Carbon Canyon Historical Artifact #59: A Postcard of a Bucolic Scene at St. Joseph's Hill of Hope, 1970s

Among the most popular posts on the blog over its 11-year history are a pair about the remarkable St. Joseph's Hill of Hope religious compound, nestled among the hills north of Carbon Canyon Road at the border of Orange and San Bernardino counties.

Disillusioned by the changes wrought by the Roman Catholic Church after the Vatican II or Second Vatican Council completed its work in 1965, Frances Krug announced two years later that she was visited by God, who revealed directions to her concerning how to return to the true faith.

One of these instructions was "that a basilica be built in honor of The Holy Trinity" and Krug, who died in 2009, proclaimed that "Heaven directed her to purchase 440 acres of land in Brea, California."  Further commands from "Heaven" required more structures so that the project became a "City of God," the title of a famous book by St. Augustine in the early days of Christianity.

A 1970s postcard published by the St. Joseph's Hill of Home religious community showing a portion of its 440-acre property near the San Bernardino and Orange counties line in Carbon Canyon.

Perhaps as a promotional vehicle for the building program at the Hill of Hope, postcards were published with photographs of the site.  As we close out the year, we feature one of them, printed in the 1970s by the Angelus Shop of Yorba Linda, and showing a beautiful bucolic scene with a dirt road winding through gently sloping hills and stands of mature oak trees.

The caption on the reverse states that the view is "reminiscent of the Holy Land and Biblical times" and that "this scene is similar to the road to Emmaus which Jesus traveled after His resurrection."  There is also a post office box in Anaheim for the curious to write to for more information.

Notably, the location of Emmaus has been in dispute ever since the account of the journey to it from Jerusalem was discussed in the Gospel According to Luke.  Just this past September, however, a team of French and Israeli archaeologists working west of Jerusalem near the town of Abu Ghosh and the hill of Kiriath Yearim offered the supposition that they'd found the town.  Because Luke identified Emmaus as 60 stadia from Jerusalem, this is about the 7 miles that separates the holy city from the archaeological site.

It is stated on the reverse that the Hill of Hope tract is "reminiscent of the Holy Land" and that the dirt road shown in the photo is similar to that Christ was said to have taken after his resurrection when going from Jerusalem to Emmaus, the location of which is in dispute.

An Israeli expert of ancient history stated that the leaders of the dig made a good case, though he added "it is a hypothesis and remains a hypothesis" and noted there are two other sites in close proximity that could have been Emmaus. 

Whether the Hill of Hope property bears any real resemblance to can be left to those who read the linked article above and see the photo showing Abu Ghosh and the Kiriath Yearim—albeit we're now two millenia removed from the time of Christ.

With 2019 ready to recede and 2020 poised to ascend, best wishes to everyone reading this for the New Year to come.

The Olinda Oil Field and Samuel C. Graham

In previous posts on this blog connected to the Olinda oil field, which was opened in 1897 with the successful completion of a well on the Santa Fe lease by famed oil tycoon Edward Doheny, mention has been made several times to one of the early firms to drill in the area: the Graham-Loftus firm with some biographical detail on the two principals: William Loftus and Samuel C. (Cam) Graham.

Last spring, Bruce Graham, a great-grandson of Samuel C. Graham, got in touch and sent some photos and additional information.  It only took about nine months to get this post together, but belated thanks are expressed to Bruce for sharing the photos.

"Cam" Graham was a native of Pennsylvania, born there in 1862 (a previous reference here stated 1861) two years after oil was found there and marked the beginnings of the American oil industry.  Graham was a pumper, tool dresser and driller in that state until he moved west to Los Angeles in 1888 (1882 was a date given on this blog before.)

Samuel C. (Cam) Graham.

Graham worked in the Santa Paula area for Torrey Canyon Oil Company initially and then for Union Oil, another early and later very prominent company, and married Mamie Hardison, a sister of a couple of the firm's founders.  When he and William Loftus, who also married a Hardison and worked closely with Graham in Torrey Canyon and Union, went into business together, Loftus lived on the Olinda land held by their company, while Graham lived in Los Angeles.

In his 1965 study Oil, Land and Politics, W.H. Hutchinson wrote that Graham and Loftus worked with Torrey Canyon head Thomas Bard, a powerful figure in Ventura County business and politics and a former United States Senator, on "an attractive power play" with an oil company controlled by the uber-wealthy James Flood of San Francisco and which had undeveloped property near Union in the Olinda area (commonly referred to as the Fullerton field in the early days).

Graham, Loftus, Bard and two others acquired the land for $10,000 and Bard offered his quarter share to Union for reasons unknown, though the company declined.  The new Graham-Loftus company immediately brought in a producing well, acquired more land, and did very well financially.

Graham on the Tapo oil property in eastern Ventura County, west of Santa Clarita and northeast of Simi Valley.

In addition to his work in oil, Graham, a former Los Angeles Police Commission member, was a significant figure in Progressive-era politics in Los Angeles, most notably serving as chairman of the committee that organized the recall of Mayor Arthur C. Harper (he resigned before the spring 1909 mayoral election).  Graham also headed a "Non-Partisan Committee of 100" which battled to reduce the influence of the mighty Southern Pacific railroad company in Los Angeles politics.  This led to the creation of the Lincoln Republican Clubs, which played a major role in reform activities.  Hutchinson and Martin Schiesl, in a fine article on Reform mayor George Alexander, who won the 1909 campaign and then reelection two years later, discuss Graham's role in Los Angeles politics.

As covered by William L. Kahrl in an interesting article on early 20th century water development and politics, Graham, who served on the Los Angeles Public Service Commission, proposed a plan to sell surplus water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct, an engineering marvel of its time which allowed for massive development in the region.  The plan, adopted by Los Angeles County voters in November 1912, allowed for nearby areas to buy this water at the rates charged by the City of Los Angeles, but it also provided for return of such supplies "whenever the public service desired" and rates could be raised to do so.

Graham's concept had the opposition of Aqueduct impresario, William Mulholland, the chief engineer for the city and Mulholland and his allies managed to get their plan, which called for surplus water buyers to have their own distribution systems, put on the ballot when it came time to vote for the bonds issues for the surplus matter.  Mulholland's side won the day in the April 1913 election.  With outlying areas practically unable to build their own distribution systems and needing water to survive, this allowed for the City of Los Angeles to embark on a massive annexation process that greatly enlarged the metropolis.  The Aqueduct then opened its water supply from Owens Valley in November 1913.

Graham with a grandson.

He was also a land developer, with one of his major projects being his service as treasurer of the Laguna Maywood Company, which developed the city of Maywood, southeast of Los Angeles.  In fact, he was said to be the "Father of Maywood."  His social connections, tied in with good government reformers, included being vice-president of The City Club in Los Angeles.

Graham contracted pneumonia on Christmas day 1933 and battled the illness for a month, succumbing to it in late January 1934.  His obituary in the Los Angeles Examiner stated that "in his business contacts he was noted for his kindly response to every request made upon him, even as was the case in his civic work."

Thanks again to Bruce for providing this further information and, especially this trio of photos, of a key figure in the development of the Olinda oil field, which is gradually ending its lifespan as we speak.

The Gaines and Brown Families of Carbon Canyon, Part 13: More Photos from the Flying Cow Ranch at Olinda

With thanks once more to Joyce Harrington for sharing photos of the Brown and Gaines families, who lived in the Carbon Canyon and Olinda areas for decades, here is another set of great images of scenes at the Flying Cow Ranch.

The ranch, established by Edward F. Gaines, was located where today's Olinda Village community is situated just outside the mouths of Carbon and Soquel canyons.  The Craftsman-style residence stood where the Hollydale Mobile Home Estates is on the south side of Carbon Canyon Road, while the majority of the ranch was north of the state highway.

The Craftsman-style house of the Gaines family's Flying Cow Ranch.  The site is now Hollydale Mobile Home Estates in Olinda Village, south of Carbon Canyon Road.  All photos are courtesy of Joyce Harrington.  Click on any to see them enlarged in a separate window.

As noted here before, Gaines lived in the community of Clearwater, so named because of the many artesian wells drilled in the area.  That hamlet, along with Hynes, were among the first in the region to experiment with sugar beets in the late 19th century, a crop that made Chino famous, as well. 

After the sugar beet era died out, Clearwater and Hynes, along with adjacent areas like Artesia and Cerritos, became the center of a massive and profitable dairy industry.  The region was regarded as "The Milk Shed of Los Angeles" and "The World's Largest Hay Market," as the growing of hay to feed the cows was an adjunct industry of significance. 

A hunting party at the Flying Cow.  The distinctive hill in the background is on the west end of the Olinda Village subdivision.

The dairy industry reigned supreme in the area until after World War II when massive immigration and large-scale suburban development rendered the land far more valuable for housing, commercial business and other uses.  The dairy farmers of Clearwater and Hynes, as well as neighboring communities, then headed inland to Chino and Ontario.  With developing spreading further into the Inland Empire, the dairies have been, are now and will continue to be leaving our region for greener pastures elsewhere.

Gaines, who lived from the 1870s to the 1950s, experienced the stunning transformations of life in the region from the late 19th century to the jet age and all of the technological and other innovations that went along with it. 

Ed Gaines' prized stagecoach, which he and a grandson restored and which was taken to parades and other events until it was destroyed in a September 1939 fire at the Flying Cow Ranch.

In many ways, he was a holdover from an earlier age, though, and his Flying Cow Ranch was a rural retreat where he hunted, kept horses and livestock, and stored his vintage stagecoach.  This latter was a particular pride and joy for Gaines, who took it to all kinds of public events and rode it as a reminder of pre-automobile days of transportation.  Sadly, a barn fire in 1939 killed some of Gaines' prized horses and destroyed the coach.

Having these photos provided by Joyce is a great way to document the history of Carbon Canyon and Olinda, especially as the oil wells at the latter are gradually being shut down and removed for more suburban development.

A view at the Flying Cow Ranch and which appears to look north into where most of the Olinda Village tract is now.

Check back again soon for more great historic images of the Gaines and Brown families of Carbon Canyon and Olinda, including the Olinda oil field and Olinda School.

David Purington Reminiscences of Carbon Canyon Rancher Fred Hiltscher

With thanks again to neighbors here in Sleepy Hollow who loaned a collection of material related to the community and the Canyon, this post presents a three-paged typed reminiscence of rancher Fred Hiltscher by David Purington, whose father Cleve and others established Sleepy Hollow in 1923.  Click on any one of the three images below to see them enlarged in a separate window for easier readibility.

Hiltscher has been discussed in this blog previously, but a little background will help with reading Purington's recollections.  Born in 1870 as the eldest of the five sons of August and Frederike, Hiltscher was raised in Austria until his family sailed from Hamburg, Germany in 1886 and settled in Orange County.

The Hiltschers settled near today's Orangethorpe Avenue and Euclid Street in west Fullerton, raising wine grapes, walnuts and apriccots before turning to oranges.  Members of the family later had a grove on Romneya Drive near West Street in Anaheim, as well.  Fred and his brother Maximilian were living in the Chino township in the 1900 census and it is likely that this was on a ranch purchased in Carbon Canyon a little east of where Sleepy Hollow was later established.  One of their neighbors was Andrew Friend, who has been mentioned in this blog, and whose family has raised cattle in this area for well over a century and still does in the Canyon today.

In the early 1900s, Fred and Max moved to Arizona where they pursued copper mining in the Prescott area and followed that with a project near Las Cruces, New Mexico.  While Max stayed at the latter, Fred returned to California by the early 1920s and, as Purington explained, had interests in the family grove in Anaheim, while living on his Carbon Canyon ranch during weekends.

A 1924 oil map previously featured on this blog shows a "J.M. Hiltscher" as owning property just east of the Orange County/San Bernardino County line, next to land held by Placentia orange grower Charles C. Wagner.  The year prior, Hiltscher sued Wagner for infringement of an unnamed type on his property.

By the 1930s, however, Hiltscher was residing full-time in the Canyon and he and Max also established a mineral springs resort in Sleepy Hollow just east of the Orange County line and south of Carbon Canyon Road, where Carbon Creek runs alongside the thoroughfare.  Known as Hiltscher Mineral Springs and then Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs, the resort looks to have operated during the 1930s and into the 1940s before closing.

Fred Hiltscher died in 1941 and is buried in a weed-choked cemetery in Hillsboro, a little community about 75 miles northwest of Las Cruces.

A couple of notes concerning elements of Purington's memories of Hiltscher.  The Sleepy Hollow community swimming pool was built right next to the creek in the middle of the neighborhood, a little east of the former Party House Liquor Store property and just west of the Purington residence (which, incidentally, is now for sale.)  It was fed with mineral water derived from the hot springs that fed the Hiltscher resort, as well.

Purington's statement that Hiltscher was educated at the famed Heidelberg University in Germany appears to be false, as he came to the United States when about sixteen years of age.  The country store in Sleepy Hollow looks to have been across from the Purington house where the parking area is for the Sleepy Hollow Community Center.

Finally, Purington's statement that Hiltscher "was killed by a falling rock in one of his mine shafts" did not likely happen in Arizona, but in New Mexico, because he and his brother transferred operations from the former to the latter and Hiltscher is buried in Hillsboro, as noted above.

This recollection is one of several of notable locals that Purington remembered from his youth and more of these will be shared in future posts.

La Vida Mineral Springs Property For Sale

The sign has been up for about a couple of months now, but only more recently has information been made available about the offering of the 36-acre La Vida Mineral Springs property on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon.

The property, which is two parcels, has long been owned by Tadayao Hata, a Tokyo businessman who owned a large therapeutic spa in Japan, where volcanic activity provides plenty of hot mineral springs and which has a long cultural tradition of using these for medicinal purposes. 

In the late 1990s, Hata submitted plans for a remaking of the La Vida property, the history of which dates back to the early days of oil prospecting at the nearby Olinda field.  It was said that oil drilling on the site led to the discovery of the springs, though it may be that the indigenous people knew of the existence of the mineral waters long before that.  It was reported that Hata was planning to spend up to $5 million rebuilding the hotel and remaking the spa, which would also include facials, massages and other services.

A circa late 1920s or early 1930s real photo postcard of the La Vida Mineral Springs resort.  Click on any image to see them enlarged in a separate window.  All are from the author's collection.  

In any case, by 1915, a small resort was in operation at La Vida and the enterprise grew in succeeding years, including the erection of cabins, the opening of a cafe, and the building of a hotel, the expansion of the soaking tubs that were the core of the buisness and, finally, the bottling of La Vida Mineral Water with several flavors.

Under the long tenure of one family, the resort stayed open for decades and was sold in 1974 to Leo Hayashi, who sold the site to Hata and was his manager for a period.  As times changed, the canyon being less remote, and then a fire broke out in 1988 that destroyed the hotel, all that was left was what was known as the La Vida Roadhouse, where live music was performed on weekends.  That, too, went away, by the early 2000s.

Hata's first plan for the property did not get beyond the planning stages and the property became weed-infested and overgrown.  The Freeway Complex fire of November 2008 burned nearly all the plant material off and, among other things, exposed the old pink-colored La Vida Mineral Springs tank perched on the side of the hill.

A 1940s color postcard of two gents playing badminton at the resort.

A few years back, my next-door neighbors told me that a Japanese-language newspaper had a report of new plans for a spa at the La Vida site and, not long after that, I spotted some well-dressed men standing next to some nice cars at the location.

Now comes the listing.  Though there is not a sale price shown, there is a well-designed web site by the realty firm, The Kondo Group, with drone video of the property and the tagline "Opportunity Awaits."  After pressing "Read More" and getting a summary of the history of La Vida, a "Read More Here" link takes you to the first post on La Vida from this blog, though a search can be made on the home page for many more posts on the resort and its fascinating history.

A tab marked "Waters" gives a brief description of the therapeutic properties of hot mineral water and a short reference to the bottling of La Vida Mineral Water, accompanied by some photos, including a couple from this blog.

Judging by the cars, this looks to be an early 1960s postcard of La Vida.

The "Opportunities" tab has a few site photos, but, more interestingly, includes images of site and floor plans and drawings of a new resort there.  They include a pair of two-story hotel buildings totaling over 12,000 square feet, the spa building of just under 10,500 square feet, a restaurant of a little below 1,900 square feet, a reception room, an office, and a little more than 150 parking spaces.  All of this looks to be clustered at the west end of the parcel.

The five hotel room plans show spacious, Japanese-style spaces ranging from 360 to 650 square feet and occupancy from two to four persons.  All contain outdoor decks of various sizes and, in keeping with Japanese tradition, they also have a tatami space, which might be seen as an analog to a living room.  Traditionally, these were used in Japanese homes to entertain visitors, serve ceremonial tea, contains a religious altar and, in more modern times, be used for meditation and yoga.  Images show spartan but fine furnishings appropriate to the style.

A "New Building Plan & Image" at the bottom shows a view of what the facility would look like from across Carbon Canyon Road and the effect is a very traditional Japanese arrangement of the clustered buildings a roofed entrance and walls around the compound with landscaping that, of course, would also feature Japanese-inspired plantings and hardscape.

Another Sixties postcard, this one showing one of the pools built on a terraced hillside above the motel.

The tagline in this section is "Dare to Dream" and a link goes to a website showing the City of Brea's zoning code, though there is a Carbon Canyon Specific Plan ordinance, as well.  Regardless of whether the spa that is shown on the website is allowed under these plans and codes, there is the practical considerations of whether such a facility would even have a chance of being successful were it built.

It will certainly be interesting to see what transpires with the La Vida property and, if it is purchased what could be done with it that would meet the criteria of the specific plan and codes and be commercially viable.

To see more of the listing, here is a link to the La Vida web site..

Recent Carbon Canyon News from the Champion

In the last couple of issues of the Chino/Chino Hills Champion, there have been some noteworthy items of news relating to the Chino Hills portion of Carbon Canyon.

Last week's edition of 25 October, featured a front-page article by Marianne Napoles concerning three older properties and upcoming changes regarding them.  A 2.6-acre property that Napoles noted has been called "The Haze" since the 1970s and which is off Canyon Hills Road just north of Carbon Canyon Road and behind the Circle K convenience store was sold.  

John Klavins owned the property since 1962 and died two years ago and his heirs sold the parcel to Alchemy Acquisitions, LLC this past July.  Napoles reported that the firm has been engaged in cleaning of the property, though nothing was said about future plans.  She did note that the zoning is low density residential, allowing no more than eight housing units.

The photos here are a sample of incidents in the last several weeks where drivers have drifted from Carbon Canyon Road and damaged guardails, signs and fences along the state highway.  Click on any image to see them enlarged in a separate window.

What was not stated in the article, likely for reasons of available space, was that Klavins acquired the property when it was being used as a social club under several names.  The first was Club El Circulo, which was opened by the Olinda Development Corporation in August 1961 and lasted until about spring 1964.  

Then, the same company opened the Canyon Hills Swim and Saddle Club, with Olinda's subsidiary the Circle C [get it?  El Circulo?] Development Company as manager, with the new version opening in July 1964.  Soon, however, there was another change and the facility was rechristened as the Canyon Hills Country Club, apparently during 1965.

The following year came another transformation as the site was repurposed into the strange novelty known as Ski Villa, in which club buildings were turned into offices and other uses while, across Canyon Hills Road, the steep hillside was carved out into a ski slope with a concrete base with plastic tiles with needles on them affixed to the base.  Though the oddity got some wide coverage, including in Sports Illustrated, during 1966, it only lasted a season.

A Carbon Canyon Country Club followed and operated in the late Sixties before "The Purple Haze" came on to the scene for a few years around the early Seventies.  Klavins then maintained the existing structures for residential uses over many years until he passed in 2017.

Those buildings, however, predated all of these variations and before Klavins' purchase.  For thirty years, the site was the Camp Kinder Ring, operated by the Arbeter Ring of the Workmen's Circle, a left-leaning Jewish organization that sill exists in Los Angeles.  Established in 1928, the facility was solely for children in its early years, though it became an all-ages camp later.  

By 1958, with changes in the organization and its community, as well as unreliable water sources in the Canyon, the Workmen's Circle sold the property.  A devastating fire broke out shortly thereafter and ravaged much of the property.  Klavins then acquired the section where many of the remaining structures from the Camp Kinder Ring period and then reused by the various clubs during the 1960s remain today—though for how much longer remains to be seen.

This blog has many posts related to the history of the property and these can be viewed by putting in the several names (Camp Kinder Ring, El Circulo, Ski Villa, etc.) into the search bar at the right of the main page.

Napoles' article also mentioned the red-tagged apartments at the east end of Sleepy Hollow, south of Carbon Canyon Road.  The eight units are situated where the was once a store along the road and a two-story home for the family remains at the rear of the parcel.  In the 1970s, the property was owned by the Norris family and, in the 1990s, Fred Gentry operated the store there. 

The place were shuttered in January because of health and safety code violations and the owner retained an architect to revamp the units to current standards.  Work was fairly consistent for a period, though it now seems very sporadic.  There was no response from the owner or the City of Chino Hills on requests by the paper for updates.

Finally, another historic structure was featured in the piece.  What was last operated as the Canyon Market and before that was a store and gas station under many names over the decades, including Party House Liquor #2 (the first was on Chino Hills Parkway at Pipeline Avenue until recently), Ichabod's and Joe Tatar's, has been purchased the City of Chino Hills.  

The store property is on a little over an acre, while an adjacent undeveloped three-acre tract is already owned by the City along Carbon [Canyon] Creek.  Long advocated by council member Ray Marquez, the parcel is being considered for relocation of the Sleepy Hollow Community Center, which has been on a former community center and volunteer fire house off Rosemary Lane to the east for over fifteen years, or for other community uses.  Marquez stated that community meetings will be held to solicit input on the property's future.

Today's edition of the Champion contains the news that a man's body was found in Carbon [Canyon] Creek adjacent to the former liquor store site.  A call was made Thursday afternoon and the incident was obviously still under investigation by press time. The Chino Hills Police Department is asking for anyone with information to call 909.364.2000.  Notably, this is not the first time bodies have been found in that area.

In the "Community News" section is a reader-submitted photo of a damaged guardrail on the S-curve east of the summit along Carbon Canyon Road with the caption observing that this section, recently replaced during the ongoing rehabilitation project for State Route 142, has been hit twice recently by eastbound drivers speeding downhill and crossing the westbound lane before crushing the rail.

While this blog used to be very active in reporting such incidents, social media platforms of various types tend to be faster in posting and sharing this information, so less has been done here in noting these activities.  There, however, have been more incidents than just this one in recent weeks, including on the Chino Hills side:

• A 50mph sign flattened on the highway east of Old Carbon Canyon Road.
• More signs damaged on the S-curve, including at the summit and the first curve just east of it.
• A section of fence at a private home in Sleepy Hollow demolished (this property has had this happen several times over the years.)

And, on the Brea portion:

• A guardrail end crushed by a wastbound driver who crossed the eastbound lane to hit that object and another guardrail "nudged" near the San Bernardino County line in the same direction.
• Two advisory speed signs just east of the Chino Hills State Park Discovery Center,
• A car that plowed through the recently erected chainlink fence at the former La Vida Mineral Springs property.
• Two spots where eastbound vehicles skidded off the road and hit the embankment on the south side of the highway leaving undercarriage pieces and other debris.

There are undoubtedly more incidents and, as has been noted here many times over eleven years, dangerous driving is a frequent occurrence, especially weekend evenings.  Moreover, CalTrans is deliberating on whether to ban trucks over 50-feet in length on the highway.  Twice in October, school buses had to either stop or pull over where there is virtually no shoulder, to make way for big rigs that crossed the yellow divider and into the opposing lane to try and negotiate the S-curve.

While many needed improvements have been made in the Carbon Canyon Road rehabilitation project to try and improve safety, the smashing of guardrails and signs, as well as some private property, and continuing reckless driving are, once again, reminders that a consistent, on-going patrol presence is needed if any expectation of reducing dangerous driving is to be met.

Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council Trunk or Treat Today

The Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, which was launched in 2001 to advocate for better protection of the canyon in the event of wildfires and involves individuals and public agencies in Chino Hills and Brea, as well as the state's CalFire agency, is holding its second annual Trunk-or Treat event this afternoon.


Come out to his free event at Western Hills Country Club on Carbon Canyon Road and Fairway Drive in the Chino Hills portion of the Canyon from 3-5 p.m. for a special appearance of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, who has been mystifying and electrifying Americans since Washington Irving's story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was published in 1820.

There will also be a Halloween costume contest for children, hot dogs, games, vehicles from the Chino Valley Fire District and much more.  Visitors are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes, decorate their vehicles, and bring candy and prizes to share with others.  This event is one of several ways the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council promotes wildfire safety awareness, so we hope to see you there!

Updated Hills for Everyone Wildfire Study Released

The remarkable Hills for Everyone organization, which has done so much to protect and preserve open space, parkland, and wildlife corridors in this area for decades, has provided another great service recently, especially as a major wildfire has blazed through the Porter Ranch area of the foothills of the northern San Fernando Valley.

After the 2008 Freeway Complex fire, which raced through much of Carbon Canyon, especially the Brea portion, Hills for Everyone engaged in a study of wildfire history in the region.  With increasing activity in an era of rapidly growing climate change, the group revised its study and the results were released and reported upon in today's Champion.

Most striking, in the piece by Marianne Napoles, is that fires have exploded by 50% in the last several years compared to nearly a century prior to 2012.  The data goes back to 1914 and the study shows that over 150 blazes were documented (though there may have been more, especially in earlier years, that were not.)

Of these, only two were known to be from natural causes, that is, lightning strikes, with the rest caused by human activity, principally from arson, automobiles, and fireworks.  Most of them, it was noted, were small and easily contained and extinguished.  The most common months for conflagrations were July, September and October (Santa Ana wind conditions being prevalent in the latter two.)

Significantly, two major hot spots for these fires were identified.  One is the 91 Freeway corridor through Santa Ana Canyon, where the narrowness of the passage of the state highway through that area in proximity to wildlands and large numbers of homes built in recent decades is a significant aspect.

The other is Carbon Canyon, where State Route 142 (Carbon Canyon Road) winds through and has become a significant commuter alternative to the 91 and 57 freeways entering Orange County.  There is a wider section with much more housing on the San Bernardino County portion of the Canyon through Chino Hills.  The more sparsely populated area of the Canyon in Orange County through Brea is far more narrow and wildland-adjacent with communities like Olinda Village/Hollydale just outside the narrowest portion.

Finally, the report has many recommendations for improving fire protection for the area of study, including more careful vetting of proposed housing projects; a more robust system for fining violators of codes, ordinances and laws that affect fire safety; a more vigrorous fire watch system of patrols of area prone to greater risk during wildfires; better construction of new houses and improves for older ones pertaining to attic vents, closed eaves and the like; improvements to the highways from which some fires start; and, very importantly, these days, given new power shutoff policies, improvements with power line maintenance.

For more on this important study, here is the link to the Hills for Everyone page.

11-Home Carbon Canyon Housing Project Extension Rejected

As reported by the Champion a couple of days ago, the Chino Hills City Council rejected another extension for an approved 11-home project in Carbon Canyon.

Nestled next to the Carriage Hills community off Old Carbon Canyon Road, the project, promoted by Everbright International, LLC, already had a three-year extension granted in 2016 as problems in pushing the project forward developed.  Notably, no representatives appeared for the meeting,

The company sought a new two-year extension, but this was turned down by a 3-1-1 vote, with council member Ray Marquez abstaining because of a requirement concerning his living within a 500' proximity to the project. 

Mayor Cynthia Moran voted for the extension, stating that she was concerned that otherwise the city could lose any leverage it would have on a future proposal for the site.  She particularly expressed concern about the state's aggressive push for more housing, an issue that is definitely in the forefront for any new development projects being brought to cities.

This was a very small project with little impact on the Canyon compared to, say, the Hidden Oaks project east of Sleepy Hollow and which is moving forward, but, as Mayor Moran noted, something else may well be brought forward for the slightly less than 7 acre parcel.

Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council Brush Drop Off Results

The weather is cooling down, it's cloudy this morning, and there is a chance of showers in the forecast for tomorrow.

But, we know that the fall Santa Ana wind season is coming, raising the threat of wildland fire in the Carbon Canyon area, including the possible shutting down of power by Southern California Edison.

When hot, heavy winds blow, temperatures rise, and humidity plummets, these are the conditions that are most worrisome for a blaze, so these are prime reasons why, every fall, the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council hosts a brush drop-off from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. so that residents of the Chino Hills portion of Carbon Canyon can clear their properties of flammable plant material and bring these to the spot on Canon Lane, near Fire Station 4.

Local residents unload brush into a roll-off bin during last weekend's brush drop off service coordinated by the Carbon Canyon with the City of Chino Hills paying for roll-off bins supplied by Chino Hills (Republic) Disposal.

There a trio of Council volunteers assisted in off-loading, piling and packing brush and other matter into a pair of large roll-off bins supplied by Chino Hills (Republic) Disposal, thanks to the support of the City of Chino Hills, which pays for the bins.

It was pretty busy in the early hours of the event and the first bin was filled within 1 1/2 hours.  Normally, a second bin is on stand-by and then brought in at 9:30, but two bins were dropped off, so we were able to move right on to loading the second bin with less delay than normal.

The second bin wasn't quite full, but, by the time 1 p.m. rolled around, there was an estimated 5,000 pounds of plant material dropped off.  This is a modest contribution to reducing flammable material susceptible to burning in a wildland fire, but every little bit helps.

The first and full roll-off bin being taken away and the second being readied.  Roughly 5,000 pounds of flammable plant material was dropped off during the morning.

The next brush drop off will be in late April or thereabouts, so we hope that residents of the Chino Hills side of the Canyon will take advantage of this service and utilize it in the spring.

Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council Brush Drop Off This Saturday!

As we gear up for the fall, one of the most important fire-protection activities a property owner can do is the removal of brush to help lower the chances of a blaze doing significant damage to a house and other structures.

This is especially true during Santa Ana wind events when temperatures rise, humidity plummets and strong winds blow, particularly in places like Carbon Canyon.

So, this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, which has done much important coordination with programs to reduce the risk of wild-land fires, is offering its fall brush drop-off program.

Bring your newly cut brush to the location on Canon Lane, north of Carbon Canyon Road, adjacent to Fire Station #4 and volunteers from the Council will assist in unloading and placing the material in a roll-off bin provided by Chino Hills Disposal through a donation by the City of Chino Hills.

This program is limited to Carbon Canyon residents on the Chino Hills side only.  Hope to see you there as we work to minimize the risks and effects of fire in our canyon!

Chino Hills Historical Society Talk Tonight!

Tonight at 7 p.m. is the Chino Hills Historical Society sponsored presentation on Albert W. Harris and his Arabian horse breeding ranch in what became the City of Chino Hills.  Hope to see you at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High School, for the talk!

Carbon Canyon Car Accident

UPDATE, 5:40 P.M.: One lane will be open at a time until the disable vehicle is cleared off the road.  The estimate to reopen is 6 p.m.

Just a few minutes ago I passed an accident on eastbound Carbon Canyon Road in Sleepy Hollow.  A sedan crashed into the side of the state highway and the airbags were deployed and the front end smashed in.

Expect a partial or full closure of the road and more information will posted as available.

Chino Hills History Talk on 9 September

The Chino Hills Historical Society's next event is Monday, 9 September at 7 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center and features a talk on Chicago financier Albert W. Harris' Anazel Ranch, a 170-acre property for Arabian horse breeding just west of Los Serranos Country Club.

Harris, who ran one of Chicago's biggest banks, was said to be the first American to breed Arabian horses, starting with his Kemah Farm in Wisconsin.  After visiting Los Angeles, Harris was taken with the growing city and region and even organized and carried out an oxen-led covered wagon trip for the City of Angels to his Wisconsin horse ranch in 1911.

Click on the image to see it enlarged in a separate window.

Not long after Will Keith Kellogg, the Michigan cereal magnate, purchased land west of Pomona to breed horses—this now being the location of Cal Poly Pomona—Harris acquired 170 acres in 1927 from the Chino Land and Water Company, said to be the last major sale of Rancho Santa Ana del Chino land, and established Anazel Ranch to breed his prized Arabians.

Harris expended a large sum to build an expansive ranch house, barns, stables, workers' quarters and other outbuildings and maintained the ranch for about a quarter century.  Nationally known for his breeding, Harris wrote extensively about Arabian horses and held leadership positions with national associations for the breed.  Several years after selling Anazel to Paul Greening, who became one of Chino Hills' major landowners and developers, Harris died at age 91 in 1958.

Attached here is the Society's press release and hope to see you there.

Carbon Canyon Road Closure

UPDATE: 7:57 A.M. The road was reopened about 7:30, looks like a truck rolled onto its side, but all clear.

Sirens were heard about ten minutes ago east of Sleepy Hollow and no traffic is seen on Carbon Canyon Road, so it looks like there is a full closure due to a traffic accident.  Updates will be posted when available.

On The Skids and Off the Rails in Carbon Canyon

As noted here before, it's great to see the work CalTrans District 8 is putting into improving Carbon Canyon Road (State Route 142), including repaving, better drainage, new and replaced guardrails, and new signage.

It has often been pointed out on this blog, however, that, needed as these measures are, dangerous driving in the canyon, which is consistent particularly on weekend evenings, will often not be materially affected by these.

Recognizing funding and staffing, there has to be more of a physical presence by law enforcement personnel if any mitigation in behavior is to happen.  Meetings with a Carbon Canyon committee included discussion of more California Highway Patrol patrols, but there apparently is a lack of staffing and funding for that entity.  When I attended a presentation from a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department official recently, he told the group that there was difficulty in recruiting deputies--whether this is the same for San Bernardino County is not known.

Basically, instances of dangerous driving in the canyon are still regular and concerning.  Official crash statistics are not going to always reflect this, particularly if incidents are not reported, which presumably many, if not most, aren't, especially if the vehicle crashes into guardrails, signs and other objects and can drive off.

In the last several days, there are at least three more incidents that have taken place, demonstrating the continuing problem.  At the middle of the S-curve at the summit in Chino Hills, one of the two or three most common locations for problems, signs, including a new one, have again been hit and damaged.

Just to the west, as the approach to the summit is made at Carriage Hills Road, a car took the first curve there too fast, skidded off the road, tore up some grass along the side of the highway and kept on going.

Then, as noted here last week, a vehicle racing through Sleepy Hollow took a curve too quickly, overcompensated, bounced off a guardrail, crossed lanes and was hit by another car coming in the opposite direction, with more guardrail damage caused in the collision.

All three incidents were caused by drivers going eastbound, as was another fairly recent incident in which a vehicle on the Brea side skidded off a curve, crossed lanes, and plowed through newly installed chain link fence at the old La Vida Mineral Springs property.

Although there was an injury in the Sleepy Hollow wreck, or, at least, an ambulance was on scene, most of the dangerous driving incidents in the Canyon don't involve casualties, but the risk is always there.  It does seem as if more of an effort could be made to have regular patrols, particularly on weekend evenings, so that drivers know there is a possibility that enforcement will take place.

Otherwise, we'll continue to live with regular speeding and risky driving (it happens virtually every night as can be heard by those of us who live on the road) through our neighborhoods and hope that the damage is limited to physical objects and not more people.

Paradise Ranch Project Proposed in Carbon Canyon

Today's Champion reports that an Irvine developer has submitted a proposal to build 45 houses on 85 acres on a ranch between the Oak Tree Downs and Hillcrest developments in the Chino Hills portion of Carbon Canyon.

The ranch, which was profiled here some years ago, is owned by the Gentile family and there are houses, outbuildings, horses and other animals on it.  The project, now called Paradise Ranch, is being developed by The True Life Companies, formed in 2010 with offices in Denver, San Ramon, Sacramento, and Irvine and which states that its mission is "to create desirable communities in high-need markets" and to do so involves "tireless enthusiasm for consensus building, collaboration and American values."  There are projects underway in Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley cities of Milpitas and Santa Clara.

As for Paradise Ranch, because of the 2016 city ordinance on clustering units on ranch properties for the purposes of preserving natural open space and protecting habitats.  A member of the Gentile family spoke at meetings for the development of the ordinance saying it was welcomed because developers previously approached the family to do traditional projects that would "tear and cut the land."  Another family member indicated that the remaining open space could be dedicated to equestrian use and trails.

The clustered lots would be on the flat portion of the ranch at its northeast corner, where the main ranch house, outbuildings, stalls and pens are situated, this section comprised of about 17 acres or 20% of the ranch.  Access would be from just outside the gates of Oak Tree Downs.  True Life's Southern California Regional Director Rob Fitton said the company pledged to have the project be compatible with the neighborhood and environmentally sensitive, while engaging in community outreach..

Lot sizes are projected to range from the city-mandated minimum of 7,200 up to 18,000 square feet with house sizes of 3,200 to 4,000 square feet.  These parameters are more in line with Hillcrest, the project to the south on former lands of the Jewish-owned Camp Kinder Ring (which operated from 1928-1958 followed by a succession of social clubs and remnants of which are on the horse ranch across Canyon Hills Drive) that has experienced slow sales.

The article ends with the statement that a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review is to be conducted (unlike with Hillcrest, which bypassed that because of a negative declaration that allowed that project to be approved and then not built for some 30 years).

Still, the immense pressure the State of California is putting on cities to build more housing along with the existing massive loopholes and local government discretion afforded by CEQA means that this project is all but certain to be approved.

As the Champion article by Marianne Napoles indicates, the Hidden Oaks project across Carbon Canyon Road from Paradise Ranch and Hillcrest is moving along in its application and the recent decision by developer K.V. Kumar and associates to reduce the units, also clustered, from 107 to 53 also will make it far easier for the City to approve the project.

It bears remembering, however, that the Stonecrest project of 28 units east of Western Hills Country Club and just below the Summit is approved, though the land was recently for sale.  Moreover, Western Hills has also been offered for sale and the decline in interest in golf has led to the purchase of courses by developers aiming to rezone the properties for development.  Today's Champion has a piece about the ongoing battle with the closed Vellano Country Club in the city.

So, more homes continue to be proposed and approved for the Canyon.  State pressure adds to the likelihood of successful applications.  Yet, for all the emphasis the state puts on housing, what about the infrastructure needed to support these residences.  Where will the water come from?  Where will needed infrastructure funds come from? 

Roads and freeways continue to become more congested and Carbon Canyon Road, a state highway, will always be a two-lane thoroughfare.  With canyon and, especially, inland development increasing, traffic volumes will grow by leaps and bounds.  Improved mass transit could help, but this has been at a snail's pace relative to growth and most people remain wedded, for whatever reasons (legitimate and otherwise) to single-passenger commuting.  A traffic signal at Canyon Hills and Carbon Canyon to allow residents of Oak Tree, Hillcrest, and the future Hidden Oaks and Paradise Ranch projects to access the road is purported to help traffic flow, but we'll see.

Let's not forget the fire risk.  Climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of blazes in the urban/wildland interface and, while local agencies have worked to become more agile and proactive, this threat, now year-round, is still daunting.

To sum up, Paradise Ranch will almost certainly be approved.  Pending the economy and real estate market, it could be built within a few years, as could Hidden Oaks, adding just under 100 houses (and several hundred people and cars) in a compact area of the Canyon.  This isn't like the 1970s when the first phase of Summit Ranch was built, or the 1980s when its second phase and when Oak Tree Downs was developed, or the early Nineties when Carriage Hills went in. 

Carbon Canyon Road could handle those developments, while inland building was limited.  Water supplies were adequate.  Climate change hadn't yet worsened fire risk.  Conditions have clearly changed.  Our approach to housing has not, especially as the state is pushing for housing, but not, evidently, looking at infrastructure in conjunction as it should. 

Carbon Canyon Road Full Closure

UPDATE, 7:20 P.M.: The road is open.

Carbon Canyon Road has been fully closed for about a half hour due to a two-vehicle collision in Sleepy Hollow near the old Party House Liquor Store.

A neighbor who lives next to the scene said an eastbound car took a curve too fast, skidded into the guardrail and into the opposing lane where a westbound vehicle hit it.  Evidently, an ambulance is on scene, as are tow trucks.

It is estimated the closure could last about another half-hour according to City of Chino Hills alerts.

The Gaines and Brown Families of Carbon Canyon, Part 12: A Trio of Photos at the Olinda Oil Field

Joyce Harrington, a descendant of the family of Edward F. Gaines and Fannie Atwater, who owned by the Flying Cow Ranch where Olinda Village and the Hollydale Mobile Home Estates are today, as well as from the Brown family who lived and worked in the Olinda oil field, generously provided access to hundreds of photos of both families.

This is the twelfth post in the series sharing these photos on the blog and comprises a trio of images of workers at the oil field, which was opened in 1897 after Edward Doheny, who with Charles Canfield brought in the celebrated Los Angeles field west of downtown, developed a partnership with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad to drill for oil on the Olinda Ranch.

This great image shows, from left to right, Andy Lyle, Earl Brown, a man listed only as Kramer, and Foster Norton at an oil well site in Olinda in 1910.

Railroads were in the process of transitioning to petroleum fuels and the Santa Fe had a line running through north Orange County along modern Orangethorpe Avenue, so prospectiing for oil in the hills at the north end of the Olinda Ranch and following geological traces from the Whittier and Puente fields to the west led to success. 

In fact, the first well brought on to production at Olinda is still operating today as part of the Olinda Oil Museum in the midst of the Olinda Ranch subdivision just north of Carbon Canyon Road.  From there, companies flocked to the field to search for black gold.  As noted, there was a substantial population of workers and their families mostly living in company-owned houses throughout the field.  Stores and a fine grammar school were part of the general Olinda community, though as the automobile became more affordable, people began to move to nearby towns away from the noises and smells of the field.

In this snapshot, Earle Brown is doing a little clowning around at the well site.  With such difficult, dirty work, there must obviously have been a lot of humor displayed at Olinda!

There were some people, though, who continued to reside in the field even when most moved away, so that Olinda School continued to operate into the very early 1960s.  Finally, the school closed and a new Olinda Elementary School was built in the Olinda Village subdivison on the former Flying Cow Ranch.  The old school site, near the Carbon Canyon Dam, which was completed in 1961, later became part of Carbon Canyon Regional Park, opened in 1975.

With regard to the oil wells, they've gradually been shut down, disassembled and capped in recent decades, replaced mainly by housing developments, and those that remain will not do so for long.  As noted here recently, a proposal to build a large number of homes on land on both sides of Valencia Avenue north of Rose Drive/Birch Street and both sides of Lambert Road west of Carbon Canyon is in the works.

This is a particularly interesting image of seventeen well-dressed gents with a train and presumably this was the celebration of the arrival of the first train to use the Santa Fe spur line from Atwood to Olinda.  Although there are numbers with the men for identification, there was no list provided.

It won't be too many years from now that the only visual remainder of the oil industry at Olinda, where petroleum prospecting was launched in Orange County over 120 years ago, will be at the oil museum.  Photos like these help preserve that history for those who won't otherwise have a direct visual reference to what transpired at Olinda.

Look soon for the thirteenth part of this series of great images, courtesy of Joyce, from the Brown and Gaines families at Carbon Canyon.

Off the Rails on Carbon Canyon Road

It's a shame to see these shiny new guardrails and then have one of them, just weeks after installation as part of the ongoing rehabilitation of Carbon Canyon Road (State Route 142), get christened by an errant driver.

This took place westbound between Canon Lane and Canyon Hills Road and clearly took place at high speed, judging by the impact which left the end of the rail look like a fruit roll.

About a week prior to that, the taller directional and suggested speed sign on the middle of the S-curve at the summit to the east got its "ankle" broken clean and the bollard to the right of it, reinstalled next to the power pole there and which has been hit as many times as the sign, was also bent back by the collision.  This was just a few days after two of the three arrow signs put up by CalTrans as part of the current project to provide more advice on how to drive on the curve were flattened.

Finally, and this goes back a few weeks, the new fencing put up by the owner of the historic La Vida Mineral Springs property on the Brea side, also was welcomed to the neighborhood by a driver heading eastbound who obviously took a curve there too quickly, skidded across the westbound lane (fortunately no one was driving that way) and mowed down a good section of the fencing.  Late last week, workers were out putting up new sections.

So, while it is good to see improvements like signs, rails, reflectors and the like, dangerous driving, mostly on weekend evenings, is still a common occurrence, and likely will not diminish without some kind of patrolling.

Sleepy Hollow Little Free Library Opens!

A resident of Sleepy Hollow has created Little Free Library, a concept many of us have seen in neighborhoods and which has become very popular in recent years.

Not only is there a cabinet on a wooden barrel for books to be borrowed and left, but the area, just off Rosemary Lane near the county line, has been improved with mulch, some plants, and hand-painted signs.

This makes the Little Free Library a really attractive space as well as a community benefit.  Hopefully, it will be regularly used both by donors and borrowers.

Thanks to whoever put this together!

Carbon Canyon Road Brush Clearance Work Next Week

The annual brush clearance work done along Carbon Canyon Road (State Route 142) by District 8 of CalTrans will take place next week.

The flyer shown here explains that work will happen from Monday the 10th through Wednesday the 12th in both directions from Chino Hills Parkway to the Orange County line.

Work will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and there will be one-way flagging.  CalTrans asks drivers to remember to reduce speed when approaching work zones and that delays are expected.

Signs Point To . . . No

Well, that didn't take long and it doesn't take a Magic 8 ball to know why. 

It was just a few weeks ago that three shiny, new signs were put at the center level of the S-curve at the summit along Carbon Canyon Road in Chino Hills as part of the months-long rehabilitation project of State Route 142.

The signs, in reflective yellow, are meant to remind drivers to watch the curve and head to the left to continue the descent down the summit.  As many of us know from regular driving of this section of the state highway and as this blog has shown repeatedly over the last decade or so, this curve is among the two or three most common spot for exhibitions of errancy by drivers.

So, it was hardly a surprise to see yesterday morning while heading east to see two of the three signs pulverized by a vehicle.  Obviously, this happened over the weekend, probably late at night, possibly as a result of chemical impairment and/or speed.

New directional signs placed during ongoing rehabilitation work on the S-curve at the summit along Carbon Canyon Road lasted just a few weeks before being plowed down over the weekend.

As has been stated here before, signs are obviously necessary for our roads and highways, but, on Carbon Canyon Road and especially in spots like the S-curve, there is consistent dangerous driving that leads to accidents like this that show that signs are not enough if we want to mitigate these behaviors.

Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, there aren't injuries, or at least major ones, and fatalities continue to be rare, but how much of these crashes are matter of circumstance where it could have been a lot worse if there had been a slight change in behavior?

There has been talk in recent meetings concerning Carbon Canyon Road of more enforcement by the Sheriff's Department and the CHP, though the latter seems chronically underfunded and the former appears to be only out on the state highway on very rare occasions.

All of the improvements that have been and will be implemented on the highway are welcomed and needed, but signs can never be as effective as patrols, and it is hoped that the ongoing record showing regular dangerous driving on Carbon Canyon Road will lead to more consideration of this fact.

Carbon Canyon Road Improvements in Sleepy Hollow

Slowly, but steadily, the months-long rehabilitation project by CalTrans District 8 to improve Carbon Canyon Road (State Route 142), moves along, despite the closure of the road last week because of a gas line break near the Summit Ranch community in Chino Hills.

So far, the bulk of the work has focused on drainage, reflectors and new guardrails along the project area, spanning from the Orange County line in Sleepy Hollow to the highway's eastern terminus on Chino Hills Parkway at the 71 Freeway.

Installed in rapid precision by crews overnight, a few hundred feet of shiny, new guardrails were installed along the westbound lane of Carbon Canyon Road (State Route 142) as part of a months-long rehabilitation project.

Last night, work in Sleepy Hollow was bright (with powerful lighting to assist workers) and noisy (as power tools were in prominent use), but crews worked very quickly to install a few hundred feet or so of new, shiny guardrails on the westbound side of the road where there is a steep slope dropping down to Carbon [Canyon] Creek.

Of course, the thinking behind installing the rails was to prevent vehicles from careening over the side of the road and down the embankment, but it is also possible that drivers may wind up bouncing off the rail and into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lane.  Bad as it would be to have a single-vehicle accident with someone going over the side of the highway, it may well be a lot worse to have a head-in collision or something like it between two or more vehicles.

More updates will be provided as major elements to the project are completed.

Carbon Canyon Road Closed

UPDATE, 15 May, 9:30 A.M.  While there are no alert updates, SoCal Gas estimates that repairs on the broken gas line, confirmed to have been caused by a third-party contractor working on Carbon Canyon Road, will be completed about 1 p.m. today.  Meanwhile, one lane is open with flagging operations until the work is done.

UPDATE, 11:54 P.M.  A half-hour or so ago, an update was given saying that Carbon Canyon Road will be open one lane at a time with flagging operations starting at 5 a.m. until the repairs to the gas line are finished.  Commuters are being asked to take alternate routes (such as they are!) and allow locals access, but delays should be expected.  There is no estimate right now on a complete reopening.

UPDATE, 6:15 P.M.  A few minutes ago, a revised notice came out saying that Carbon Canyon Road is closed UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE as repairs to a broken gas line continue near Feldspar Drive where the Summit Ranch community is located.  Access is to Azurite Drive and Old Carbon Canyon Road from the Brea side only.

UPDATE, 4:50 P.M.: No change to the estimate of AT LEAST 6 p.m. regarding the closure of Carbon Canyon Road.  This article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin notes that the rupture was caused by CalTrans crews working on the state highway.

UPDATE, 10:15 A.M.:  About 45 minutes ago, an update was provided that Carbon Canyon Road will now remain closed until AT LEAST 6 p.m. because of the gas line break.  Carbon Canyon residents will be able to access the road from the Brea side, however, through Azurite Drive.

A gas leak has led to the closure of Carbon Canyon Road from Chino Hills Parkway to Azurite Drive at Summit Ranch until Noon today, though the first message late last night stated the closure would only be for a few hours.  Updates to be added as made available.