arUNDOING in Sleepy Hollow

A worker down along Carbon [Canyon] Creek works on removing the dreaded arundo donax.  All photos by Ron Nadeau.

The Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, contracting with the Santa Ana Watershed Authority, has embarked on another project to remove arundo donax, the highly-flammable and very invasive Asian bamboo that has been very aggressively growing along Carbon [Canyon] Creek in recent years.

Although large sections of arundo were burned to the ground in the Novemebr 2008 Freeway Complex Fire and then treated by SAWA when the opportunity to deal with the roots of the plant, sections that were spared from the fire, mainly on the San Bernardino County portion of the canyon, continued to thrive.

The work site to remove arundo along Carbon [Canyon] Creek is at the west end of Sleepy Hollow, south of Carbon Canyon Road.

So, this latest attack on arundo is centered on the western end of Sleepy Hollow just where the creek goes from the north side of Carbon Canyon Road to the east.  Permission was granted by some property owners to get to the arundo and coordination was made with the City of Chino Hills for a roll-off bin to haul away the removed material.

Thanks to Ron Nadeau, long-time Sleepy Hollow resident and Fire Safe Council stalwart, for organizing this project; to the city for its efforts; to SAWA for coordinating the work; and to the local property owners for their assistance.

A roll-off bin is loaded with removed arundo from the creek.

Mitigating the presence of arundo wherever possible along Carbon [Canyon] Creek helps not only with reducing a major fire risk, but also allows the water flow in the creek to move more smoothly and prevent damage along the route of the watercourse.

Carbon Creek Palm Tree Removal Underway--Updated!

Work crews engaged in cutting down the stand of highly-flammable palm trees next to Carbon [Canyon] Creek on Monday.  Photo courtesy of Jim Powderly, Chino Valley Fire District.

With the urging of Sleepy Hollow residents on the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council and in cooperation with the Chino Valley Fire District, the City of Chino Hills and, importantly, $20,000 in grants from San Bernardino County supervisor Gary Ovitt, a significant project to remove highly flammable palm trees from Carbon [Canyon] Creek in Sleepy Hollow is nearing completion.

A view of the palm tree removal work zone from across Carbon Canyon Road earlier today, as crews began work removing the material from the trees, which were cut yesterday.

Last year, the first phase consisted of injecting chemicals to kill the cluster of trees, after which another related round of work involved the removal of a large amount of plant material that posed both fire and flood risks.  Supervisor Ovitt's first disbursement of funds covered much of this work.

A detail showing palm fronds ready for removal.

Another infusion of monies from the supervisor, to the tune of $10,000, has allowed the next stage to proceed, this being the chopping down and hauling off of the dead trees.  This segment of activity began yesterday and continued today and maybe completed tomorrow.

It's staggering to actually see the creek and its adjacent area after many years of benign neglect.

The Fire Safe Council was told at a recent meeting that the City of Chino Hills, which owns the land along the creek within its borders, stands ready to commit to regular, ongoing maintenance of the watercourse and its adjacent areas so that this burst of activity, which was long overdue, is not in vain. 

Let's hope this is the case.

UPDATE: 13 March 2014.  Chino Valley Fire District inspector Jim Powderly, who did a great deal to bring this project to completion, reported that the City of Chino Hills coordinated the removal of 27 tons, from four 40-yard roll-off and a low-boy roll-off bins, exclusive of the material that was mulched and left on site.  In all, a staggering 43 tons of flammable material was hauled off during the entirety of the cleanup project, just in that one area along the creek in Sleepy Hollow.

As Jim reminded people in an e-mail today, this two-phase project was an important component to the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) developed by the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, with a lot of work done by Olinda Village residents George Ullrich and Eric Johnson.  And, again, local residents pushed this item forward for the Council to pursue.  It was a true team endeavor and good to see the City of Chino Hills step up on the removal of the material and a commitment to maintain the area in the future.

Here are more photos of the project from Chino Valley Fire District inspector Jim Powderly.  Those ducks found the creek once it emerged from the morass of plant material that accumulated over the years.  The ducks have even found their way into some Sleepy Hollow yards.

 

 

 

Carbon [Canyon] Creek Cleanup Commences

With encouragement from local residents, planning and coordination led by the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council and the Chino Valley Fire District (especially inspector Jim Powderly), grant funding from Supervisor Gary Ovitt's office and other sources, and work conducted under the auspices of the Santa Ana Watershed Authority, a long-planned project to clean out the heavy growth of plant material and remove highly-flammable palm trees (which have already been killed by injection) in Carbon [Canyon] Creek in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in Chino Hills has begun.

This view shows a Bobcat working on clearing dense growths of plant material that have been clogging the Carbon [Canyon] Creek bed, bank and adjacent areas for years.  This project developed by the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council and the Chino Valley Fire District is being conducted by the Santa Ana Watershed Authority and funded by the office of Supervisor Gary Ovitt and other sources.  The photo is courtesy of Fire District inspector Jim Powderly, who has logged many hours working on this important cleanup project.

Years ago, regular maintenance of these areas flanking the creek was maintained, allowing for a smooth flow of water in the watercourse, but it has been many years since any of this was done.  Consequently, occasional heavy rains has meant that the accumulation of plant material contributed to a greater rise in the creek to the point where portions of Carbon Canyon Road have collapsed.  This was the case in the major rains in the winter of 2004-05 when the creek eroded the roadway between Canyon Hills Road and Canon Lane.  In Sleepy Hollow, there have been sections of the road that have nearly given way because of these conditions.

Hopefully, this work will go a long way towards avoiding similar situations should there be more heavy rains (though the last two winters have been dry and it is believed there will be another low-water winter this year) in the future.  It is also hoped that once the creek has been cleared, local authorities will see the importance and value of what has been done and be more attentive to following up on the maintenance of the creek. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, 17 December.  Here's another photo by Jim Powderly showing the continued work, which, in response to a comment about the specific location, is being conducted east of the former liquor store property and about where the dead palm trees are.  The funds available now are for this particular area, but if there are future monies available, the work might be extended to other areas within Sleepy Hollow.




The busy sounds of chain saws, a Bobcat and the loading of removed plant material into roll-off bins are yielding the results depicted in this photo by Jim Powderly of the Chino Valley Fire District of the Carbon [Canyon] Creek cleanup project, which completed its second day on Tuesday the 17th.



UPDATE: Wednesday, 18 December.  The documentation of the creek cleanup program continues with a photo of Sleepy Hollow resident Ron Nadeau, a prime mover to get this project going, and Chino Hills city council members Peter Rogers and Ray Marquez, both Carbon Canyon residents with Marquez also a member of the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, amidst the clearing of plant material.  Kudos to the workers who are putting in a lot of effort and sweat to make this happen.

A shot of cleared area near the dead palm trees along Carbon [Canyon] Creek.  Pictured are Ron Nadeau of Sleepy Hollow, a key champion of the project, and Chino Hills city council members and Carbon Canyon residents Peter Rogers and Ray Marquez, the latter also a member of the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council.  Photo by Jim Powderly of the Chino Valley Fire District.

Carbon [Canyon] Creek Cleanup Grant Issued!

The Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, a group of residents from the Brea and Chino Hills sides of the canyon along with fire district personnel from the local and state levels and other interested parties, has done important, meaningful and significant work in bringing issues of awareness and preventive measures dealing with the wildfires, which (as shown in recent posts here on fire history) have occasionally ravaged the canyon.  These include the annual Wildfire Awareness Fair, the twice yearly brush dropoff and disposal program, signage in the canyon to remind residents to remove brush from their properties, and more.

To carry out this work, however, requires assistance from the cities, counties and other agencies, as well as corporate involvement.  To that end, a project has been initiated to remove brush and plant material from the Chino Hills portion of Carbon [Canyon] Creek in Sleepy Hollow to help minimize the risk of fire, following on the heels of the still-continuing, but so far successful, effort to rid the Brea portion of the creek of the dreaded arundo donax.

At tonight's regular monthly meeting of the council, Olinda Village resident and State Farm Insurance agent Luz Thompson presented fire agency representatives and council members with a check for over $7,000 to help with this important work.  It was also announced that the office of San Bernardino County supervisor Gary Ovitt may be able to commit further funding (earlier allotments having been made for other council projects) to the creek cleanup work.

Crews from the Santa Ana Watershed Authority, which has supervised the arundo removal in Brea, have been examining an area of the creek in which there is a stand of several palm trees, which are highly flammable, that need to be killed and removed.  For the last few days, SAWA personnel have been out surveying these trees, looking especially for any nesting or other activity in them by owls or bats. 

The stand of highly flammable palm trees along Carbon [Canyon] Creek roughly halfway between the Sleepy Hollow Community Center and the closed Canyon Market.

Once the trees have been determined to be clear of use by these animals, then the injection of an herbicide will be conducted.  Over a few months, the poison will work to kill off the fronds of these quite old and tall trees.  After the fronds fall, they will be gathered and carted off for disposal.  Then, the trunks can be cut down.

It is also intended to remove brush, plant and tree material and other debris that can not only catch fire in a blaze, but also force the creek's water to flow toward Carbon Canyon Road, serving to erode the areas adjacent to and adjoining the highway, threatening its stability (this, in fact, is what happened in the winter of 2004-05 when heavy rains caused a creek rise that, abetted by abundant debris, caused a collapse of the roadway.)

As Thompson presented the check to the council and fire representatives, she made sure to thank Olinda Village resident and council stalwart Eric Johnson for his extraordinary efforts in doing the leg work to get the grant proposal together.  This is another shining example of how community efforts can go a long way toward dealing with problems that exist in the canyon and the council is to be commended for its proactive approach to working with these issues.

For those who live in either the Brea or Chino Hills sides of the canyon, are concerned about fire prevention, and want to be informed about or involved with the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, meetings are the first Wednesday of the month at the Sleepy Hollow Community Center.

California Conservation Corps Crews Continue Carbon Canyon Creek Cleanup Correction

In the two-and-a-half weeks since the post about the intensive cleanup work conducted by the California Conservation Corps along Carbon [Canyon] Creek on the Brea side of the Canyon, further work has been done and more orange trash bags are sitting alongside the highway to testify to the efforts that have been ongoing.

There is a very noticeable difference in the appearance of the creek, especially on the south side of the highway as the creek goes from the old La Vida Mineral Springs property under the roadway and hugs the hillsides (recently purchased by the Orange County Transportation Authority for open space preservation and to be later added to Chino Hills State Park) as the watercourse heads toward Hollydale Mobile Home Estates in Olinda Village.

The last post also made mention of the fact that preexisting trash dumped along the road at the La Vida site was not being cleaned up, but someone spoke/wrote a little too soon.  In fact, CCC crews have taken care of this garbage, including the items left very close to the creek at the old bridge leading to the motel from Carbon Canyon Road.  This was material that had been there for many months.

So, further kudos to the Corps for the careful and comprehensive cleaning that it has been engaged on with Carbon Canyon Creek over the last several weeks.  It has truly made a difference!

California Conservation Corps Crews Continue Carbon Canyon Creek Cleanup

Over the last couple of weeks, work crews from the California Conservation Corps, under contract with the Santa Ana Watershed Authority, which oversees a grant-funded arundo donax treatment program, have been busily working to clear dead arundo and much other material (plant and otherwise) from Carbon [Canyon] Creek.

As the photo below shows, there has been a significant amount of debris taken out of the creek and hauled away by the Corps (unfortunately this does not include trash dumped at what are now two spots along the old La Vida Mineral Springs resort property, although someone did recently remove the garbage at the deep turnout on the other side of the highway.)

These bags of plant and other material removed by California Conservation Corps crews from Carbon [Canyon] Creek represent a small fraction of what has been done by these workers over the last couple of weeks.  This is at the west end of the old La Vida Mineral Springs property on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon.

This project with the creek will be ongoing and, hopefully, funded, as efforts to eradicate the highly invasive, flammable and difficult to kill arundo continue over years.  There has already been a noticeable difference in the appearance and water flow in the creek.

Everyone involved in this project, including the CCC, SAWA, Hills for Everyone, the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, the City of Brea and anyone inadvertently left off this list, deserves credit for participating in what is probably the sole bright spot to come from the November 2008 wildfires that ravaged the Orange County portion of Carbon Canyon.

Sleepy Hollow Tract Map, 1923



This is the first of three sheets for the original 1923 tract map for Sleepy Hollow.  Copies were obtained from the San Bernardino County Archives with assistance from former county archivist and current Riverside County archivist James Hofer.  Click on this or any of the images to see them in a separate window.


The year 1923 marked the peak of a real estate development boom that swept through much of southern California over the preceding several years.  While most of this growth was in west Los Angeles, the South Bay, the western San Gabriel Valley and the eastern San Fernando Valley, there was also heightened interest in fairly closely sited vacation spots for those who might tire of the rapidly urbanizing and industrializing core of the region.  Consequently, the 1920s saw a pronounced growth in the development of such places as Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains, Idyllwild in the mountains above Hemet and certain canyon communities such as those in the Santa Ana Mountains of Orange County like Santiago Canyon, or Topanga Canyon between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, or in Carbon Canyon situated between Orange and San Bernardino counties.  In this latter, a subdivision was created called Sleepy Hollow.



This is the second of three sheets of the map.  The third, which has information about the incorporators of Sleepy Hollow, as well as the county's recording and approval of the map, will be covered in another post.



The name is best known, of course, for the famed Washington Irving tale of the early 19th-century, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," relatng the story of the unfortunate Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolteacher competing with another man for the love of a young lady.  After leaving a party at the damsel's residence, Crane is chased by a headless horseman, said to be the ghost of a soldier whose noggin was knocked off by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War, and a pumpkin is tossed at Crane during the pursuit.  Spooked by the scary apparition, Crane vanished from the town, leaving the object of his desire to marry his rival.  Said rival was said to have a knowing look whenever the story of Crane's encounter with the "headless horseman" was brought up.



This detail shows the west end of Sleepy Hollow, including "Carbon Cañon Road" running through the tract and the unnamed community "lanes" being Oak Way Lane at the bottom, or north, and Rosemary Lane at the top, or south.  Rosemary Lane was named for the young daughter of community founders Cleve and Elizabeth Heald Purington.



Whether or not the founders of Sleepy Hollow (who will be discussed subsequently) were fans of Irving's well-known story, their little community was established in 1923 with dozens of "cabin lots," small parcels considered best suited for cabins erected for weekend getaways and the like.  With its plenteous oak trees dotting the hills, especially on the portion south of Carbon Canyon Road, a creek that generally has water year-round and which supports sycamore trees, wild walnuts and much other plant life, and a cooler climate because of its placement in a "hollow" that sits at a lower elevation than areas nearby at either end (temperatures generally range 4 to 8 degress less in Sleepy Hollow than in Brea or Chino Hills proper), the neighborhood was created to appeal to those looking for a little escape from "civilization."



This detail shows the south side of Sleepy Hollow from Rosemary Lane circling toward Carbon Canyon Road at the bottom to Francis Lane curving to a dead end at the center to a detached section, noted as Block 4, around a curved part of Carbon Canyon Road that now is a remnant left after the road was straightened--this being at the top right.


The map was certified by the San Bernardino County clerk in October 1923 and there are many interesting details about it.  First, there were three distinct blocks established.  Block 4 only covered a few lots at the eastern end of the subdivision covering an area that is now where the apartments are on the south end of the community.  Block 5 took in dozens of lots on the south side of Carbon Canyon Road, while Block 6 embraced those parcels on the north side of the thoroughfare.



Notable in this detail is the large area denoted as "Not a part of this subdivision," much of which was later added to Sleepy Hollow.  This specifically are lots to the south of Oak Way Lane, on both sides of Carbon Canyon Road and to the north of Francis Lane.  It is unclear why this parcel was not included in the original tract, however.



Also, land on either side of Carbon Canyon Road east of Rosemary Lane was excluded from the original subdivision.  It is not known at this time why this was the case--perhaps the incorporators of Sleepy Hollow did not have the funds to buy more land or maybe the owner of that area did not want to sell.




This detail shows Oak Way Lane at the top to its terminus at the east end of the northern section of the subdivision.  Note how some areas to the south of Oak Way are not included in the tract.


In any case, the eastern ends of the community were defined by those lots that were north of Oakway Lane and south of Francis Drive before it curved to the south.  It is also important to note that none of the "upper elevations" of the farthest west area of today's Sleepy Hollow were included in the original tract.  That is, all of Hay Drive, Grandview Lane and East Lane on the south side of the neighborhood were added to the tract later, as was the case with the areas along Hillside Drive on the north side.



This detail shows the area in and around the Sleepy Hollow Community Center and the eastern intersection of Carbon Canyon Road and Rosemary Lane.  Block 6, Lot 3 to the left of the highway was the residence and tract office of community founders Cleve and Elizabeth Heald Purington.  Block 5, Lot 2 (at the center) is now the parking lot for today's community center, which is on Lot 59 to the right.  Note the reference to a 3/4" iron pipe marking a boundary line towards the top--several of these notations are on the tract map.



Another noteworthy element has to do with the small Block 4, which is shown as covered within a steeply curving portion of Carbon Canyon Road that existed then, but only partially does now.  In other words, the road was straightened to the north a little and only a small portion of the old road exists now as a dead end behind the apartments mentioned above as an access for a few houses back there.  It can easily be seen as you drive eastbound along the highway just before the apartments, which was the site of a country store and cafe for many years.




This detail shows the bottom of the map where Rosemary Lane meets Carbon Canyon Road at its western terminus.  Block 5, Lot D marks the bed of Carbon [Canyon] Creek.


Carbon [Canyon] Creek is also assigned its own lot number (D) in both blocks 5 and 6 as the creek crosses under the highway and traverses both the north and south sides of the subdivision.



Another detail shows that, with Carbon [Canyon] Creek, crossing to the north side of Carbon Canyon Road, it is denoted as Block 6, Lot D.


The map is filled with other interesting details, including descriptions of boundary markers, and there are familiar landmarks that later would be built, for which we can see their lot numbers.  These include the Canyon Market, the sole commercial enterprise in the neighborhood; the Sleepy Hollow Community Center, which for years was the site of the volunteer fire station; and the location of the house and tract office run by Cleve Purington, and after his circa 1928 death, his wife Elizabeth Heald, which was essentially across from the community center area on the north side of the highway.




In this detail, the intersection of "Carbon Cañon Road" and the as-of-yet unnamed Oak Way Lane is at the bottom left.  Just above this is Bolock 6, Lot C, which is the parcel on which sits the Canyon Market store (formerly Party House Liquor #2) as well as undeveloped land.  Note that most lots had frontage of about 40 feet.


Next year will mark 90 years since the establishment of Sleepy Hollow.  Though conceived and largely used as a place for part-time, vacation use for many years, it became, from the 1950s onward, more of an established residential community, though many of the cabins still remain from the early years of the neighborhood.  This map gives us a glimpse into its origins and established a tangible sense of place for this historic part of the modern city of Chino Hills.




Another detail showing the course of Carbon [Canyon] Creek, Block 6, Lot D, on the north side of Carbon Canyon Road.



Carbon Canyon Historical Artifact #27: 1960s La Vida Mineral Springs Postcard

Here is another 1960s color postcard of a portion of the old La Vida Mineral Springs on the Brea portion of Carbon Canyon.  The view looks east and takes in a carefully manicured lawn with two picnic tables used by resort visitors.  A simple white board fence separates the lawn from Carbon [Canyon] Creek, which still runs on that course along the rocky hillside to the left. 

The rust-colored sidewalk that runs along the parking lot (dig all those groovy cars, man) is still partially there, though much the worse for wear forty plus years later.  At the end of the walk, crossing the creek which veers away from the hill and toward Carbon Canyon Road, which is off to the right outside the image, is a wooden footbridge, from which a few folks have just emerged.  This leads to the cafe, which is visible directly behind the bridge.  Behind the cafe is the two-story motel building.  As to the mineral baths, those were located behind the photographer to the west.

On the reverse of the postally used card is an address to The Netherlands and message dated 27 March 1969, with a postmark from Artesia on the following day.  Obviously, the message is in Dutch, but a few items can be picked out including the word "cafe," so perhaps the person who visited bought the card there or had lunch there, as well as the place named "Artesia" and "Pomona," so maybe the sender lived in Artesia and went to visit someone in Pomona and stopped by the Springs on their way through the Canyon.  There is also a reference to the day being unseasonably warm, topping out at 89 degrees. 

The printed caption at the top reads "A restful atmosphere prevails at / LA VIDA MINERAL SPRINGS / CARBON CANYON / BREA, CALIFORNIA."  As with several other cards highlighted in this blog previously, this one was produced by Amescolor Publishers of Escondido.

As before, clicking on any image creates a new window with slightly enlarged views, although a recently-added Blogger feature is that all of the images in the post can be seen through one window after clicking any of the photos.