The Sweet Little Town Nestled in the Foothills

Sierra Madre (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net, W.K.) .

Sierra Madre is nestled in the canyons and lowlands of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

By Jean Sudbury

Here’s a brief history of this sweet little town before it was famous for its wisteria vine.

Tongva people

About 3,500 years ago, the Tongva people moved into Southern California from Nevada and, by 500 A.D., had established themselves in various villages, including what is now known as Sierra Madre.

As with many Native American tribes or groups, in their language Tongva translates to “People of the Earth.”  The various Tongva villages spoke distinct dialects of the Uto-Aztecan language, all of which have become extinct.  The Tongva were a hunter-gatherer people utilizing agave, California bay laurel, California poppies, California wild grapes, elderberries, choke cherries, gooseberries, mountain mahogany, oak, Oregon grape, and plantain, among others, for daily use.

Deer lumching on loquates in Sierra Madre (Photo – Facebook, Kim K.).

Health seekers

During the centuries since then, the Mediterranean climate of the Sierra Madre area has attracted health and fortune seekers from around the world. The attraction to creative independent artists and seekers of good health to Sierra Madre continues today.

Nathaniel Carter, who came to California to find a cure for his ill health, was one of the original developers of the city.  In 1881, he purchased property from Lucky Baldwin, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and Levi Richardson.  The first library building and the Sierra Madre Dramatic Club were established in 1886 and 1887, respectively.  In 1889, the first Mount Wilson Observatory was established by Harvard College and the original Mt. Wilson trail was widened to accommodate the transportation of the telescope; the Harvard facility was abandoned shortly thereafter because weather conditions were inhospitable.  The original trail had been created by Benjamin (Don Benito) Wilson (the grandfather of George S. Patton) in 1864 with the aid of Chinese and Mexican laborers. After the trail was widened for telescope transportation, foot and pack animal traffic created the need to have the trail widened further to 6 feet in 1893. The trail has not been widened since then.  Mount Wilson Observatory now occupies the peak.

Sierra Madre downtown (File Photo – Facebook, Valerie Long‎).

Incorporation

On February 20, 1907, Sierra Madre was incorporated as a California city, and the Sierra Madre Women’s Club was established three days later; the Women’s Club continues to initiate and participate in many cultural events. Sierra Madre’s first entry in the Rose parade was in 1917, and the city continues entering its award-winning floats created by citizen and friends of Sierra Madre each year. The Sierra Madre Arts Guild, Friends of the Library and the Creative Arts Group form a vital artistic collaboration.

Today, Sierra Madre is home to the world’s largest blossoming vine—the “Lavender Lady”—the wisteria vine (turned 125 years old in 2019 – read more) that occupies an acre and weighs 250 tons.

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