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   SLATE MAGAZINE'S
   BEST SWIMMING
   HOLES IN LA

       With summer approaching, now is the time to plan
       your visits to some of LA's best swimming holes with
​       Michael Juliano's list of best spots to beat the summer
       heat.

Los Angeles Swimming Holes

Thaddeus Lowe and the White City in the Sky

10/23/2014

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PictureThe White City, circa 1895
High on promontory above the town of Altadena, CA, there once was a dazzling Victorian resort known as The White City in the Sky. This ‘city’ was comprised of a 40-room chalet, astronomical observatory, zoo, dormitories, dance hall, bowling alley, tennis courts, picnic areas, machine shops and, the jewel of the city, the palatial 70-room Echo Mountain House. The entire complex of buildings was painted a brilliant white to reflect the southern California sun. Situated as it was at the tip of Echo Mountain, the resort could be seen glowing against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains (then called the Sierra Madre Mountains) from downtown Los Angeles, some 13 miles distant. The resort was part of a series of hotels and taverns built to service the Mount Lowe Railway.

PictureThaddeus Lowe, circa 1865
The railway was the dream project of Professor Thaddeus Lowe and his engineer partner, David J Macpherson. At the time of the project’s undertaking, Professor Lowe had retired to southern California after having already lived a rather adventurous life. Entering this world in August of 1832, Lowe was one of five children born to Clovis and Alpha Lowe of Jefferson Mills, NH. Around the age of 10, Lowe’s mother passed away and his father remarried to Mary Randall and, by some estimates, sired another 7 children. Unable to support such a large brood, Lowe’s father boarded the young boy with a nearby farm. Unhappy with what was essentially an indentured servitude, Thaddeus ran away at the age of 14 to join his older brother in Boston where he began work as a shoe cutter.


While recovering from an illness at age 18, Lowe attended a travelling road show demonstrating the uses of lighter-than-air gases led by Professor Reginald Dinkelhoff. Fascinated by the science, Lowe joined the show as Dinkelhoff’s assistant and 2 years later bought the show when Dinkelhoff retired. Within five years, Lowe, using his knowledge of lighter-than-air gases, had become one of America’s premiere balloonists, creating a lucrative business giving balloon rides at state and county fairs. During one of his lecture-exhibitions, Lowe met a 19-year old Parisian actress, Leotine Agustine Gaschon. One week later on February 14, 1855, the pair were married. Over the course of their marriage Leotine would give her husband ten children, seven boys and three girls.

In 1859, Lowe constructed a massive 103-foot diameter balloon named the City of New York with the intent of making a transatlantic flight. The balloon, later renamed the Great Western, made several successful test flights, but before the transatlantic voyage could be undertaken, the American Civil War broke out. Two days after the state of Virginia seceded from the Union, Lowe attempted to reach the eastern seaboard from Cincinnati in the balloon Enterprise. Unfortunately for Lowe, the balloon went off course and he landed in Unionville, SC where he was promptly taken prisoner as a Yankee spy by Confederate forces. After some careful negotiation where Lowe pleaded his case as a man of science, the professor and his balloon were released. 

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The Intrepid at the Battle of Fair Oaks, 1862
The incident opened up new possibilities for Lowe and in July of 1861, he offered to demonstrate the surveillance capabilities of his balloon for President Abraham Lincoln. Floating 500’ above the White House Lowe sent the first aerial dispatch by telegraph. Lincoln and his war department seized upon the idea of aerial surveillance and real-time troop movements relayed to commanders in the field. Lowe was given the go-ahead, and he flew in battle for the first time during the First Battle of Bull Run. So impressive was his flight that Lincoln ordered the formation of the Union Army Balloon Corps with Lowe named as Chief Aeronaut. Lowe would eventually command seven balloons with the corps, even launching them from a converted coal barge, effectively creating America’s first aircraft carrier. During his time with the Union Army, Lowe contracted malaria, an affliction that would bother him for the remainder of his life.
Following the war, Lowe moved to Norristown, PA. He continued experimenting with hydrogen and acquired 200 patents for his inventions. His most successful enterprise was a water gas process that generated large quantities of enriched hydrogen for heating and lighting, earning him a fortune in the process. In 1887, Lowe retired to Pasadena, CA with the hopes the dry climate would ease the lingering ailments from his bout with malaria. It was there he met the engineer David Macpherson. With Macpherson’s engineering skills and Lowe’s financial resources, the two hoped to create a rail line that would ride the crest of the San Gabriel Mountains to Mount Wilson. Unfortunately, the pair were unable to obtain all the necessary rights-of-way and so rerouted their planned railway to Oak Mountain (later named Mount Lowe) via the Echo Mountain promontory above Altadena.
The first section of rail began service on Independence Day of 1893. It ran from Lake and Calaveras in Altadena to Rubio Pavilion, a 12-room hotel at the entrance of Rubio Canyon. Passengers could then transfer to a funicular incline railway climbing the canyon to Echo Mountain. In 1894, the grand Echo Mountain House Victorian resort was opened, and in 1896, the final leg of the railway was completed to the Ye Alpine Tavern in Grand Canyon at the base of Mount Lowe. In all, there were nearly 7 miles of track.

The Echo Mountain house was a grand and stately structure capped with an imposing dome. A large porch for socializing ran along the front and two wings of the building, providing spectacular views of Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley and even Catalina Island 65 miles away. The interior of the hotel was completed with natural wood and held a curio shop, a Western Union office, billiard room, shoeshine stand and barbershop among other amenities. To the left and right of the domed lobby were two wings of rooms for guests, while to the rear of the lobby was a formal dining room with views of Castle Canyon and Mount Lowe. Atop the incline railway powerhouse located in front of the resort, a 3-million candlepower searchlight had been installed that could be seen up to 50 miles at sea.  Lowe’s publicist, George Wharton James, took that a step further and claimed he could read his newspaper from the beam’s power shining through his window on Catalina Island. On the ridge behind Echo Mountain House was an astronomical observatory featuring a 16” telescope. Visitors could spend their days playing tennis, bowling, taking mule rides into the mountains or listening to their voices echo across Castle Canyon on several echophones installed along the rim of the canyon. At night there was a white-linen dinner service prepared on dishes etched with the resorts logo followed by dancing. The luxuriousness and sheer spectacle of the resort along with the incredible scenery quickly made the White City the top honeymoon destination in America. Unfortunately, the cost to construct and maintain the railway and the hotels proved to be too much for Lowe and the project fell into receivership. In 1899, only six years after it opened, the professor lost everything except for title to the observatory. But that was only the beginning of the end for the White City.
Picture
A funicular car, aka a White Chariot, at the summit
Picture
Mt. Lowe Incline Railway, circa 1895
Picture
Funicular car arriving at Echo Mountain House, circa 1895
PictureInterior Echo Mountain House, circa 1895
In 1900, a kitchen fire destroyed the Echo Mountain House, leaving only the foundation in its wake. The building had not been properly insured and thus was never rebuilt. In 1905, a second fire destroyed all the remaining buildings with the exception of the observatory. The incline railway powerhouse was rebuilt in 1906, but the rest of the property on Echo Mountain was left in ruins. In 1909, a flash flood destroyed the Rubio Pavilion hotel at the bottom of the funicular incline railway. The observatory held on until 1928 when a particularly strong Santa Ana wind blew the building down. The curator managed to escape moments before the collapse, taking the expensive telescope with him. Despite the catastrophes, the railway continued to operate under various owners, hauling passengers to the Mount Lowe Tavern (the renamed Ye Alpine Tavern) at Mount Lowe until 1936 when the tavern also succumbed to fire. The railway was now a line without a destination. As such, the railroad’s booster club organized one final excursion, and in December of 1937, the Mount Lowe Railway made its last public trek past the remains of the White City to the burnt ruins of the Mount Lowe Tavern. In March of the following year, a three-day thunderstorm washed the railroad itself from the mountain. What little remained of the buildings that once graced the promontory of Echo Mountain was declared a hazardous nuisance and blasted into history with dynamite by the US Forest Service between 1959 and 1962.

Echo Mountain Today

Today, all that remains of Professor Lowe’s dream are some foundations marking the location of the Echo Mountain House and it’s periphery buildings. The grip and guide wheels from the funicular powerhouse lay trailside, rusting in the bright California sun. On the rim of Castle Canyon, a replica echophone has been installed, allowing hikers to hear their voices reverberating across the canyon as tourists did more than 100 years ago.

The easiest way to reach the ruins of the White City is via the Sam Merrill Trail located at the intersection on Lake Avenue and East Loma Alta Drive in Altadena, CA. For trail details, click here.
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Hike Through History at Oat Mountain's LA-88 Missile Base

5/23/2014

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Picture
Radiation Warning on Bunker Doors, LA-88 Oat Mountain
PictureLA-88 Radar Oat Mountain Summit, 1969
Hiking the wilderness areas surrounding Los Angeles provides intrepid trekers with sweeping mountain vistas, wildlife observation, quiet coves for personal reflection and a general escape from the hustle and bustle of big city living, though you may have to suffer through LA traffic in order to reach such nirvana. On occasion, you may also unexpectedly step into history. This recently occurred for me while making the climb up the wind swept grassy balds  of Oat Mountain. About halfway up the trail, the paved Browns Canyon Road, it passes through the remnants of an abandoned military facility constructed during the cold war, but with roots stretching back to World War II and the development of jet aircraft and nuclear weapons.

With the advent of jet fighters and bombers during the second world war, existing gun-based ant-aircraft batteries proved largely ineffective in combatting these new high speed, high altitude aircraft. In 1944, to counter this advance in weaponry, the US Army, in conjunction with Bell Laboratories, developed a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system called Project Nike (named after the Greek Goddess of Victory). The project’s goal was to acquire and track an incoming enemy plane should it evade Navy and Air Force resources and then launch and guide a defensive missile to the incoming target. This had never been attempted before and the complex Nike system required 3 separate yet integrated radar systems to achieve that result. Despite its promise, the system was largely considered a last ditch effort to prevent the enemy from delivering its payload as the initial effective range of the Nike Ajax missiles was only about 25 miles, but it marked the first time the US military attempted a strategic air defense of the country based on guided missiles, a safeguard that proactively sought out threats rather than one that simply threw up a barrage of projectiles hoping one would be lucky enough to intercept the target. The missiles later received an upgrade extending the range to about 100 miles and were given the designation Nike Hercules. Though the missiles were capable of carrying warheads of varying size in both conventional and nuclear explosives, the warheads on the US-based Nike missiles were almost entirely nuclear with an explosive rating of 20 Kilotons. By comparison, the bomb dropped over Hiroshima had an estimated explosive yield of only 16 KT.  Hiking the serene hills of Oat Mountain today, It is hard to imagine the fear and even paranoia that existed during the Cold War that would justify the detonation of a 20 KT nuclear weapon within 25 miles of Los Angeles, or any of the other 240 sites situated around the United States at the time for that matter, but it was the country's last line of defense for nearly 20 years. 

After a successful Nike test in November of 1951, the Army began deploy the system to defend strategic and tactical sites around the country. Sixteen such missile sites were established around Los Angeles to protect the city from Soviet attack beginning in 1956 and remained operational until the early 1970s. The Oat Mountain facility was part of this 'ring of defense' and was designated LA-88. Though LA-88 was closed in 1972, the site remained largely intact until a devastating wildfire swept through the area in 2008, destroying most of the buildings. What remains are mostly large concrete pads that once held barracks, mess halls and administrative offices and a large pad of pavement used as a basketball court. The launch area for the missiles is mostly bare, but the silo doors for the subterranean storage area for the missiles are still in place as is the substructure used to service the missiles.

PictureNIke Launch Pad Today
What makes LA-88 unique is that the trail to the summit of Oat Mountain passes directly through the heart of the former missile complex, providing great views of the facility’s remains.  Though it is illegal to trespass on the grounds themselves, the open gates have invited many a hiker and more than a few ‘taggers’ to take a look around. There are a few outbuildings still standing on the southern side of the trail, including the guard shack and missile assembly building. On the north side of the trail, the base flagpole can be found still standing tall in a small garden. In more recent years, the site has been used by the LAPD for SWAT training exercises as evidenced by the shot up buses on the premises. On a recent visit, it was noted that an access panel to the missile storage area beneath the silo doors was open and metal rungs descended into the dark depths below.  

In 2006, Howard Rathbun, who served at LA-88, returned to his former base for a stroll down memory lane. He has written an interesting article with before and after pictures comparing the base’s operational phase with its derelict state that can be found here. Mr. Rathbun was fortunate to visit before the 2008 fire and found all the buildings to be intact at that time. The black and white photos you see here are courtesy of Mr. Rathbun and the Nike Historical Society.

The hike to Oat Mountain’s summit is worth it just for the views and the grassy, rolling hills, but the chance to literally walk through history makes this hike all the more interesting. Another Nike site has been partially preserved in the Santa Monica Mountains at San Vicente Park. Self-guided displays give visitors a look into the Nike Program and how it was used around the country and the still standing radar tower provides impressive views across the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles basin.

Learn more about Project Nike here.

Picture
Radar Tracking, 1956
Picture
Missiles on the Launch Pad, 1956
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Base Flagpole Today
Picture
Silo Doors Today
Picture
Missile Assembly Building Today
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The Great Hiking Era

1/24/2014

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Picture
Hiking and trekking into the wilderness for pleasure is a fairly recent human endeavor, though some still doubt pleasure can be found in huffing up a steep mountain incline or wading through ice cold streams while a blistering sun beats down on you from above.  In fact for most people prior to the start of the 20th Century, spending the day walking the perimeter of a canyon was absolute folly.  Wilderness areas had few, if any, roads or developed trails for recreational purposes.  What few existed were meant for more practical things like hunting and trapping.  Discovery of gold might bring a sudden influx of settlers, but the backcountry was still an area to be exploited, not enjoyed.

In the late 1800’s there was a shift in the way society perceived the wild lands beyond the growing urban sprawl of America’s cities.  This change was spurred in part by health concerns over the close quarters and polluted conditions in which many urbanites were forced to live.  The country offered clean water and fresh air for those able to afford the luxury—and healthful benefits—of leaving the cities for weeks at a time to enjoy the amenities of summer resorts that sprang up in New York’s Catskill Mountains or in the Poconos of Pennsylvania.  The San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California experienced a similar boon with the construction of private retreat cabins along the Santa Anita Wash and the Echo Mountain House resort accessible by the Mt. Lowe Railway.

The interest in turning to the woods for recreational opportunities was also heavily influenced by American naturalist John Muir.  Muir was a major advocate of wilderness preservation and is largely responsible for the preservation of Yosemite Valley as a national park.  
"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees."

                                   - John Muir
Picture
Referred to as the ‘Father of the National Parks’, Muir’s writings were read by millions, inspiring people from all walks of life to take a walk in the woods.  By the 1930’s, an estimated 2 million people a year visited the San Gabriel Mountains alone.

Los Angeles’ PBS affiliate, KCET, has put together a photo retrospective of this period of wilderness awakening and posted it on their website.  It’s a very informative and entertaining trip to a bygone era.  And the next time you complain about the lack of support in those new hiking boots, just think back to when hikes were done in long woolen skirts or vest and tie, and maybe that next couple of miles on the trail won’t seem so bad.

You can view KCET’s photos by clicking here.

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