The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 127 acres (51.4 ha), is an

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, m ...

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, and historical site nestled into hills near the

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

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of ...

, United States. Open daily, it only closes on Christmas Day. The Arboretum is located across the street from the

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

, the horse racetrack, and the shopping mall Santa Anita Fashion Park, now known as Westfield Santa Anita.

History

The Arboretum is sited on a remaining portion of the Rancho Santa Anita, one of the Mexican land grants of Southern California. Rancho Santa Anita was unusual in that it was located above a large part of the Raymond Basin aquifer. Three sag ponds and numerous springs were found in the area and the only remaining one is now called Baldwin Lake. Lacy Park in the city of San Marino once was another sag pond and the precise location of the third is not known but may have been on the grounds of the Huntington Library and Botanic Garden. As a consequence of the relative abundance of water, it was important area in prehistory as a year-round source of water, the body of water known as Baldwin Lake and the other sag ponds attracted both waterfowl and other animals as well as Native Americans. Not surprisingly the presence of water and game created a permanent Native American habitation in the area and is believed to have been the location of the Tongva village of Aleupkigna. The close proximity to the nearby San Gabriel Mission may have led to the construction of a small seasonal dwelling at the Arboretum site for shepherds or hunters which ultimately led to the construction of a modest adobe structure. In 1839, the grant to Rancho Santa Anita was awarded to

Hugo Reid Hugo Reid (April 18, 1811 – December 12, 1852), a Scottish immigrant, was an early resident of Los Angeles County who became known for writing a series of newspaper articles, or "letters," that described the culture, language, and contemporary c ...

(1809–1852) and his

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historica ...

wife, Victoria. Reid built an

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for '' mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of ...

home by the lake in 1839, now a California Historic Landmark. Reid was an educated Scotsman known for a series of letters describing Tongva culture. Otherwise Reid was probably best known for his role in the 1849 California Constitutional Convention. Afflicted with tuberculosis, he died at the age of 43. A series of short term owners of the property, Rancho Santa Anita, followed. Subsequent owners of Rancho Santa Anita were; in sequence, Henry Dalton, Joseph A. Rowe, Albert Dibblee in partnership with William Corbett and a Mr. Barker, Leonard Rose and William Wolfskill, Alfred Chapman with Harris Newmark until finally the property was sold to Elias Jackson Baldwin. With each transition, beginning with the sale to Rose and Wolfskill, a portion of the ranch was sold off. Every owner in some ways typifies the history of southern California during the period. Agricultural innovation is a feature which persisted taking advantage of the climate and the new crops that it made possible as well as a growing body of consumers and new markets opened by transportation innovations. In 1875 when Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin purchased

Rancho Santa Anita Rancho Santa Anita was a land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given to naturalized Scottish immigrant Hugo Reid and his Kizh people wife. Reid built an adobe residence there in 1839, and the land grant was formally recognized ...

and constructed its buildings and grounds. Baldwin's influence had a flamboyance that was evident in the creation of a showcase at the Oakwood Hotel and the Santa Anita racetrack. Commercial viticulture flourished around the San Gabriel Mission since mission days. Baldwin started an award-winning winery to supply tourists, sold land to settlers as well as running a private water company and brick works. A partnership with

Henry E. Huntington Henry Edwards Huntington (February 27, 1850 – May 23, 1927) was an American railroad magnate and collector of art and rare books. Huntington settled in Los Angeles, where he owned the Pacific Electric Railway as well as substantial real estate ...

and the

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...

insured that passengers could arrive by rail from Los Angeles and other locations as well as bringing freight, such as building supplies and ship ranch produce. The arboretum began in 1947 with

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

jointly purchasing 111 acres (44.9 ha) to create an arboretum around the Baldwin site. By 1949, the first

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These ...

had been constructed and the site's plants inventoried. In 1951, the first 1,000 trees were planted, and in 1956 the arboretum was opened to the public. Ongoing construction of gardens and greenhouses took place during the 1950s and 1960s, and in 1975-1976 the Tropical Greenhouse was opened and the Prehistoric and Jungle Garden completed. Construction and renovation of both greenhouses and gardens continues. Groundwater recharge ponds and a pump station has been proposed by the

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control. DPW also operates traffic signals and intelligent transpo ...

and a consortium of five foothill cities for of the Australia section.

The gardens

The arboretum's plants are grouped by geography with gardens for

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

n, Australian and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

tic- North American plants. Other displays include the Aquatic Garden, Meadowbrook, Demonstration Home Gardens, Garden for All Seasons, Prehistoric and Jungle Garden, Native Oaks,

Herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

Garden, and the

Palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (b ...

and

Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

collection. The gardens also serve as the home for summer concerts featuring the

Pasadena POPS 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 ...

, under the direction of Principal POPS Conductor

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Academy Awards, Oscar and Tony Awards, Tony awards. This collection of all fou ...

. In addition, the arboretum is home to a flock of some 200

peafowl Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are re ...

, which are descendants of original birds imported by Baldwin from India. The peafowl is a symbol of the city of Arcadia. The first record of peafowl in what is now the United States was the introduction by Frances Sinclair on Kaua’i I., Hawai‘i, in 1860. However the first reported introduction into the continental United States occurred in 1879, when Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin brought 3 pairs to his vast ranch in the San Gabriel Valley of California. Today, semidomestic or feral populations persist mostly in California and Florida. Peafowl can also be found throughout neighborhoods surrounding the arboretum. Mt Wilson from the Arboretum

Baldwin Lake

Baldwin Lake surrounding the Queen Anne Cottage is a major attraction at the Arboretum. Numerous waterfowl including ducks and Canada geese are found there on a regular basis. Baldwin Lake - Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden

Santa Anita Depot

In 1970, the

Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...

depot was moved to the Arboretum during the construction of the 210 Foothill Freeway. It was built in 1890 at today's

Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale and Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Southern California. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east through Glendale, the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Arc ...

and Old Ranch Rd. to serve

Lucky Baldwin Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin (April 3, 1828 – March 1, 1909) was "one of the greatest pioneers" of California business, an investor, and real estate speculator during the second half of the 19th century. He earned the nickname "Lucky" Baldwin d ...

, and the people of

. The depot opened on the Southern California Railway in 1890 and was sold to Santa Fe on January 17, 1906. Before the depot was built, the site was a Rancho Santa Anita

railway siding A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter ...

on the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad opened in 1887. The depot is furnished with railroad memorabilia and is open to visitors.

Haunted history

The arboretum is widely reported to be haunted, particularly the Queen Anne Cottage. Some have claimed to see the ghost of Lucky Baldwin or one of his wives. Visitors have claimed hearing moaning coming from the house (where Lucky Baldwin's wife also died of cancer), odd cooking smells, and seeing various strange anomalies walk the gardens at night.

Management

Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is governed by Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation and Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation is a non-profit organization governed by a board of trustees with a CEO. The current CEO and President of the board of trustees are: * CEO: Richard Schulhof. * President: William Lincoln. The current Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation leaders at the Arboretum are: * Director: John Wicker * Assistant Director: Norma E. Garcia * Regional Operations Manager: Hugo Maldonado

Gallery

Selected garden images of Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. File:Plumeria_Blossoms.jpg, Plumeria blossoms on Tallac knoll File:LA County Arboretum - fountain.JPG, Los Angeles County Arboretum, view of fountain File:LA County Arboretum - road.JPG, Near the Australian collection File:Garden pond, Los Angeles Arboretum.jpg, Pond view File:LA County Arboretum - knoll.JPG, Atop the knoll File:Queen_Anne_House_Los_Angeles.JPG,

Queen Anne Cottage and Coach Barn Queen Anne Cottage and Coach Barn is a Victorian style pair of buildings at Baldwin Lake, on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, located in Arcadia and the San Gabriel Valley of southern California. Elias Jacks ...

In popular culture

Dozens of movies and televisions programs have had scenes filmed at the arboretum beginning in 1936, including portions of two ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 whe ...

'' movies and '' Objective, Burma!''. Some of the ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' adventure movies were partially shot here. It was also the scenes for

Paradise Island Paradise Island is an island in The Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of (2.8 km2/1.1 sq mi), is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of ...

on '' The New Original Wonder Woman''. The Queen Anne Cottage used in the opening credits of the television series ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo ...

'' is located here. The cottage was also seen in an episode of ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The ser ...

'' and '' Roots: The Next Generations''. A number of films have been made at the Santa Anita Depot, including the

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sa ...

of '' Christmas in Connecticut'', which starred Dyan Cannon, Arnold Schwarzenegger (also directed), and

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the Ni ...

. In 2013,

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...

filmed her music video for " Roar" at the arboretum. Other movies filmed here include:Alleman, Richard (2013). ''Hollywood: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie L.A.'' Crown/Archetype. Pages 468-470. . * '' Tarzan Escapes'' (1936) * '' Tarzan and the Amazons'' (1945) * '' Tarzan's Peril'' (1951) * ''

Tarzan and the Leopard Woman ''Tarzan and the Leopard Woman'' is a 1946 action film based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and portrayed by Johnny Weissmuller. Directed by Kurt Neumann, film sees Tarzan encounter a tribe of leopard-worshippers. It was ...

'' (1946) * '' Tarzan and the Huntress'' (1947) * '' Tarzan and the Slave Girl'' (1950) * '' Tarzan's Hidden Jungle'' (1955) * '' Captive Girl'' (1950) * ''

Pygmy Island ''Pygmy Island'' is a 1950 Jungle Jim film starring Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. It was movie number five in the series. Production Filming started 19 June 1950. Katzman hired several midget actors to play pygmies. The film was shot ...

'' (1950) * '' Jungle Manhunt'' (1951) * ''

Mark of the Gorilla ''Mark of the Gorilla'' is 1950 Jungle Jim film starring Johnny Weissmuller. It was the third in the series. Plot Gorilla attacks on humans come as a surprise to Jungle Jim, since the creatures are not known to exist in this part of Africa. On hi ...

'' (1950) * '' Jungle Jim'' (1948) * '' Devil’s Island'' (1938) * '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1939) * '' The Women'' (1939) * ''

Road to Singapore ''Road to Singapore'' is a 1940 American semi-musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope. Based on a story by Harry Hervey, the film is about two playboys trying to forget previous ...

'' (1940) * '' The Lady Eve'' (1941) * '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1946) * ''

The Best Years of Our Lives ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (also known as ''Glory for Me'' and ''Home Again'') is a 1946 American epic drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Russe ...

'' (1946) * ''

Notorious Notorious means well known for a negative trait, characteristic, or action. It may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Notorious'' (1946 film), a thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Notorious'' (1992 film), a TV film re ...

'' (1946) * ''

Till the Clouds Roll By ''Till The Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker, Kern was originally involved with the production, but died befo ...

'' (1946) * ''

Typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

'' (1940) * '' The African Queen'' (1951) * '' Attack of the Giant Leeches'' (1959) * '' Behind Enemy Lines'' (1986) * '' Who’s That Girl'' (1987) * ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...

'' (1990) * '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) * ''

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

'' (1993) * '' The American President'' (1995) * '' Matilda'' (1996) * '' Anaconda'' (1997) * '' Bedazzled'' (2000) * '' Saving Mr. Banks'' (2013) * '' Bridesmaids'' (2011) * ''

Meet The Fockers ''Meet the Fockers'' is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Jay Roach and the sequel to the 2000 film '' Meet the Parents''. The film stars Robert De Niro (who was also one of the film's producers), Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisan ...

'' (2004)

References

External links

Arboretum.org: official Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden website

Arboretum.org: LA Arboretum Library website

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070929083606/http://www.seeing-stars.com/ImagePages/QueenAnneCottagePhoto.shtml Seeing-stars.com: The Queen Anne Cottage at the Los Angeles Arboretum— ''featured in the opening credits of the television series

''.
Pasadena POPS website
— ''summer outdoor concerts at the Arboretum''. {{Authority control Arboreta in California Botanical gardens in California Parks in Los Angeles County, California Arcadia, California San Gabriel Valley Protected areas established in 1947 1947 establishments in California History of Los Angeles County, California Parks in Southern California Regional parks in California

History

The gardens

Baldwin Lake

Santa Anita Depot

Haunted history

Management

Gallery

In popular culture

See also

References

External links