Henninger Flats is a small hanging basin above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

in the

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...

in the

Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County in southern Calif ...

. It was part of the

Mount Wilson Toll Road The Mount Wilson Toll Road (1891–1936) is a historic roadway which ascended Mount Wilson via a vehicular passable road from the base of the foothills in Altadena. It was accessible from Pasadena via Santa Anita Avenue (nowadays the north-sout ...

. The trailhead to reach the flats is at the top end of

Eaton Canyon Eaton Canyon is a major canyon beginning at the Eaton Saddle near Mount Markham and San Gabriel Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest, United States. Its drainage flows into the Rio Hondo river and then into the Los An ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

History

Around 1880, William K. Henninger settled in a small basin above Altadena. Henninger was born in Virginia and had been a gold prospector. The area was originally purchased by Mr. Peter Stiel through the Homestead Act. Stiel's friend Henninger had been squatting on the area since 1884. Henninger was given the title captain by the other miners he worked with as a sign of respect. Henninger married a

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Indian known as Teresa. Their firstborn, a son named Natividad, was baptized at the San Gabriel Mission on December 1858. They had three daughters: Louisa, Susana, and Jesefa. Louisa Henniger had three children by David de la Ossa, son of Rita de Guillen de la Ossa, daughter of

Eulalia Perez de Guillen Marine __NOTOC__ Eulalia is a feminine given name of Greek origin, ''Ευλαλια'', meaning "well-spoken." It may refer to: People * Saint Eulalia (disambiguation), the name of two venerated Spanish martyr saints, with similar hagiographies of possi ...

, keeper of the keys at

Mission San Gabriel Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

(less than eight miles due south). file:Eaton canyon from the air.jpg,

(Henninger flats in background) William K. Henninger built a house and a cistern for water storage. He planted fruit, vegetables, and nut trees and harvested hay. The produce he carried into town, a mile and a half down the steep trail that ended in

. In 1892, Henninger was visited by T. P. Lukens and R. J. Busch, who started the very first experimental reforestation in California at Henninger Flats. Upon his death in March 1894, the property was willed to his daughters. The property was auctioned in 1895 to Harry C. and Harriet M. Allen of nearby

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. In October 1895, the Allens sold the property for $5,000 to four men who then sold the property to the Mt. Wilson Toll Road Company for $76,600 as part of the

. In 1903, under the direction of Lukens, a nursery was established at Henninger Flats. During the years that followed the road was widened to accommodate the passage of equipment up to the

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

at Mt. Wilson. By 1917 the road was widened to the present width of twelve feet. Since 1928, the flats have been used as a high elevation forest nursery by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Hiking

The road is a popular hike and the flats were a popular campground. The Henninger Flats Forestry Center is also used for conservation education. The toll road was washed out by a landslide in 2005 approximately past the Eaton Canyon bridge, but was re-opened in early September 2009 as the result of fire crews needing vehicular access to the area while fighting the Station Fire.

External links

References

{{authority control Angeles National Forest Protected areas of Los Angeles County, California San Gabriel Mountains

History

Hiking

See also

External links

References