Glendora Bougainvillea

On January 7, 1978, Glendora's first State Historical Land-mark was dedicated. Known as the Glendora Bougainvillea, the site contains the largest growth of Bougainvillea in the United States. Planted at the turn of the century, the vines cover the lower portion of twenty-five, ninety-foot palm trees, stretching for 600 feet along Bennett Avenue and 600 feet along Minnesota Avenue.

The soil around the vines has been kept from eroding by a 20-inch cobblestone wall which surrounds the entire grove. This wall, built in 1912, also is of historical interest. It is composed of round rocks hauled by team from the San Gabriel River bed, four miles to the west. Constructed by contractor Martin Pierce, it was bonded and capped with hand-mixed mortar. There were once many miles of cobblestone walls surrounding groves in the area, but most have been destroyed.

The Pittman orange grove, the palm trees (Washingtonia robusta) bordering it on two sides, and the Bougainvilleas, were planted by Reuben Hamlin, a former Canadian, who came to the area in the late 1800's. However, Hamlin's wife, Helen, is credited with having instigated the planting of the vines. According to information passed from owner to owner, and the recollections of residents still alive, the grove and palm trees were planted in about 1890 and the Bougainvilleas in the early 1900's. Being fertilized and irrigated as part of the orange grove, the growth was rapid. In the 1930's and 40's each of the 25 Bougainvilleas reached a height of 50 to 70 feet, forming a column of color 12 to 20 feet in diameter. In the 1950's, heavy rainfall and winds caused some of the dead palm fronds, which were the climbing frame for the vines, to start shearing off. Gradually over the years, the vines have slid down and bulged out. At the present time, some are only 20 feet in height, although others still reach 40 feet.

Being sub-tropical to tropical, the Bougainvillea cannot be grown as a year-round outdoor plant in any part of the continental United States except along the coastal region of southern California and certain parts of Florida. Even in these locations, cold nights below 32 will cause considerable dieback of the smaller branches. One of the reasons for the great success of the vines at the Pittman ranch is the flow of warm air from the Dalton Canyon on cold nights. The air flows along a temperature slot less than 1/2 mile wide. The vines, being in the center of this slot, are seldom subjected to below freezing temperatures.

It has been difficult to exactly pinpoint the year of planting of the Glendora Bougainvilleas. From the old time residents in their 70's to 90's the Pittmans have received the only pertinent data. Mrs. Keith Suydam came to Glendora in 1901 and lived within 800 feet of the planting, until 1977 when she passed away. She stated that when she and her family arrived, the vines were already growing. Mrs. Ruth Kimball Richardson, local historian, claims that her family left Glendora in 1900 and returned in 1914, at which time the vines were already quite large. Francis Detwiler attended Wilson Elementary School, located across the street from the planting, from 1914 to 1920. He remembers often retrieving baseballs from the vines. Two other prominent Glendorans, Mrs. Stanley Lawton and Mrs. C. M. La Fetra, remember being shown the magnificent display when they first came to Glendora in 1927. Melvin Shorey, manager of the Foothill Supply Company and grandson of Phillip Shorey, a prominent pioneer of Glendora, says that the Bougainvilleas were very large in 1929 when the second owner, Ivan Hanley, bought the ranch from Reuben Hamlin.

A newspaper article from 1944 states that the vines were planted by Mrs. R. W. Hamlin over 41 years before, thereby placing the date of the planting about 1903. The late Dr. Glenn Odell, who passed away recently at the age of 92 said, "I can't remember a time when the Bougainvilleas were not growing there!"

The staff of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, particularly Mrs. Beatrice Beck, Librarian and Mr. John Dourley, Superintendent, have contributed substantially to our knowledge of the history of the genus in California and the world. Bougainvillea is named for Louis Antoine de Bougainville, the first Frenchman to cross the Pacific. He was aide-de-camp to General Montcalm in the French and Indian Wars. When France lost her empire in Canada, he, in 1768, with the King's botanist Philibert Commerson, set sail on a voyage of discovery for France. During this voyage, Commerson found a plant in Brazil and named it after Bougainville. It was taken on their voyage to the South Pacific and later to France as a "stove plant." This is an old term applied to plants that had to be taken indoors in the winter and kept near a stove. Because they have grown so profusely in the South Pacific, people do not realize that Bougainvillea is native to South America!

It is believed that Bougainvilleas were brought to southern California by a whaling ship, about 1870. By 1895 the vines were flourishing in the citrus growing areas. In the book, Plants For Extra Tropical Regions, by Reidel, it states, "Dr. Franceschi says that both "giabra" and "spectabilis" (the two species at the Glendora site) were old-timers in Santa Barbara in 1895."

When citrus was one of the two major industries in California, tourists and laborers were being attracted by the many pictures of beautiful ranch homes in a setting of orange groves, palm trees, flowers and snow-capped mountains. Beautiful gardens flourished in the citrus communities. The period had a culture of its own, as many of the ranchers were wealthy men who had come from the east. They helped start fine colleges and generally encouraged fine arts in this part of the valley. In the 30's and 40's Glendora stores sold post cards showing the Bougainvilleas in bloom. During this time, Hollywood film crews regularly filmed the vines and the footage was shown across the nation in theaters as a promotional effort. Mrs. James Vincent, who grew up on East Bennett Avenue, remembers that it was a treat for local children to watch the movie companies shooting pictures of the Bougain- villea-covered palm trees with the orange grove and Mt. Baldy in the background. Later they were thrilled to see these pictures at the theater.

For many years it was the dream of Dr. and Mrs. Pittman to preserve in some way the palm trees and Bougainvillea so that future generations could enjoy the display. It had taken so many years to create this magnificence that it seemed a crime to allow it to be destroyed. On more than one occasion, Dr. Pittman had fought, with the help of other concerned citizens, to presewe the site against the ax of progress and the philosophy of destruction that preceded the present era of ecology. Now the preservation of our nation's historic heritage is being recognized and furthered. When it became apparent that the Pittmans would have to subdivide the orange grove (they now are an island of citrus in the middle of the city), they decided that the only way they could guarantee the preservation of the Bougainvillea was to have it established as a California State Historical Landmark and listed in the National Register.

In November of 1976, they contacted State Senator H. L. Richardson, whose office did a superb job of bringing them together with the proper people in state Government; both in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas. The first act was to apply for listing in the "California State Inventory of Historic Resources," and the state program of "Points of Historical Interest," through Los Angeles County representatives connected with the state programs. Then came the contacts with Sacramento, determining the requirements to qualify for a California State Historical Landmark.

Research had to be done, in establishing the history of the genus, the history of Bougainvillea in California and Florida, the determination of the location of the largest domestic plantings in the world, and the date of planting of the Glendora Bougainvillea. In accomplishing these requirements, many people had to be interviewed and some contacted by mail. The services of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden were volunteered by Dr. Lee Lenz, Administrator. They researched the history of the genus throughout the world and provided the determining factors in establishing the Glendora Bougainvillea as the largest domestic growth in the United States.

After seven months of preparation, the applications were filed on May 31, 1977. On September 1, 1977, by a unanimous vote of the California Historical Landmark Advisory Committee, the Glendora Bougainvillea became California State Historical Landmark No. 912, and was nominated by the Committee to the National Register in Washington, D. C.

Following this achievement came several months of planning for the dedication ceremony. The date had been set for January 7, 1978. A monument had to be built, at the expense of the Pittrnans, on which the bronze plaque supplied by the State could be mounted. At the suggestion of state officials, the monument was constructed by hand, using rocks from the San Gabriel River bed, in the same way and to get the same appearance as the historic wall surrounding the site. The neighboring city of Azusa was very generous in supplying materials for the construction. Great credit should also go to Frank Foti of Glendora and Charlie Summers of Covina, whose spirit and efforts in the construction of the monument saved the Pittmans about $1,000. There were also contributions to the dedication from Glendora High School, Citrus College and Oakdale Cemetery. The Tom Rector family installed their professional sound equipment and the City of Glendora provided traffic control and chairs. Neighbors addressed over 600 invitations and helped set up the stage at the site.

One of several things the Pittmans had not anticipated in planning for the dedication was the almost continuous rainfall which persisted right up to the day of the ceremony. The monument was built in short periods sometimes of only a few hours between showers. Several people advised Dr. Pittman to arrange for tents to cover the crowd, or make provisions to have the ceremony at one of the churches in case it was raining. However, Dr. Pittman did not make any provisions for a wet day.

Because the foundry had made a mistake on the delivery date the bronze plaque was not ready until 8:00 A.M. on January 6, the day before the dedication! Starting before dawn, Dr. Pittman drove 140 miles in heavy rain to get it, arriving home about 11:00 A.M. "I drove in an almost blinding rain storm all the way," he recalls. "More than once I said, 'Lord, how are we going to make it?' When I was five miles from Glendora, the rain stopped. My friend, Frank Foti was waiting for me and had everything in readiness for mounting the plaque. We worked until 12 o'clock that night, putting the finishing touches on the speaker's platform, using extension lights from a neighbor's house. It was cloudy, but not raining. The next day, the day of the dedication, the sun rose in a clear and beautiful sky! This was only one of the almost insurmountable problems that were overcome. Some details will not be told here, but if the truth were known, the story of the Glendora Bougainvillea Historic Landmark would be considered a fiction thriller!"

By 11:00 A.M. Saturday morning, January 7, hundreds of people had lined the streets. The Glendora High School Band and Drill Team marched along Minnesota and Bennett Avenues, starting the ceremony. Dr. Glenn Vaniman, retired President of Citrus College, acted as Master of Ceremonies, introducing the Pittman Family and other dignitaries. Congressman John Rousselot of the 26th District, gave the opening address, stressing the importance of historic preservation to the people of our nation. Prominent Glendoran Mary E. La Fetra was the keynote speaker, presenting the story of the Bougainvillea, its beginnings, its importance and its future. Dr. Knox Mellon, California State Historic Preservation Officer from Sacramento, presented the Historical Landmark No. 912 to the people of Glendora. His address was most complimentary to the sponsors and the citizens of Glendora and the neighboring communities who had worked so hard to make this preservation a reality. Mayor Joe Finkbiner accepted the Landmark for Glendora.

The inspiring program was climaxed with the unveiling of the monument by the local Campfire Girls and Boy Scouts. The crowd pressed forward to read on the bronze plaque:

GLENDORA BOUGAINVILLEA

PLANTED IN 1901 BY THE R. W. HAMLINS, EARLY CITRUS GROWERS, THE GLENDORA BOUGAIN-VILLEA IS THE LARGEST GROWTH OF THIS EXOTIC PLANT IN THE UNITED STATES' THE PARENT STOCK WAS BROUGHT TO CALIFORNIA BY A WHALING SHIP ABOUT 1870, AND THE VINES SURVIVE AS ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES REMAINING OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY PROMOTIONAL IMAGE OF CALIFORNIA AS A PARADISE.

CALIFORNIA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. 912

PLAQUE PLACED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE L. J. PITTMAN FAMILY, JANUARY 7, 1978.

On February 7, 1978, the Glendora Bougainvillea was approved for listing in the National Register of the Department of the Interior, giving it Federal protection and making it eligible for a grant-in-aid under the Historic Preservation Act of 1966. This grant-in-aid can be used for restoration or rehabilitation. At the recent Third Annual Historic Preservation Conference it was mentioned by Dr. William Murtagh, Keeper of the National Register and state representatives connected with the program, that the Glendora Bougainvillea has set a precedent by being the first plant or group of plants ever listed in the National Register.

It must certainly be mentioned here that credit should be given to Congressman John Rousselot and his staff, both in Washington and Arcadia, for their dedicated support of the project. On February 24, John Rousselot made a presentation to the Congress so that the people of other states could be made aware of the Glendora Bougainvillea and its importance to the Nation as a point of beauty. His words were printed in the Congressional Record.

The Pittmans plan a program of restoration for the Bougainvillea. With the help of grant-in-aid money, if it becomes available, they will surround each palm tree with a pipe trellis, after first trimming the vines to approximately an 8 foot diameter column. It is believed that in a matter of 3 to 5 years each plant will be able to regain a height of 50 feet and will grow around the trellis so that the pipe structure can no longer be seen. The site will be set up in a Landscaping District, through which fertilizer and water will be provided. Under the rules of the State of California and the national government, Dr. Pittman will continue to be responsible for the welfare of the Bougainvilleas and will direct cultural practices for their maintenance, improvement and preservation.

The best time to visit the Landmark is in May, June, July, and December. June and July are usually the months of heaviest florescence. The winter bloom in December is usually less intense. Unless there is quite a period of heavy rainfall, the Bougainvilleas have some bloom in evidence throughout the year. The display is more exciting with a moderately low sun, either in the morning or late afternoon. It is interesting to note that most of the color comes from the bracts that surround the flower. They are really a leaf-form color variation, and for this reason there are times that it seems the vines are solid flowers with practically no green leaves in sight.

The State of California Department of Highways will soon post signs on the 210 Freeway, visible as one approaches the Grand Avenue off-ramp. From there it is hoped the city of Glendora will provide signs leading to the site. Until then, the best plan is to follow the 210 Freeway to the Glendora area, turning off at the Grand Avenue off-ramp and proceeding north on Grand 1.3 miles to Bennett Avenue. Turn right (or east) on Bennett and travel 0.6 miles to the intersection of Minnesota Avenue. The monument stands about 40 feet east of this corner on the north side of Bennett Avenue.

The people of Glendora are especially grateful to the State of California and the National Government for preserving the Glendora Bougainvillea.

footnote: Dr Lloyd J Pittman. on whose property the magnificent vines and palms grow, shares the story behind the state historic marker.

Courtesy of
Glendora Chamber of Commerce