CITY OF GLENDORA - PRIDE OF THE FOOTHILLS

Compiled by Culver Heaton, Jr.

Founded in 1887, incorporated in 1911 with only 700 residents, Glendora lies nestled in the shadows of the scenic San Gabriel Mountains, 26 miles east of Los Angeles. Today, Glendora is one of Southern California’s finest residential communities and has a population over 52,000.

SETTLED 6,000 B.C.

The Shoshone Indian Tribe was the first to settle in the area. Artifacts dating back to 6000 B.C. have been found within the City limits. After the Native Americans, the Spanish came to colonize California symbolized locally by the San Gabriel Mission. Dominance by the Mexican Government over (Alta) California followed the Spaniards.

HENRY DALTON

Englishman Henry Dalton purchased five Ranchos, including the 45,000 acre Rancho Azusa which included the Glendora area. In 1852, following the war against Mexico, Dalton’s right of ownership of Rancho Azusa was challenged by the U.S. government. When he died in 1884, Dalton had lost most of his property and was living in poverty.

In 1868, the Glendora district was opened for homesteading. In 1874, John Bender and William Bryant Cullen, two boyhood friends who had served in the Confederate Army, came to this area from Memphis, Tennessee. They became the first permanent settlers of the future Glendora Township. Bender, a bachelor, acquired 160 acres north of Foothill Boulevard between Grand and Pennsylvania Avenues. Cullen, with his wife and two small children, homesteaded the area between Wabash and Live Oak Avenues and Sierra Madre and Bennett Avenues. They cleared their land and planted wheat, flax, barley, castor beans, grapevines, vegetables and fruit trees. The area began to flourish as other farmers arrived during the 1870’s.

In 1875, out of necessity, land donated by J.C. Preston became the first Protestant cemetery in the immediate area. This became the burial place for residents of Glendora, Azusa, Covina and Duarte. It is located on San Felipe Hill in northwest Glendora and is known as Fairmount Cemetery.

Glendora’s founding father was George D. Whitcomb, a wealthy Chicago manufacturer who came to Southern California for his health. He arrived in 1885 and purchased a 200 acre rectangle of land for $40 per acre, which today is the heart of the community. Also in 1885, the Santa Fe Railroad began building a line through the San Gabriel Valley. Whitcomb persuaded the railroad to shift its proposed route between Pasadena and San Bernardino to the north of the South Hills and close to his proposed town.

Whitcomb combined “Glen” which described the narrow valley of his property at the north end of Glendora Avenue, with the latter part of his wife’s given name, Leadora, and named his new town “Glendora.”

In 1885, the Methodist Church was established in Glendora and soon other churches and schools were built to accommodate the growing population.

Early in 1887, along with John W. Cook and Merrick Reynolds, George Whitcomb formed the Glendora Land Company. Land was cleared and streets were graded and named. Whitcomb named the north-south streets after states, places he had lived, or places for which he had a fondness, and the east-west streets for family members. Foothill Boulevard was originally named Minnehaha Avenue. Water mains were installed, 6,000 tiny pepper trees were planted along the streets and on April 1, 1887, a public sale of lots was held. History records that the first lot purchased was on the northeast corner of Bennett and Michigan Avenues. (Michigan Avenue was renamed Glendora Avenue in 1964). The purchaser, Mr. Jefferson Patton, paid $500 plus $500 for the privilege of first lot choice. Several years later, an inscribed stone marker was placed on the corner to commemorate that initial sale. In all, 291 lots were sold on the first day of the sale.

In the late 1880’s the California real estate bubble burst and left many people disheartened and penniless. The problem of water, together with inadequate marketing facilities, made farming in Glendora a constant struggle. But the introduction of the citrus tree brought a new and welcome prosperity to the area.

Before the turn of the century, vast groves of orange and lemon trees began to establish Glendora as a center of the new Southern California citrus industry. In 1896, Glendora built its first packing house, and for a while the largest citrus packing house in the world was located here. Glendora had the great honor of loading a weekly supply of oranges and lemons aboard the Santa Fe train bound for the White House dining table of President William Howard Taft during his term of office from 1909 to 1913.

In 1887, Major George E. Gard, a U.S. Marshall and Los Angeles land speculator, purchased 320 acres of land south and southeast of Whitcomb’s townsite of Glendora and formed the Alosta Land and Water Company. The name “Alosta” was taken, Jan 21 1887, from Gard’s friend, Harrison Fuller, whose oldest daughter was Anna Losta. Gard and Whitcomb quarreled bitterly and the competition between them was so great that when Ada Avenue was put in, it originally did not connect the two towns. The biggest difference between Gard and Whitcomb was their attitude toward alcoholic beverages. Gard’s town of Alosta had a well-stocked bar in its hotel, a dance hall and a saloon. Whitcomb was a staunch Methodist, and saw to it that Glendora was the opposite and did not allow liquor to be bought, sold, manufactured or consumed within the town limits. By 1889, Alosta was failing and less than 24 families remained. Glendora was thriving with a population of 300 residents.

California approved legislation to build union high schools in 1891, and Citrus Union High School was the first to be established in the State. In 1915, Citrus College became the first Junior College in Los Angeles County.

The new century brought our town a certain amount of progress. In 1902, telephone service came to Glendora. The Pacific Electric Railway (the “Red Cars”) extended its line in 1907 and Glendora was designated as the turn-around point for the P.E. cars to return to Los Angeles. Electricity and natural gas became available to Glendorans in 1908-09. Glendora Avenue was paved all the way to Sierra Madre Avenue in 1920. During this same era, many of Glendora’s social, cultural and service clubs were established. Of note is the Glendora Woman’s Club, established in 1908 whose reading room eventually became the Glendora Public Library.

On November 13, 1911, Glendora was incorporated and it officially became the City of Glendora; 2.5 square miles in size. The first City Hall was built in 1913 on Glendora Avenue, just north of Bennett Avenue which was the first lot sold in Glendora back in 1887. This building (now the site of the Glendora Historical Society Museum) was previously used for the City Hall, Police Department, Jail, and Fire Department until a new City Hall was built. The second and current City Hall, was erected in 1921, is located on the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Glendora Avenue. As well as the City administrative offices, the building once housed the Police Department, Jail, Library, Fire Stations, U.S. Forest Service and for many years the local weekly Municipal Court was held upstairs in the City Council Chambers.

Although Glendora is now generally known as a “bedroom community” one world famous industry, Rain Bird Sprinklers, was established here. The sprinkler was invented in Glendora in 1933 by Orton Engelhart and later financed, manufactured and marketed by Clem LaFetra.

Glendora’s “Golden Get-Together” in April 1937 commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the town. The day was celebrated with a parade, contests, speeches, barbecue supper, historical play and two dances. In 1940, Glendora citizens donated land for the U.S. Forest Service Headquarters at the northeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Wabash Avenue. The new building was hand crafted as a civilian W.P.A. (Works, Public Administration) project. Glendora’s contribution to the World War II defense effort was the U.S. Propeller Plant. After the war, Glendora experienced another boom and many of the citrus groves began to be replaced by subdivisions.

MORE GROWTH 

Because of the rapid population growth after the war during the 1950’s and 1960’s, the City’s infrastructure needed to be expanded and modernized. During the late 1960’s and 1970’s, new buildings were constructed for the Police, Fire and Library Departments. Citrus College launched a new building program as well. In 1965, the City acquired all the assets of the Glendora Irrigating Company which included wells in the City of Azusa, an office building on Glendora Avenue and 650 acres of Wilderness Park land in Big Dalton Canyon. With this acquisition, the City now provides municipal water services to over 90% of its residents.

In July 1968, 23,000 acres of watershed were burned in the mountains above Glendora. During the following January and February, a torrential (once every 100-years) rain storm hit the Valley and the onslaught of flooding, mud and debris inundated many Glendora homes at the base of the foothills with such force that some were completely buried in mud. Pictures of the floodwaters and damaged homes were featured in a story in the October 1969 National Geographic magazine.

In 1971, the City received a $300,000 Federal Legacy of Parks matching grant and purchased the initial 150 acres of the now 250 acre South Hills Wilderness Park and constructed the original Glendora Sports Park (now called Louie Pompei Sports Park) located in an abandoned railroad gravel pit formerly called Forb’s Pit. The Glendora Community Redevelopment Agency was established in the early 1970’s to assist in upgrading Glendora businesses and to attract new business to Glendora. Water Revenue Bonds were sold to provide funds to upgrade and expand the water distribution and reservoir system; parks, recreation and senior facilities were also upgraded and developed; and the Foothill Freeway was completed through Glendora in 1973 to connect Glendora with other Southern California cities via the freeway system.

 A NEW CENTURY

The Glendora Auto Centre was completed in the early 1990’s; Wal Mart opened a new 120,000 square foot store across from the Auto Centre in 1994. Following a controversial election on “Measure D” in March of 2000, voters approved a new zoning and development master plan for the construction of the 50 acre Glendora Market Place with three major big box stores and other smaller commercial establishments. This was followed in 2007 with the opening of the adjoining 30 acre Diamond Ridge commercial center project with several additional major big box retailers, restaurants and a multiscreen theater complex. That very same year, the City completed a $10,000,000 reconstruction of Louie Pompei Sports Park complete with five lighted baseball and soccer fields. The historic Alosta Avenue was renamed as Route #66 and in 2003, the City adopted a new master design plan for this 3 mile long commercial corridor and the Gold Line commuter rail expansion from Pasadena through Glendora was announced for completion in 2011.

An old fashioned annual Christmas Parade and traditional Homecoming Parade still bring out Glendorans in goodly numbers to celebrate their community in preparation for the annual holidays. Technology had not bypassed Glendora though! The Internet made access to government and business easier and disseminated information during emergencies. E-commerce partnered with traditional commerce, offering the best of both worlds.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the U.S. Census bureau listed Glendora’s population at 49,419, and covering 19.5 square miles. New businesses, services and families have arrived and enriched the diversity of the community. Although most of Glendora’s vacant land has been developed, change is always forthcoming. Those changes keep Glendora vibrant, by remembering our history, protecting our ‘small town atmosphere’, and keeping an eye towards the future. The fragrance of citrus blossoms in the air is now only a memory, yet the beautiful City of Glendora will always continue to be known as the “Pride of the Foothills.”

THE ATHENA CLUB (1903 - 1907)

Athene or Athena was the goddess of wisdom and of the arts and sciences in Greek mythology

October, 1903: A group of 19 young women met to organize a club. The name Athena Club was chosen. They decided that every three months, each member should pay the sum of 25 cents into the treasury.

One member, a Mrs. Clyde Nichols, suggested starting a free reading room on a small scale, and as the club grew, to secure the necessary means to enlarge it. The club voted to undertake the project and money, books and magazines.

The formation of a library was one of the main objectives of the group and to finance the purchase of books, many social events, such as oyster suppers and strawberry festivals were conducted.

January 26, 1904: The Glendora Reading Room was opened, offering some books and magazines to eager readers. Volunteers staffed the reading room. The exact location of this first reading room is difficult to pinpoint. One location given is a storeroom on the northwest corner of Michigan (now Glendora Ave.) and Meda; another is in the back rooms of what later became Reed’s Hardware at Michigan and Meda (southwest corner). Another location reported is between Meda and Bennett on Michigan and still another mentions that a Mr. Weaver gave the club a building for the reading room.

When the reading room opened, a Mrs. McCormick was overseer in the daytime and a Mrs. Shepherd in the evenings. A list of standard and popular magazines had been ordered and a number of older magazine issues were on the shelves.

As activity increased it was realized that the reading room was not adequate and the Athenas rented Frank Odell’s house (Odell was a father of charter member Verna Odell), south of the Weaver building and just north of the wash (approximately where the Village book store now stands). The Library was in one room and the librarian had the rest of the house rent free and received $12 a month.

Every month about 12 of the first class magazines were received, along with several weekly papers and two daily papers. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union also generously donated to enable the Athena Club to purchase books. The patrons grew as did the library.

Through the Glendora Gleaner (the local newspaper) the ladies of the Athena Club notified those who had kept books over two weeks that they would be taxed two cents a day until their return.

March 11, 1905: A public meeting was held at Forrester’s Hall to discuss the plans for a public hall, library and library rooms. Everyone was encouraged by the attendance and the interest show by the citizens of the town. It was decided that the matter of incorporating the club would be brought up at their next business meeting. In this way they hoped to sell shares in the building and get the support of all of the citizens of Glendora. No further mention of this endeavor can be found.

January, 1906: The Athena Club decided to move the Library into the Fager building and Mrs. Kingsley was engaged to act as Librarian. It was decided to hold a dime social that month to raise money to pay the expenses of moving, renewing magazine subscriptions and the rent.

February 7, 1907:  The Gleaner noted that the Athena Club held its regular meeting. Owing to the inclement weather only a small number of members were present and no business of importance was transacted. There was no further mention in the newspaper of the Athena Club or the little Glendora Library until March 1909.

The Athena Club faded after February 1907 and apparently the reading room book collection was abandoned for several years until the time the Athena Club became part of the then newly-formed Glendora Woman’s Club.

THE GLENDORA WOMEN'S CLUB (1908 - 1911)

May, 1908: The Glendora Woman’s Club officially organized with 67 members on their roster, 11 of which were former Athena Club members. Mention was made about the possibility of re-establishing a free library.

March 4, 1911:  During a meeting, Mrs. J. A. Jones made a motion that the Woman’s Club undertake the establishment of a reading room or library. The motion was carried and a Library Board was formed, consisting first of Mrs. Jones, Mrs. J. W. Lewis and Mrs. H. S. Riser. Mrs. Riser resigned later that month and Mrs. L.N. Suydam was appointed in her place.

April,1911:  It was announced that the reading room would be opened to the public on Monday, April 10 with Mrs. Coulter as the librarian. This was the foundation from which the Glendora Public Library grew.

Mrs. Suydam stated in her history of the Library that this reading room was a front room in the Gem Building rented from Mrs. Weaver. And Mrs. Hazel Richardson, in her reminiscences, remembered the first location as a small room at the head of the stairs in the Opera House (The Opera House was upstairs in the old First National Bank Building, which still stands. It houses today, among other businesses, the Village Vault at 161 N. Glendora Avenue. The Gem Building is the next building north.)

May 2, 1911: It was announced that the Glendora Board of Trade (now Chamber of Commerce) had voted to give $6 a month toward the maintenance of the Library.

May 9, 1911: A rally and book shower was featured. There was no monetary charge, rather admission was the donation of one or more books for the Library. Pledges totaling $25 a month were received. With this amount a room was rented upstairs in the Opera house building.

June 10, 1911:  The Library, located in the two rooms in the Weaver block facing Meda Avenue was opened to the public.

November 6, 1911:  Glendora officially became an incorporated city by the adoption of a resolution to that effect.

1912:  A committee composed of Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Bidwell and Mrs. Suydam had to decide whether to be a branch of the LA Library or the Glendora City Library. After careful consideration, the committee decided to be the Glendora City Library.

April 1912:  The Committee suggested that the Glendora City Board of Trustees (now City Council) assume responsibility of the Library and establish a free, non-subscription Municipal Public Library

THE GLENDORA PUBLIC LIBRARY (1912)

May 1, 1912:  The City assumed the financial support of the Library, formally adopting the Library as a department of the city government on May 20, 1912.

The Woman’s Club turned over to the new city public library over a thousand books that had been collected after a great deal of effort on the part of both the Athena Club and Woman’s Club.

The Woman’s Club continued to support the Library, raise money and repair books even after the City took over the Library. The Club’s support continues to this day. The Woman’s Club has been recognized by legislators at all levels, city, state and federal, for their founding of the Glendora Public Library and support. 

The first Library Board of Trustees was composed of Rev. Robert Grieve, president, Mrs. M. P. Nusbickel, secretary, Mrs. Hazel Riser, Mrs. J. A. Jones, and Mrs. Lucetta Suydam. Miss Harriet Gifford was named Librarian.

The first months’ business consisted of 368 books loaned, 42 magazines loaned, $2.12 in fines collected with a total of 107 readers.

July, 1912: The Library was still located in the Opera House, and it was decided the Library would lease a store room in the Lewis block, located two doors north of the Glendora Bank (located between Meda and Bennett on the west side of Michigan Avenue). It was believed that this location would increase the library’s patronage, the quarters were more spacious, and they were on ground floor and much easier to access. The move was made in September 1912.

January, 1914:  The Library received their first credit for tax money (a sum of $783.86). The Library moved to larger quarters, which was a room rented from John Lewis (where the Gleaner newspaper was located). The Library also rented a room known as the “pool hall.”

July, 1915: Miss Gifford reported in her annual report that they now had 1538 books available, loaned 9478 and 433 magazines and had 871 card holders.

September, 1915:  The Library continued to grow, and moved to a new brick building - referred to as the Adams building.

July, 1916: Miss Gifford reported in her annual report that the Library now had 2730 books, 1007 added by purchase, 185 added by gifts, they had loaned 12385 books and had 3382 readers.

November/December, 1918:  The Library closed its doors due to a flu epidemic. All public gatherings were prohibited and the schools and churches were closed. During this epidemic, library books from flu infected homes were returned wrapped and sealed in heavy paper, not to be touched for a year.

January, 1919: The Library opened its door again, but only to students who needed books for their school work. It opened to the general public in February 1919.

December, 1919: By the end of the year there were 5,200 books in the library. During the year 12,696 books and 331 magazines were loaned, and 221 new cards were issued. The population of Glendora was now 2028.

April, 1922:  The Library was able to move from the Opera House Building into the east portion of City Hall.

November, 1929: The first Children’s book week was held.  

By 1930 the Library had become so crowded that an annex was added to City Hall to provide a much needed children’s room. The annex was made possible through the direct instigation of the Library Board, Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Fleet, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Shelton, who approached the City Council. The Council authorized the Board to hire an architect and present plans with the price not to exceed $3000. This was done and the annex was paid for with money in the general fund. The total book collection at this time was 10256. The first annual report following completion of the annex showed a circulation of 23,537 books.

August of 1930:  Mrs. McLeod (a teacher at Citrus Union High School) offered story time from 10 to 10:45 each day and mothers were urged to leave their children at the Library for a story or two while they did their shopping.

As the third decade of the 20th century drew to a close, the population of the city had grown to 2761 and the Library now possessed over 10,000 books.

1946:  Rolfe B. Bidwell, local attorney, and his daughter Lillian presented a beautiful camellia book to the Library dedicated to the memory of their wife and mother, Robina A. Bidwell. This was the beginning of the memorial collection, which has continued to grow through the years. Mr. Bidwell also donated several pieces of solid oak shelving on which to shelve the memorial books.

1955:  The Library quarters were cramped again-this time by the City Hall departments as well as the Library. Mr. Rolfe Bidwell came to the rescue by donating $35,000 for the addition of another wing to City Hall for the expansion of the Library facilities.

1971: The Bidwell Memorial Library had outgrown its quarters and a new building was erected on Glendora Avenue between City Hall and the Police facility. The doors were opened to the public on February 28, 1972.

1989:  The library introduced its first computer-based catalog, replacing the traditional paper card catalog.

1992: The Glendora Reads! adult literacy program was started. That year also saw the opening of the Friends of Glendora Library Book and Gift Shop.

1993:  The Glendora Public Library Friends Foundation was formed as a 501{c}3 non-profit corporation. The foundation partners with the City of Glendora to provide volunteer and financial support to enhance library services. The foundation provides this support through gifts, grants and donations.

Library programs and events sponsored by the foundation include the Summer Reading Clubs for children, teens and adults, special programs and events for all ages, cultural events, volunteer recognition and the adult literacy program.

April, 1994:  The library opened the Computer Learning Center, giving the public access to computers and eventually the Internet. The library hosted the first City of Glendora’s website and employee e-mail network. All of this was made possible by the Friends Foundation.

January 24, 2004:  The library celebrated its centennial: 100 years of information, imagination and inspiration to the Glendora community! The Glendora High School’s Tartan Pipe and Drum Corp. and the Boy and Girl Scouts as color guards kicked-off the event. Dignitaries from the community and the political arena gave speeches and proclamations in honor of the library and its volunteer roots. After the formal ceremony was completed, music, food, a historical portrayal of Pio Pico, games, prizes and a puppet show kept adults and children entertained.

A special historical exhibit was commissioned by the Friends Foundation and placed on the main floor of the library. Photographs of Glendora from its early days to the present adorned a large structure. Smaller historical displays were rotated throughout the year within the larger structure including the citrus industry, inventions, Route 66, local churches and antique clothing, toys, radios and trains.

Special programs for the community filled out the year: music, poetry readings, author visits, a garden expo and a quilt exhibition to name a few. A special visit from a delegation from Merida, Mexico was a unique highlight and included a day of Yucatan art and culture. The Glendora Women’s Club held a special antique fashion show in honor of the celebration. Many community businesses and groups helped make this year long celebration possible through donations of food, time and money, with the Friends Foundation in the lead!

April 2009: The Library held its dedication ceremony for the newly completed Friends Room and the City’s first extreme water-wise garden. Community support for the Friends Room was captured by their hand prints placed on a metal oak tree as the leaves. The art work was created by Conrad Brazzel. The water-wise garden was created through a partnership with Monrovia Growers, who donated the plants and expertise; and the City’s Planning, Public Works and Community Services departments.

May 11, 2012:  This date marked the Centennial celebration of the Glendora Woman’s Club handing over their library to the Glendora City Council. This generous act created the Glendora Public Library.

The month-long celebration included the creation of a list of Glendorans top 100 books. Both adult and youth titles were submitted by the community. The Woman’s Club had a display up in the lobby highlighting their achievements.

A “Book Eating Contest” was the highlight of the celebration. Community members created cakes based on the titles of their favorite books. The People’s Choice Award went to “If You Give a Pig a Pancake”, created by Allison Lawrence. Ice cream, personalized bookmarks and proclamations from local legislators marked the day.

A DVD was created on the history of the Glendora Woman’s Club and the Library as part of this important milestone. It was shown on the City’s cable station and as an episode of the video magazine, “Go Glendora!” A copy of the DVD is available in the Library.

The Glendora Public Library and Cultural Center has approximately 5,000 visitors a week. It contains over 140,000 volumes, including books, e-books audio books, both on CD and via download, music, movies, magazines, computer databases, access to the Internet and digital resources that can be used from home, office, school and at the library.

The library continues to strive, grow and change to respond to the needs of our citizens. The Glendora Public Library and Cultural Center has been called “The Crown Jewel of Glendora”, a moniker we don’t take lightly! 

Libraries are the pillar of any society – John Jakes, Author

Libraries are the real treasures of most towns; full of riches and people who will help you find them – author unknown

Janet Stone 2013 - Present		Roberta (Robin) Weed-Brown 2000 - 2013		Constance (Connie) Tiffany Corcoran 1986 - 2000
John O. Jolly Jun, 1972 - Jun, 1986		Mel C. Cantor 17 Apr, 1969 - May, 1972		John O. Jolly 1 Nov, 1963 - 15 Sep, 1968
Albert (Elizabeth M.) Swinney 1 Jul, 1961 - 31 Oct, 1963		Henry C. French 1 Jan, 1961 - 30 Jun, 1961		Hazel Domer 1934 - 31, Dec, 1960
Harriet Gifford The First Official City Librarian  1912 - 1934		Mary Coulter 1911		L.N. (Lucetta Nancy) Suydam 1906 - ?
Florence Buck 1906		Margaret Shields 1904 - 1905		Mrs. McCormick Mrs. Shepherd & Miss Lucinda Brown 1904

* early dates may be estimated

Photographs courtesy of:

• Glendora Historical Society
• Glendora Preservation Foundation, Inc.
• Bobbie Battler Photography Collection
• Glendora Woman’s Club
• Daughters of the American Revolution Society, Research Center, California State HQ, Glendora, CA
• Huntington Library

Bibliography:

Brief History of Glendora. A collection of unpublished writings, letters and includes “History of Glendora Library by Mrs. L.N. Suydam” (written in the late 1920’s), other hand written biographical notes, and reports about various city organizations. Complied by unknown, available at Glendora Public Library

Darlington, Kay. The Making of the Glendora Public Library From 1903 Through 1930. Self-published, June 1999; available at the Glendora Public Library

Krause, Sandra. (2003). The Glendora Public Library and the women who made it possible: 1902-1922. Unpublished manuscript.