Electric Avenue: Pacific Electric Railway and the ...978bf324c4724a16c… · After reading about the history of the Pacific Electric Railway Arrowhead Hot Springs Line, ... (From

Electric Avenue: Pacific Electric Railway and the Arrowhead Hot Springs Line

Website last edited\updated: May 14, 2008

Pacific Electric Railway

Arrowhead Hot Springs Line

San Bernardino Valley Traction Company, trolley car 100 at carhouse on South E Street, San Bernardino, California, circa 1910.

** Many of the following pictures are from private collections and are copyrighted. I have been given permission to post the pictures here. You are free to print this website and photos for personal use and for research. However, please do NOT redistribute the image files themselves. Please link to the website instead. Photos may not be published or used in another website without permission. (Notice posted April 8, 2008.) **

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Survey on Arrowhead Hot Springs Line, 1912 Arrowhead Hot Springs, 1910

PE car 101 at Mountain View Avenue and 30th Street, 1937

Water train on Electric Avenue, 1937 Curve east of Electric Avenue, 1938

Crossing at Waterman Canyon Road, 1938 Arrowhead Springs substation

Bridge near Arrowhead Hot Springs, 1938 Arrowhead Hot Springs, 1938

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Water train at Highland and Mt. View Ave, 1946 Water train in Waterman Canyon, 1946

Water train on Mountain View Ave, 1950 (New!)

Electric Avenue and Mountain View Avenue, 1955 Crusher Siding, 1955

Electric Avenue, 1955 North end of Electric Avenue, 1955

Painting of Water train on Mountain View Ave (by Florence Nesbit)

Last day of the water train, 1960

Last day of the water train (pic 2) Last day of the water train (pic 3)

Last day of the water train (pic 4) Last day of the water train (pic 5)

Map of the Arrowhead Line Brief History of the Arrowhead Hot Springs Line

"Electric Avenue Heritage Park" Project The Arrowhead Settlement

Copia Ranch (New update! May 14, 2008)Problems viewing this page? (Pictures missing or not displayed correctly, etc.)

History of Pacific Electric Ry. in San Bernardino (Also discussing the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company)

Electric Avenue captured in family photos! (New!)

"To Higher Ground"

Take me to the higher groundSerene land of gold and greenPlace of peace, place of plenty

Of oranges and vineyardsYucca blooms and earthy sageGuide me to the higher ground

With an arrow of fireBlazoned on the mountain top

And a lonely iron roadAcross the sleepy valleyTo Willow Nook Road

Through cornucopiaTo the Copia Ranch

Flowing creeks and tree-lined streetsTake me to the higher ground

And into the rolling hillsTo pines and bubbling hot springs

Canyon walls and valley viewsOf pastoral fields and towns

Chimney smoke and lit windowsUnder a soft red sun setting

On higher ground

Note: There are quite a few large pictures here, so please be patient and allow time for the page to load!

After reading about the history of the Pacific Electric Railway Arrowhead Hot Springs Line, you'll definitely want to see the article about the small town called Arrowhead that was once in north San Bernardino, near the foothills. A fascinating article written by students of the Arrowhead School in 1917 is now available. Be sure you visit the link to read the article near the end of the page!


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http://www.geocities.com/gatewaycityca/History_of_PE_in_SB.html


An article is also now available which describes in more detail the history of the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company and the Pacific Electric Railway in San Bernardino. The SBVT had a humble beginning with one young man's ambitious dream to build the first electric trolley line in San Bernardino. Visit the link after reading about the Arrowhead Line and learn about this inspiring story!

Pacific Electric Railway - 1912 survey on the Arrowhead Hot Springs Line. PE trolley car 1318 (formerly SBVT car 100) can be seen in the background. The exact location of this scene hasn't been identified yet, but the picture was taken somewhere along the grade through the foothills, east of Electric Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Craig Rasmussen)

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Circa 1913. Pacific Electric Railway trolley car 1310 at the Arrowhead Hot Springs Station. (Photo courtesy of Craig Rasmussen)

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Pacific Electric car 101 at Mountain View Avenue and 30th Street. 1937. This quaint scene in a much more rual north San Bernardino is looking north on Mountain View Avenue at the crossing with the Santa Fe's famous "Kite Track." (Photo courtesy of Craig Rasmussen)

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Year 1937. Pacific Electric Railway locomotive 1591 with the famous "water train" running up Electric Avenue, en route to Arrowhead Hot Springs. (Original source: "Pacific Electric Album Of Cars" Swett, Ira L.)

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This picture was actually taken from a Pacific Electric trolley car en route to Arrowhead Hot Springs during a special Railroad Booster's trip in 1938. This is just east of Electric Avenue, where the track curved eastward and continued into the foothills. This area has been named "La Punta" ("The Point") on some maps of the Arrowhead Line and was also described as such on the photographer's original notes. However, nothing else is known about this locale. (Original photographer: Ivan Baker. Craig Rasmussen collection.)

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Here, the Arrowhead Line crossed Waterman Canyon Road (present day Highway 18), near Arrowhead Hot Springs. Note the wigwag signal gaurding the crossing. The Arrowhead Springs Substation, which supplied additional power for electric trolleys and locomotives on the line, is the small wooden building in the distance. This picture was also taken from PE trolley car 1000 in 1938. Highway 18 is at a higher grade than the original road, and so the area appears quite different today. (Original photographer: Ivan Baker. Craig Rasmussen collection.)

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A very rare photo! Here is the Arrowhead Springs Substation. (Original photographer: Ivan Baker. Craig Rasmussen collection.)



Let there be no doubts! The sign speaks for itself!

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This picture was also taken during the same 1938 Railroad Booster's trip. Here Pacific Electric trolley car 1000 crosses the wooden trestle near Arrowhead Springs. (Original photograph: Ernie Leo. Craig Rasmussen collection.)

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Winter snow! Pacific Electric locomotive 1653 with water train at Arrowhead Springs terminus.

This scene is at the end of the line at Arrowhead Hot Springs. A tanker car for the water train is on the siding just ahead. Due to construction costs and the rough terrain, the original trolley line never did quite reach the Arrowhead Hotel. The original hotel was at a different site than the present one, on a hill across Hot Creek Canyon. The arroyo was never bridged by either the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company or the Pacific Electric, so the railway stopped just short of the hotel. A carriage, (and then a motorcar in later and more modern times) would pick up passengers to make the remaining trip up a winding road up to the hotel. The small drop-off shelter where passengers would wait for



trolley car or auto service is to the right, adjacent to the track. This small structure is still at the site today. Earlier photographs show that a depot was here at one time, but was probably removed when passenger service was cut back. (Original photograph: Ivan Baker. Craig Rasmussen collection.)

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Water train at Highland and Mountain View Avenue, 1946. This view is looking north.

(Photo courtesy of Craig Rasmussen)

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Here is the water train and its crew going about the business of hauling mountain springs water from Arrowhead Hot Springs. This is in Waterman Canyon. 1946.


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This view with the water train looks north on Mountain View Avenue, in about 1949. This is just south of the crossing with the Santa Fe loop line on 30th Street. (Note the sign in the foreground). Photo by Jack Whitmeyer.



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This view is looking north at Electric Avenue and Mountain View Avenue, 1955. Note the wigwag signal at the crossing. The track and signal is of course long gone now, but this scene looks much the same today.


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Crusher siding, on Electric Avenue, just south of 40th Street. December, 1955. The Crusher siding was named for a spur line that once branched off the Arrowhead Line at 40th Street. The spur was used to bring crushed rock from a quarry near the mouth of Waterman Canyon. The crushed rock was used to build roads throughout San Bernardino, Redlands, and Colton. The spur line was built in 1909 and removed in 1915. A siding was later built here, in the 1930s, to switch the locomotive on the water train. But the siding was still known as the "Crusher siding." At the time this picture was taken, the trolley wire had long since been removed and diesel-electric locomotives ran the water train on the Arrowhead Line.


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Electric Avenue. December, 1955. This part of the old right-of-way on Electric Avenue, just north of 40th Street, is still there today. This picture shows an interesting contrast and reveals a vanishing countryside that would eventually develop into the suburb we know today. On the west side of Electric Avenue, we still see fields and stables. But on the east side, homes have already been built. The track is still there, but not for long. Within a few years after this picture was taken, the Arrowhead Line would be abandoned.


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North end of Electric Avenue, near "La Punta." 1955. Here the line curved just before beginning the steep climb through the foothills to Arrowhead Hot Springs. This area is now a completely developed residential neighborhood and looks vastly different today!


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Water train on Mountain View Avenue. Circa 1956. (From souvenir print donated to San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society.) Artist Florence Nesbit must have been impressed at some point by the unusual sight of a train traveling down the center of tree-lined Mountain View Avenue to have captured this scene. The caption reads simply The Water Train carrying Arrowhead Springs water down Mountain View Avenue. San Bernardino, California.



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Goodbye to an old friend. Water train on Mountain View Avenue. The Pacific Electric name had vanished from the scene, and the end was near for the Arrowhead line when this picture was taken in 1960. Southern Pacific had now taken over the Pacific Electric Railway's few remaining lines in San Bernardino. The trolley wire had long since been removed and the line had been dieselized by this time. Three children; Theresa, Mary, and Robert Bachman pose by the locomotive, with watchful parents and the locomotive engineer looking on. For over 50 years, the Arrowhead line, with its electric trolley cars and water train, had played an ever-present role in the community, especially to the children who often crossed its track on their way to school.

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Here is another picture from the last day the water train ran on the Arrowhead Line. This is also on Mountain View Avenue, looking north. The Pacific Electric name had long since vanished from the scene, and now there was only one lonely little Southern Pacific diesel locomotive and just a single water tank car left. But it apprently stirred quite a commotion! It looks as though a big crowd of people was out to see the water train run one last time. It truly was the end of an era. September, 1960.

(Photo: Collection of Richard Wilkens)

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Another picture in the same general area. Water train on Mountain View Avenue. The last run of the water train had clearly captured everyone's attention. But we can only imagine what the people here were talking about! One can really feel a moment of reflection in this scene. (Photo: Collection of Richard Wilkens.)

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On its very last run, the water train is running north on Mountain View Avenue with a leased Southern Pacific locomotive and just one water tank car.

(Photo courtesy of Richard Wilkens.)

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Having turned the locomotive around at the Crusher Siding (on Electric Avenue) to push the tank car uphill, the water train is now nearing the Arrowhead Springs terminus. September, 1960

(Photo courtesy of Richard Wilkens.)

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Map and Trackage



The Arrowhead line was built from Third and D Street, north on D Street to Highland Avenue. It then curved and continued east on Highland Avenue to Mountain View Avenue, then curved again and continued north on Mountain View Avenue in a private right-of-way dividing the road. Today, there is still a parkway in the median where the track once was. At approximately 37th Street, the line came onto present-day Electric Avenue and continued north and northeast on a private right-of-way through the foothills and into Waterman Canyon. In 1909, a spur track had also been placed at 40th Street to transport crushed rock from the Phillips quarry and rock crusher to build roads througout San Bernardino, Redlands, and Colton. A siding was also later built there to switch the locomotive into a pushing mode for the water train, when the train was northbound en route to Arrowhead Springs. (This became Standard Operating Procedure after an incident when the tanker cars came uncoupled from the locomotive and ran downhill out of control. Fortunately, there is no record of any injuries to the train crew or to bystanders, nor any damage other than the cars being derailed.)

The electric trolley lines in San Bernardino were originally built by the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company, beginning with the line to Colton in 1903. Other lines were also built to Highland, Redlands, Urbita Springs, and eventually of course to Arrowhead Hot Springs. The original SBVT trolley car depot was on the south side of Third Street, between D Street and Arrowhead Avenue. In 1911, the Pacific Electric Railway bought the SBVT and the trolleys were then based at a larger station shared with the Southern Pacific Railroad. This station was farther west, on Third Street, between E and F Streets.

BRIEF HISTORY

The Arrowhead Hot Springs line was originally one of several local electric trolley lines in San Bernardino, California. It was built by the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company in 1907, which at the time also operated lines to Highland, Redlands, Urbita Springs (the present-day site of the Inland Center Mall) and Colton. The Arrowhead line ran from the Traction Depot on Third Street in downtown San Bernardino to the Arrowhead Hot Springs Hotel in the foothills just north of the city limits. In 1911, the SBVT Co. was bought by the Pacific Electric



Railway Company, which had been building electric trolley lines connecting cities and communities all throughout southern California. In 1914, a line was constructed between Los Angeles and San Bernardino and the local lines of the SBVT Co. were added to the vast system of the Pacific Electric. In addition to passenger service, the Arrowhead line was also used for various freight shipments. The most famous being the bottling and transport of Arrowhead Springs water from a reservoir near the hotel. In fact, after the official abandonment of passenger service on the line in 1941, and trolley cars no longer ventured up the steep and winding line, the "water train" became the sole user. The line was eventually abandoned completely and the track was removed in 1960.

New Update! Read more about the history of the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company and the Pacific Electric Railway in San Bernardino at the link below!

The Pacific Electric Railway in the San Bernardino Valley

Today, the wide parkway in the center of Mountain View Avenue, and the visible grade on Electric Avenue and through the foothills to Waterman Canyon remain to mark the old right-of-way.

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* Electric Avenue Captured in Family Photos *

The following pictures were generously shared by Bret Lorenz, whose grandparents built a home on Electric Avenue in 1929. Bret's father, William Lorenz, was raised here. Although these pictures do not show much of the railway itself, they do give a fascinating glimpse into what life was like at the time. We see images of a place that is both somehow familiar and strange. Electric Avenue is a dirt road, surrounded by fields and trees, with wooden railroad crossbucks at Electric Avenue and 40th Street - where there is today traffic lights and a busy intersection. The tracks and trolley poles of the Arrowhead Line blend in subtly with the background. In these images, we see our own neighborhood, the very same street we walk and drive down today, but as a much more isolated, pastoral place. And we see the people who made this area their home.

I may create a separate page for this later. If anyone has any other family pictures with views of Electric Avenue and north San Bernardino, which they would be interested in sharing to add on this website, please email me!

William Lorenz Sr. and Jr. April 12, 1936. This is looking east. A typical picture of father and son in front of their home on Electric Avenue, with a basket of fruit, probably picked from their own trees. When we see this picture, it's hard to believe this is even San


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Bernardino. The track for the Arrowhead Line and a trolley pole is just visible in the background. Except for the mountains, this view would be completely unrecognizable today. (Photo courtesy of Bret Lorenz)

This picture speaks for itself. Norman Rockwell would have been inspired by this! William Lorenz Sr. and Jr. (Date unknown - circa 1930s). A trolley pole can be seen directly across the street. It's interesting to wonder how often a Pacific Electric car and water train passed by the Lorenz family home. The fields in the background are now completely developed with homes and the Albertson's shopping center. (Photo courtesy of Bret Lorenz)



Bill Lorenz and his grandparents, September 1935. This view is looking southeast. A trolley pole is in the background, with railroad crossbucks at Electric Avenue and 40th Street. The intersection is completely different today. A Fire Dept station is across the street now. (Photo courtesy of Bret Lorenz)

During the Depression, the Lorenz family grew peach trees. Here we see the Lorenz family home, alone and isolated, and surrounded by fields...and peach trees! This view is looking west. Some 1920s and 1930s era homes still stand on this side of Electric Avenue, but otherwise the area is completely developed today. (Photo courtesy of Bret Lorenz)



This view is looking northeast. November, 1942. The famous arrowhead can be seen on the mountain in the background. (Photo courtesy of Bret Lorenz)

The Right-Of-Way As It Appears Today

View of Arrowhead Line right-of-way from corner of Northpark Blvd and Electric Avenue. This picture was taken from the parking lot of Express Market on the corner of Northpark Boulevard and Electric Avenue. The right-of-way where the track once was can be seen across the street.



Arrowhead Line right-of-way on Electric Avenue. Looking south towards 40th Street from Northpark Blvd.

This view looks north, toward the San Bernardino Mountains, from the Arrowhead Line right-of-way on Electric Avenue. Just ahead, the line curved to the east to begin the steep climb through the foothills.



This view looks west from the grade through the foothills. As the line neared the Arrowhead Springs Hotel, some fairly treacherous terrain was encountered.

The small drop-off shelter where trolley passengers would arrive at Arrowhead Springs or wait for service back down to San Bernardino is still standing at the end of the line at Arrowhead Springs. However, it seems to be the only trace of the railroad left at Arrowhead Springs, as even the old right-of-way itself has become obscured in many areas by bamboo and brush, and is very difficult to follow. The trestle which the trolleys and the water train used to cross nearby just before reaching the end of the line remained abandoned for many years, but was apparently destroyed during the Panorama Fire. The larger wooden depot which is seen in some very early photographs is also long gone, having been taken down sometime before or during the 1930s when regular passenger service on the line was reduced.



The Arrowhead Springs Hotel! The current hotel was built on its present site in 1935. Numerous hotels were built at Arrowhead Hot Springs over the years. Earlier hotels had been built at a different site, on a hill across from Hot Creek Canyon and just north from the current site.

"Electric Avenue Heritage Park"

The Wildwood Park Neighborhood Cluster Association, and the Community Redevlopment Alliance of San Bernardino, a non-profit organization we have recently formed, are working on a project to improve the right-of-way on Electric Avenue with a greenbelt and historic site. We have decided on the name "Electric Avenue Heritage Park." Our ongoing efforts are gaining wide support from local residents and the San Bernardino City Council, and has also been featured in both the San Bernardino County Sun and the Press Enterprise newspapers. Please visit this website often for updates on the project!

Below, there is also a link to a topographical map on Topozone showing the area that is being discussed. In the map, you will see an area marked "old railroad grade" through the foothills. Follow this as it curves to the southeast onto Electric Avenue (just south of the reservoir and across from Hillside Elementary School). At the moment, the old Pacific Electric right-of-way is only an empty strip of land. The proposal is to improve this with a greenbelt and historic site.

Here is a map of the area being discussed.

Check here for updates on the project!

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE OR WANT TO HELP?

If you would like to learn more about the fascinating role the Pacific Electric Railway played in the development and prosperity of southern California, visit the Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California at the link provided below. Yes, California, long known for being fanatical about its cars, once had the largest electric interurban rail system in the world! There are also plenty of other online sources and books to be found on the Pacific Electric. Two books I recommend are "Ride The Big Red Cars" and "Tractions Of The Orange Empire," the latter even has an entire chapter devoted to the Arrowhead line.

Do you live in the north San Bernardino area? If so, there are ways you can help! Find out which neighborhood association area you live within. Go to the regular meetings and voice your support for the project! At this time, the Wildwood Park, Arrowhead Suburban Farms, and Kendall Hills Neighborhood Associations are working together on this project. If you are a long-time resident, or know others who are, it would be of tremendous help if you may have any old photographs taken in the area and might be able to provide photocopies for research


http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=34.17521901506917&lon=-117.28250866152386&s=25&symshow=n

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purposes. I am especially looking for pictures taken around Electric Avenue north of 40th Street. Please email me if you think you can help with this.

A special thanks to the Wildwood Park, Arrowhead Farms, and Kendall Hills Neighborhood Cluster Associations for their tremendous help and support! This is really a great group of dedicated people, and with their help, this dream may soon become a reality!

I would also like to thank Mary Cox, Nick Cataldo, George Angelini, Harry Marnell, Craig Rasmussen, James R. Valdez, Jr. and many others for their very generous help and support in historical research for this project! What I have been able to present to you today is a culmination of three years of exhaustive research, and I have been fortunate to have had help along the way!

The Arrowhead line is the very last trace of the Pacific Electric Railway in San Bernardino. In addition to being rich in water resources, the city was once known as a prosperous and major rail transportation hub. Hopefully, this project will serve to remind us of what we have inherited.

If you would like to make a donation to the Electric Avenue Heritage Park project, please visit the link below. We need help from concerned visitors and residents like you!

Make a donation!

-Christian Tobar Vice President, Community Redevelopment Alliance of San Bernardino (CRA)

A Few Words About The "Arrowhead Settlement"

Arrowhead School (circa 1917)

As you have now read, there is a tremendous amount of fascinating history in north San Bernardino, and I have discussed only a very small part of it here. But did you know that there was once a small town in north San Bernardino, near the foothills? This community was called the Arrowhead Settlement. The town was first settled in the 1890s and existed until approximately the mid-1920s before becoming part of the city of San Bernardino. The Arrowhead Settlement was a highly productive farming community and also once had two schools. The original site of one of the schools, the Arrowhead School, is where the Edgehill Club is now, on the corner of Mountain View Avenue and 49th Street. In 1917, there was a competition for schoolchildren to write an article on the history of their school district. The original article written by the students of the Arrowhead School is available for you to see at the San Bernardino County Archives and a copy is also available at the California Room in the Feldheim Central Library in San Bernardino. But I have a copy available here as well. Click on the link below to read a fascinating bit of local history! Remember, this was written by elementary school students in 1917!


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Read about the history of the Arrowhead District in their own words!

The Copia Ranch

Copia Ranch (Circa 1917)

Location?? Somewhere between today's Sepulveda Drive and Waterman Canyon, near the former Arrowhead line.

(Update - Read below! Update added May 14, 2008)

One place which appears to have played an important role in the history of the Arrowhead Settlement and San Bernardino is the Copia Ranch. In many of the maps I have seen of the Arrowhead Hot Springs Line, a placename Copia Ranch has been noted, and it has also been listed as a trolley stop in various books on the Pacific Electric Railway. In fact, you may have noticed Copia Ranch marked on the map of the Arrowhead line on this page. However, very little is known about it! I have discussed this with many long-time residents and members of the San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society, and yet despite this and a great deal of exhaustive research in the library and San Bernardino County Archives and land records, it has been extremely difficult to find anything about this mysterious locale. The picture above is from the article written by the Arrowhead School, and it is so far the only picture I have ever been able to find. In the article, it was noted as "a mansion in the Arrowhead Heights" in a caption. The Copia Ranch must have played an important role in the community at that time for a picture of it to have been included in the article, but so far I have not been able to find much information about it. The maps I have seen suggest that it was near the Arrowhead line, possibly in the foothills somewhere between today's Sepulveda Drive and Waterman Canyon.

The Copia Ranch has been a mystery for some time now. If anyone feels they may be able to offer insight as to what this place was, and where exactly it was, please email Christian Tobar at [email protected] Thanks!

Update (May 14, 2008): After several years, we may finally be very close to finding exactly where the Copia Ranch was! This is from new information in detailed Pacific Electric maps of the Arrowhead Line (in archives at the Orange Empire Railway Museum, in Perris, CA). The map is very well detailed - showing every trolley pole, switch, signal, etc. It also shows properties along the right-of-way. One property is labeled "Frances L. Blumauer," whose husband we know from earlier research owned the Copia Ranch at one point. So this was very encouraging. Also, where the poles are marked on the map, there was a label that said "2 signs Copia Ranch." So this is it! So after several years of research, it seems we have finally found where the Copia Ranch was...or at least where the trolley car stop was. The fact that there were signs along the track means there was actually a trolley car stop for the Copia Ranch. We might have enough information to pinpoint where the stop was, using pole numbers. (I still haven't been able to find where the structure was that was in the 1917 picture.)

According to the map, the Copia Ranch was just before the Arrowhead Line curved to enter Waterman Canyon, however it does not seem to be in Waterman Canyon itself. This is much farther east than I originally thought it would be.


http://www.geocities.com/gatewaycityca/Arrowhead_District.html


So here is what we know so far:

* At one time, the property belonged to a Dr. Blumauer and his wife, Frances M. Blumauer

* A large residence was built at the Copia Ranch in 1906 for $25,000

* The property was named "Copia Ranch" at least as far back as Frances Blumauer owned it - the map of the Arrowhead Line showed both "Frances M. Blumauer" and signs for "Copia Ranch."

* There were hot springs at Copia Ranch.

* According to a 1909 Los Angeles Times Article, the property was sold to L.T. Garnsey, manager of the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway, and to an investor named W.G. McLaughlin.

* The name W.G. McLaughlin still showed up in a directory in 1919.

* The Copia Ranch (or at least the car stop for it) was just before Waterman Canyon. (Just to the west of the curve)

I will post an update when we have more information.

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Update (October 8, 2004): New research has revealed some information about the Copia Ranch. According to an old Los Angeles Times article, dated February 20, 1909, the Copia Ranch was sold to L.T. Garnsey, manager of the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway, and to an investor, W.G. McLaughlin. The property previously belonged to a Dr. Blumauer of Portland, Oregon. A large residence was also built on the property in 1906 at a cost of $25,000 - possibly the one seen in the picture. At the time of the article, the property comprised 107 acres near Waterman Canyon, along with "splendid hot springs." A 1919 directory also listed a "W.G. McLaughlin" at the Copia Ranch, so we can assume it was still in use at that time. There is a mention in the book about the Pacific Electric, Ride The Big Red Cars, about Henry Huntington and executives from Los Angeles visiting the Copia Ranch, so it must also have been a well-known resort or retreat of some kind. But nothing else is known. For now, the mystery continues! I will post more information here as I find it.

A special thanks to Harry Marnell and Dave Frevele, my friends on the Yahoo group TrolleysCA, for their help in finding these new clues! Networking definitely has its advantages!

Here are some other great sources for information!

Electric Railway Historical Association Of Southern California

Yahoo! group TrolleysCA Topozone Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation Orange Empire Railway Museum

Attention local historians and railfans! Many of the pictures I have added to the site recently were very generously donated by Mr. Craig Rasmussen. In most cases, these were extremely rare photographs I have never seen before! (And I have been hunting for ellusive pictures of the Arrowhead line for several years now.) Mr. Rasmussen has an extensive collection of pictures of the Pacific Electric Railway and other historic photographs which he can offer to copy (very high quality prints from the original negatives) for a small fee. If you searching for pictures for a local history research project, you may want to contact Craig! He might have what you are looking for! You can email Craig Rasmussen at [email protected].

Please feel free to send email with any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have regarding this website or the Electric Avenue Heritage Park project to Christian Tobar at [email protected]

Note: On request, I can provide an "off-line" version of this webpage if you wish, which will allow you to view it at any time directly


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from your computer, without an internet connection. Please email me if this may be of help to you.

Thanks for visiting!

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"When we build...let it not be for personal delights nor for present use alone, let it be such work as our descendents will thank us for, and let us think...that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and they will say as they look

upon the labor, and the wrought substance of them, "See! This is what our fathers and mothers did for us!"

(John Ruskin. 1819-1900. Writer and philosopher).

Today's Date is:

October 25, 2009

Christian Tobar Copyright 2007

The site was last updated on September 24, 2007.


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Electric Avenue: Pacific Electric Railway and the ...978bf324c4724a16c… · After reading about the history of the Pacific Electric Railway Arrowhead Hot Springs Line, ... (From