures in oil, real estate and media used the ranch as a rural vacation spot.

Rowland and Scott died by the early 1930s and Chandler and his descendants continued to own the ranch until it was sold to the City of Industry in 1978.  While there were proposals for a reservoir or a solar farm at Tres Hermanos, the recent agreement between the tres ciudades, or "three cities," including the launch of a new joint powers authority introduces a new chapter in the long-running story of the ranch.

For mre information about this presentation and about the Chino Hills Historical Society, call 909.597.6449 or email chhistory@aol.com.

Air Tour Photos of Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor

Last Sunday, I was given the privilege of taking an airplane tour, courtesy of Hills for Everyone, which works to preserve open space in the Puente Hills and Chino Hills, and Ecoflight, which does air tours as part of assiting in preservation of land and habitat, of the Chino Hills and Puente Hills ranges.

The flight, including city council members from Yorba Linda and Brea, left Chino Airport at 8:30 a.m. for a tour heading west along the northern portion of the hill ranges through Chino Hills, Diamond Bar, and Rowland Heights as far as Hacienda Heights and then returning east through the southern section of the two systems through La Habra Heights, Brea, Yorba Linda and then back to Chino.

Our pilot Bruce Gordon made the flight smooth and easy as we cruised along at what I think was about 2,000 feet in elevation and Melanie Schlotterbeck of Hills for Everyone did a great job narrating what we were seeing along the corridor.

Fortunately, we'd had some recent rain to provide some relief to what had been a dismal winter with virtually no precipitation, so that, by the time we took to the skies last week, there was enough green to really add to the beauty of the area.

Over 400 photographs were snapped in the course of the roughly half-hour journey because, after all, how often do these opportunities arise?  The chance to get rare elevated views of our area was really a treat and the accompanying photos give some idea of the beauty of these two hill ranges and what past preservation and future efforts to conserve land mean for our heavily urbanized area.

The first photograph (from the top) shows the eastern entrance to Carbon Canyon Road from Chino Hills Parkway as the state highway wends its way westward towards Brea.  The Summit Ranch, Carriage Hills and Western Hills Oaks communities are easily discerned.

The second image shows a nice panorama of the northern part of Chino Hills from Grand Avenue a little west of Peyton Drive and takes in many of the subdivisions there, but also much of Tres Hermanos Ranch, owned by the City of Industry, in the distance as the view looks southwest.

Photo #3 takes in much of Tres Hermanos Ranch from its northern reaches near Diamond Ranch High School, the land for which was donated by Industry to the Pomona Unified School District to the school which serves south Pomona and north Diamond Bar (part f which is at the upper right.)  Grand Avenue cuts through the ranch from left to right and the Arnold Reservoir is towards the upper left.

An interesting view from over the 57 Freeway looking south from the southern part of Diamond Bar takes in the break Tonner Canyon (at the left) and the Puente Hills region that is known as the Shell-Aera area and which is subject to a new development proposal.

Melanie made sure to point out a gem in the Shell Aera location, a spot appropriately called Hidden Valley and which is the highlight of the fifth photograph in this set, which looks south from near Pathfinder Road in Rowland Heights/Diamond Bar.

Image number six shows portions of Rowland Heights at the bottom with an area of the Puente Hills that, at the center left, included a development that was allowed to be built at the crest of the hills impacting the wildlife corridor and complicating efforts to preserve open space habitat.  Yet, to the center and upper right are sections that were preserved as part of the Puente Hills Native Habitat Authority, including some fine hiking trails.

The seventh photo shows the densely developed unincorporated community of Hacienda Heights which is at the north side of the Puente Hills, though, again, land has been preserved and trails built along the crest of the hills through the community out to Rose Hills Memorial Park at the west end of the hills.

Photo #8 shows the highest portions of the Puente Hills from the south with much of La Habra Heights, including the Hacienda Golf Club in the foregound and into the hills.

The ninth image shows much of the Shell Aera property in the hills above Brea looking to the north.  Proposals are for a staggering 3,600 residences between Harbor Boulevard on the west and the 57 Freeway on the east.  The effects would not just be on the lost habitat and recreational opportunities for hiking and walking, but on the already-congested streets and freeways of the communities (La Habra, Brea, Rowland Heights, and Diamond Bar) that adjoin the property.

Photo ten takes in the 57 Freeway corridor from about Lambert north into Diamond Bar, City of Industry and beyond.  Again, Shell Aera is at the upper left and Tonner Canyon, proposed in recent years for a reservoir/dam and solar farm, is at the right.

The remaining photos continued the flight eastward, with a fine view of Carbon Canyon's western end near the Chino Hills State Park Discovery Center; a look at the entrance to the state park at the Rimcrest trailhead; a view of the park including the Rolling M Ranch headquarters; land flanking the park at the east that is being sought for acquisition, preservation and addition to the park; and a view of the area near Prado Dam and the intersection of the 71 and 91 freeways with the Santa Ana Mountains forming a great backdrop.

We then returned over the Prado basin, Santa Ana River and the rapidly developing areas of Corona, South Ontario and Eastvale before making our descent and landing at the airport.  Again, many thanks to Hills for Everyone and Ecoflight for this rare opportunity to see the beauty of the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor from the air, which only adds to the appreciation of what this corridor can do to improve the quality of life for our area.

Tres Hermanos Ranch and Tonner Canyon Plan Reported

This came out several days ago in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune concerning the City of Industry's plans for Tres Hermanos Ranch and other land in Tonner Canyon directly north and adjacent to Carbon Canyon.

Here is the link to the article discussing those plans for a large solar farm in the area and quoting from nearby officials, including Rad Bartlam, city manager of Chino Hills.

The Latest Tres Hermanos Update

With the City of Industry's $100 million offer for the Tres Hermanos Ranch, in Tonner Canyon just north of Carbon Canyon, still on the table, but with an uncertain future, here is a new article from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune about a lull in the situation.

Eastern Carbon Canyon and Chino Hills Map, 1967

For map geeks, the United States Geological Survey quadrangle maps provide fascinating detail about an area and the historical development of those locations are a notable part of these documents.

One titled "Prado Dam Quadrangle" and issued in 1967 (hard to believe that is a half century for those of a certain age [like a half century]), but with elements dating to 1927, 1933 and 1949, covers the eastern part of the Carbon Canyon Road corridor and a significant area of what became Chino Hills.

What is really obvious in looking at the map as a whole is how sparsely populated the area from Prado Dam up to Boys Republic and from Carbon Canyon over to Grove Avenue really was.  Virtually everything east of Highway 71 (listed as the Corona Freeway, though it was a two-lane oad then) was either dairy lands with houses here and there, the massive Prado Flood Control Basin, and the two prison facilities—the California Institution for Men and the California Institution for Women.  The Chino Airport also is shown at the upper left of the map.

In what is now the Chino Hills State Park area, the section of map from Rolling M Ranch (park headquarters) on the right to McDermont Spring, which is near the Four Corners rest area, at the left, is highlighted in this 1967 U.S. Geological Survey map of the "Prado Dam Quadrangle."  Click on any image to see the set in larger views in separate windows.

As to the areas west of the 71, most of what is shown are the sections of the Chino Hills range, much of which became Chino Hills State Park, at the bottom half of the map.  Fifty years ago, there were two identified ranches in and just adjacent to the future park.  One was Rolling M Ranch, of which over 1,200 acres were purchased for about $5.7 million in 1981 for the park. Some of the history of that ranch has been provided on this blog before.

The other ranch was the McDermont, which bordered the future park at its northern extremity and of which 278 acres was added to the park in 1983 at a cost of just under $1.4 million.  The rest of the McDermont Ranch, which was established in the early 1920s, wound up being purchased by Aerojet Corporation for its weapons testing facility now where the Vellano Country Club and high-end residential community is located.  Meanwhile, regular users of the state park may know of McDermont Spring, which is next to the popular Four Corners rest stop.  More on McDermont Ranch in a forthcoming post.

There are also lots of notations on the map for springs, drill holes for wells (presumed water and oil), oil wells, and existing trails and dirt roads.  A couple notable elements in what became south Chino Hills adjacent to S.R. 71 is "Chino Downs" and  the "Claypit."

Below Los Serranos was the Higgins brick factory, labeled "Claypit", and Chino Downs, a horse tracks operated by the DrVries family.  The latter is near today's Chino Hills High School.

Chino Downs, opened by the DeVries family about 1960, was a horse racing track that later, after that family sold the place, hosted events, including concerts by such diverse performers as country legend Merle Haggard, who died earlier this year, and the rock band Great White, best known for being the headliner at the terrible Station club fire in Rhode Island in 2003.  The Chino Downs location looks to be just about where Chino Hills High School is today.

The Claypit refers to the Higgins brick factory, which sat along a road that extended into the Chino Hills where a gravel pit was situated just a short distance away from the factory (other gravel pits were found near where today's Butterfield Ranch Road and Pine Avenue meet further south).  James Higgins (1879-1937), a native of Illinois, learned the brickmaking trade in his home state and then came to Los Angeles in 1909.

He opened his first factory in 1927 in Gardena.  After his death, his widow and children kept the business going.  In the 1940s, they opened yards in Santa Monica and Monterey Park.  After buying 100 acres in Chino in 1958, they opened the facility there five years later.  The factory closed for good in 2011 and the Higgins Ranch subdivision carries the family name.  Click here for lots of info on the Higgins brick factory.

Boys Republic, which moved from San Fernando to Chino in 1907, and the English Road horse-breeding area are shown in this detail.  The Chino Hills government center, Ayala High School, the community center and community park are all within the area included here.

At the upper left of the map is Boys Republic, which moved to Chino from San Fernando in 1907, a year after the facility for troubled teens opened and directly west is the English Road area of horse breeding facilities.  It is striking that the map identifies these hills as part of the Puente Hills range, not the Chino Hills.  Also, in a little fold of the hills south of English Road is a indication of "mines," though of what kind is not stated.

Moving south there are a few scattered houses and more horse properties and small ranches along Peyton Drive and along Eucalyptus Avenue until Peyton until Carbon Canyon Road was reached.  East of that intersection was the brand new subdivision of Glenmeade, which opened in 1966, and which was between Carbon Canyon, Pipeline Avenue, Rolling Ridge Drive and Glen Ridge Drive in the early stages.

Across Pipeline Avenue and southeast was the main residential district of the future Chino Hills and that was Los Serranos, developed in the mid 1920s along with the country club of that name.  Lake Los Serranos is also shown, but the mobile home park was a few years off from creation.  Off Bird Farm Road, so named because the State of California established a bird farm in the late 1920s, was the state fishing hatchery, where Chaparral Elementary opened a decade ago.

The two existing neighborhoods in the future Chino Hills are shown here.  Los Serranos, developed in the mid-1920s in conjunction with the country club, and Glenmeade, which was a new community southwest of today's Chino Hills Parkway and Pipeline Avenue, contained the majority of the sparse population.

Another notable detail is that Central Avenue coming south from downtown Chino turned and followed the route of today's El Prado Road ending near the City of Chino's sewage ponds at Pine Avenue.  A turnoff from Central crossed Chino Creek and then the 71  and that was Los Serranos Road, where an old store was at the corner of Pomona Rincon Road.  Los Serranos Road was cut off when the 71 Freeway was completed and some of the portion of it east of the freeway is Red Barn Court, for all the old red-colored barn that used to sit at the intersection of today's Fairfield Ranch Road.  This was all rerouted when Soquel Canyon Road was created in the 1990s.

Carbon Canyon Road technically ended at Pipeline Avenue in 1967, with the portion east known as Merrill Avenue and leading to the men's prison.  Merrill does still exist east of Euclid Avenue today, while Carbon Canyon, now Chino Hills Parkway, terminates at Central and the highway designation of 142 ends at the 71 Freeway.

Finally, the area west of Glenmeade and Los Serranos was undeveloped hilllands leading west along Carbon Canyon Road to about where the base of the S-curve climbs to the summit where Carbon Canyon geologically began.  The area where it says "Little Chino [Creek]" is today's Gordon Ranch area of Chino Hills.

This map shows a portion of Carbon Canyon heading west into the hills and curving southwest past a dirt road that led into the Gordon Ranch (discussed in this blog previously.)  That dirt road is the extension of Chino Hills Parkway north towards the 60 Freeway.  It appears that the western edge of the map shows Carbon Canyon Road just as it gets to the bottom of the S-curve where Old Carbon Canyon Road is today.

Maps like this Prado Dam Quadrangle can be very useful for those who like to compare how areas are laid out and used today to how they were in the past, especially somewhere like Chino Hills which has developed relatively recently and changed dramatically within the last several decades.

A Ramble Through the Chino Hills North of Carbon Canyon

A nice shaded section of the route on this afternoon's trek.  Click on any photo to see them in enlarged views in separate windows.

This being a few days into spring and a beautiful one, a jaunt into the Chino Hills about 1 1/2 miles or so north of Carbon Canyon seemed like a great idea and it was a nice ramble along access roads parallelling the TRTP towers recently installed along a west-to-east corridor.

Looking south towards Carbon Canyon, with a bit of the graded Hillcrest housing project just left of center.

This was a walk that was taken along the same route some months ago, but with a significant difference.

One of the behemoth 198-foot TRTP towers striding across the hills from west to east.

The massive 198-foot towers did not yet have the several strands of wire strung from one to the next, but now they, and the multicolored balls that alert aircraft of their presence, are now a very conspicuous presence.  Some of the fine views obtained along the way are now compromised by having the wires in the line of sight.

A spray of purple wildflowers along the route.

Still, depending on where you are on the trek, the towers and wires may be on one side or the other, so there are still plenty of excellent vantage points looking in all directions.

Sunflowers also sprouting along the trail's edge.

For example, a glance to the north or the west can take in Tres Hermanos Ranch, Tonner Canyon, and the Boy Scouts of America camp, recently purchased by the City of Industry.

Looking towards the southeast and to Carbon Canyon and beyond.

Beyond are the towering peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains, the San Jose Hills from Pomona and San Dimas to Walnut and West Covina and the Puente Hills from Rowland Heights over towards Whittier.

This view looks southwest towards Brea and Orange County.

To the south and the east are more of the Chino Hills, large areas bordering Carbon Canyon from the summit in Chino Hills out toward Olinda Village in Brea.

To the northwest and Diamond Bar, the Puente Hills and the San Gabriel Valley.

In the distance are the Santa Ana Mountains and further out can be seen the San Joaquin Hills near Irvine and Newport Beach and, on clearer days than this, the Pacific Ocean.

Looking out to Tres Hermanos Ranch in Tonner Canyon and the San Gabriel range in the distance.

A clear view can be seen from points along the hike of the St. Joseph's Hill of Hope religious community in Lion's Canyon just above Carbon Canyon to the south of the trail, while to the north and west are camp sites, shooting ranges and other facilities from the Boy Scouts reservation.

Another view to the south and towards Carbon Canyon.

Given that some of these latter facilities are not in Tonner Canyon but are in adjacent canyons and locations, it may be that, although Industry has purchased more of the Scouts property, some of the sites may still be used by the scouting organization.

It is said that Industry is looking to convert much of Tonner Canyon to water storage for city needs, but how much of an impact that could have on other uses of the reservation is not known.

A lengthy section of the winding trail is captured here.

As to the still-abundant swaths of oak and walnut woodland habitat, it is nice to see some amount of greenery, even though this winter has brought only a fraction (about 5 inches) of the deluges predicted because of the El Niño storm system.

It looks like there is a chance for some showers from Tuesday to Thursday in the coming week, but how much greener our hills will get is certainly not clear.

Just one of many old, spreading and majestic oaks in our local hills.

Of course, with the Hillcrest housing development of 76 units in process just north of Carbon Canyon east of Sleepy Hollow and with the specter of other projects looking including the Stonecrest property of 28 approved units near the summit in the Chino Hills portion, the pending hearings for the 107-unit Hidden Oaks south of the Canyon, and the appeal of the 162-unit Madrona project north of the canyon between Sleepy Hollow and Olinda Village, the long-term prognosis for the area is still very much in dispute.

An outstanding example of a grove of oaks along the trail.

For the time being, we should enjoy the beauty of what remains in Carbon Canyon while we still have what is still here.