April 20, 2015 - Champaign Exchange Club

20 Month 2015
Champaign Exchanger
Volume 89, No. 42
27 April 2015 Meeting
The Diary of WWII
Veteran Chick Bruns
Presented By
Chick's Son John Bruns
Come Help Us Celebrate Chick Bruns 96th Birthday Today
Champaign Man To Receive French Honor
2/27/2015
-
The Champaign News-Gazette
-
Paul Wood
The French government wants to
thank Charles Bruns of Champaign
because "you saved us."
Bruns says he can't remember many
of those days except for the routine
and cards and a letter before bed.
"We will never forget. For us, the
French people, you are heroes.
Gratitude and remembrance are
forever in our souls."
He doesn't go to the VFW of which
he was a charter member very
often, though he has daily morning
coffee at the Stevick Senior Citizen
Center in a building where he used
to be a printer.
Nearly 96, Bruns, who goes by
"Chick," served the U.S. in the
Army in World War II, and while
he was at it, served France.
He was an engineer and infantry
soldier in Africa, Italy and France,
seeing more of the war than most
veterans.
He'll be presented the Legion of
Honor, an award created by
Napoleon, at VFW Post 5520.
The French Consul General Vincent
Floreani plans to be present.
The French don't specify which of
Bruns' heroic actions, some of
which resulted in his being
wounded, merited the award.
He's not sure himself and defers the
question to his son, John, who lives
in Cissna Park.'
"They wrote me and said it was for
(heroism) serving on French soil,"
John Bruns said. "It's the highest
honor France has to bestow upon
an individual."
There's another Bruns son, Chuck,
who lives in Champaign.
The elder Bruns served with the 3rd
Division, 10th Engineer Battalion
from the earliest days of American
intervention in World War II.
He ended military service in August
1945 at the rank of technical
sergeant, then started an
apprenticeship at The News-Gazette.
as a printer.
During his service, Chick kept a diary,
took photographs (few from Africa
survived the tough conditions) and
collected postcards.
They're combined with the letters
Bruns wrote home to his parents, in on
the website, 70 yearsago.com, that son
John says may be "the most complete
daily account of a soldier during
World War II."
There are very few World War II
veterans left to chat with, he notes,
and he doesn't dwell on the war.
He spends a lot of time in his
Champaign home reading Westerns.
Anzio remains a terrifying beachhead to recall.
"Hell's bells, they shelled us day
and night," he says of the Italian
action, which cost 7,000 Allied lives
in four months preceding D-Day.
"We've had about 20,000 different
visitors," the son said.
He was wounded, but felt safer
hunkered down than running off
for medical care.
Thus we can read about Chicks' horrific
day 70 years before this interview.
"A lot of doctors and nurses were
killed at Anzio," he says.
"We moved this morning to some
German barracks outside of
Kunheim. The front is about 2 miles
away, but it's pretty quiet with an
occasional machine gun fire. God,
the dead that's stacked up along the
side of the road," he wrote.
By August, he was part of the
invasion of France.
"There's Germans and Americans
laying all over. Must have had
about 20 of them in a pile along the
road we passed. Heads blown off,
arms, legs missing. It was raining so
I didn't take a picture of it. I went over
to pick up a pair of over shoes, but the
guy's legs were still in them so I left
them. Wrote a letter and went to bed."
Bruns says he can't remember many
of those days except for the routine
and cards and a letter before bed.
Engineering troops served as infantry
in time of invasion, Bruns recalled.
Reading the 70-year-old entries
does bring back some memories.
"Right now," he says, back again
in February 1945, "we were putting
up a lot of foot bridges. The troops
were really moving along" toward
Germany.
In the winter, the engineers often
stayed in town, but as the weather
improved, they were outdoors all
the time.
"I love my country, hell yes,"
Bruns says of his long war.
Coming Events
Events
Coming
27 April 2015 (Monday)
Club Officer Training Seminar
The district training seminar for incoming 2015-16 club
officers and directors will be held at Clark-Lindsey
Village on Windsor Road in Urbana from 6:00-8:00
PM. Clubs scheduled to attend the training are Urbana,
Champaign, Rantoul, Bloomington, Mattoon and
Charleston. This is not a dinner meeting but refreshments
and snacks are being provided by a couple of the clubs.
4 May 2015
Nursing Scholarship Award
Speakers - Christie Clinic's Ainsley
Reiser & Jenna Shedenhelm
Today we join with Nursing Scholarship Committee
.
.
Chair Wally Lehman in honoring a Champaign high
school senior or Parkland College student with an $800.00
scholarship. The recipient must be enrolled in a nursing program.
We have presented more than 50 scholarships since the early 1970s.
I have records of 54 scholarships and there are probably more that I
don't know about. The speakers will talk about "Current Things
Happening At Christie Clinic." It should be a great luncheon you won't want to miss..
10 May 2015
Mother's Day (Sunday)
Mother’s Day was officially recognized in the United States in 1914
and it’s celebrated on the second Sunday in May each year. Today
is a great time for us to celebrate all the mothers for everything they do.
And, if you are in need of some beautiful flowers to help celebrate the
occasion why not get some beautiful flowers from Campus Florist.
11 or 18 May 2015
A.C.E. Award
(Accepting The Challenge Of Excellence)
Today A.C.E. Committee Chair Richard Adkins
will present our 23rd A.C.E. Award to a
deserving Champaign high school senior. The
purpose of the A.C.E. Award is to honor a senior
high school student who has overcome major
obstacles in his or her life to graduate from high
school. Several of our recent honorees have
graduated from the R.E.A.D.Y. School. that's
located on the two top floors of the Illinois
Terminal Building on University. Pictured at the
left is last year's recipient Shacyria Dorris who was from the R.E.A.D.Y. School.
Coming Events
25 May 2015
Memorial Day - No Meeting
Celebrated on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day originated
after the Civil War to commemorate fallen Union Soldiers. Today's a
day to hold parades, proudly fly the American Flag, visit cemeteries,
and hold memorial ceremonies to our veterans.
21 June 2015 (Sunday)
Father's Day Holiday
Father's Days honors fathers and fatherhood, paternal bonds, and. the
influence of fathers in society. Don't forget your father but not with a
new tie (I like hot fudge sundaes). I'm sure most fathers would much
rather have chocolate pie or chocolate cake, or gift certificates to Texas
Roadhouse than some ugly necktie.
22 June 2015
Program Development Meeting
Today will be the Annual Club Program Development
Meeting where we will set the course our club will take
during the coming administrative year. Our incoming President will review our club's
2015-16 Goals, announce all the club committees and chairpersons, and club member
committee assignments for the new year.
25-28 June 2015
89th Lincolnland Convention
Stoney Creek Inn, Quincy, IL
This year's convention returns to Quincy site of our district's
2nd largest club with 100+ members. The Quincy Club, under
the leadership of Dennis Koch, always puts on a nice convention you won't want to miss.
I'll publish information and registrations forms when the convention gets closer. I will also
have copies of the forms at all meetings.
29 June 2015
.Installation of Officers/Directors
This Monday we will have a yet unnamed Lincolnland District
Officer or Director install our new 2015-2016 Club Officers and
Directors. I'll announce the installer as we get closer to the date.
29 July - 1 August 2015
97th National Exchange Convention
This summer the National Convention is being held almost in our
backyard, well side-yard anyway. The Hyatt Hotel Columbus is only a 5-hour drive from
Champaign and a breeze to get to. It would have to be in Chicago or St. Louis again to be
any closer so you should take advantage of the opportunity especially if you have never
attended a National Exchange Club Convention.. They're educational and a lot of fun.
19 April 1995 - 20th Anniversary of the
Bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic
terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on
April 19, 1995. Carried out by Timothy McVeigh
and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168 people
and injured more than 680 others. The blast
destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 16block radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and
shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing at
least an estimated $652 million worth of damage.
Extensive rescue efforts were undertaken by local,
state, federal, and worldwide agencies in the wake of
the bombing, and substantial donations were
received from across the country. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated
eleven of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces,
consisting of 665 rescue workers who assisted in
rescue and recovery operations.
Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was
stopped by Oklahoma State Trooper Charlie Hanger
for driving without a license plate and arrested for
illegal weapons possession. Forensic evidence quickly
linked McVeigh and Nichols to the attack; Nichols
was arrested, and within days both were charged.
Michael and Lori Fortier were later identified as
accomplices. McVeigh, an American militia
movement sympathizer who was a Gulf War
veteran, had detonated a Ryder rental truck full of
explosives parked in front of the building.
McVeigh's co-conspirator, Nichols, had assisted in
the bomb preparation. Motivated by his hatred of
the federal government and angered by its
handling of the 1993 Waco siege and the Ruby
Ridge incident in 1992, McVeigh timed his attack
to coincide with the second anniversary of the
deadly fire that ended the siege at Waco.
The official investigation, known as "OKBOMB",
saw FBI agents conduct 28,000 interviews, amass
3.5 short tons (3.2 t) of evidence, and collect nearly
one billion pieces of information. The bombers
were tried and convicted in 1997. McVeigh was
executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, and
Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. Michael
and Lori Fortier testified against McVeigh and
Nichols; Michael was sentenced to 12 years in
prison for failing to warn the United States government, and Lori received immunity from
prosecution in exchange for her testimony.
The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City 20 years ago last Sunday
was the single largest incident of home-grown terrorism on American soil in history. This horrendous
disaster took the lives of 168 American citizens and injured more than 680 others. There's a lot of sick
people in our world and we must remain vigilant so tragedies like this can't happen again. At the same
time, we must never forget those Americans whose lives were needlessly taken in this horrific event as
well as those who were lost in the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center. May they all R.I.P.
Mt. Lowe Railway Today
20 April 2015 Meeting
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance
.
Attendance
Attendance Drawing
-
Thomas Williams
Tom Williams
6 Exchangites & 0 Guests
$5.00 Richard Adkins (Absent)
Today's Meeting
Elections
Well, as Wally Lehman said today, it
seems more like March than Spring and
the last third of April. Although it was
very windy, there was no sign of the sun
and the temperature was barely 50
degrees, the good news is it didn't rain.
Nominating Committee Chair Nancy
Williams put forth the slate of officers &
directors and President Williams held
the elections for our 2015-16 leadership
team. Below is the new team..
In other good news, it was great to see
Dottie Mikucki back from her two week
trip out east to visit relatives. She said
that she and Walt had a wonderful time
and there was no snow I might add.
Now we need Richard, Anne, Kevin
Betsy, Jackie, and Bob to attend next
week's outstanding luncheon too.
Announcements
Believe in the Blue Chairlady Nancy
Williams reported that everything went
very well last Saturday at Walmart.
The weather couldn't have been more
perfect with a beautiful sunny day and
the temperature in the mid-70s. She
reported that all 100 packets of Child
Abuse Prevention literature, children's
12-page activities books and refrigerator
magnets were handed out. It took almost
two hours to hand lout all the packets,
but when Thomas Williams arrived for
the second shift she got her second wind.
A big thank you to Norma Dieker,
Wally Lehman, Nancy Williams, and
Thomas Williams, Jr. for handing out
the packets and Nancy for chairing the
program. And a thank you to Tom
Williams, Sr. for printing the children's
activities booklets and making up the
packets.
Boys & Girls Club Snacks for Kids
Committee Chairman Tom Williams,
Sr. reported that he hoped we could
complete the second part of our program
before the end of this month or early
next month before school is out.
President - Tom Williams, Sr.
Past President - Thomas Williams
Secretary-Treasurer - Nancy Williams
Directors - Richard Adkins,
Norma Dieker, Anne Johnston,
Wally Lehman, Dottie Mikucki,
and Frank Scantlebury.
Today's Program
The subject of today's program was
Prof. Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt
Lowe and his amazing "Railway in the
Clouds." His railway opened in 1893 in
the Sierra Madres Mts. overlooking
Pasadena, CA and closed in 1938. It was
a thrill ride and an adult Disneyland all in
one 50 years before Walt Disney.
Your editor gave a PowerPoint presentation with nearly 200 old photos from
the 1890s and early 1900s. The railway
was a real engineering feat in its time and
extremely popular in its early years.
Unfortunately, it was very expensive to
maintain and eventually fell into
bankruptcy. The Government eventually
claimed it was built on their land and
demolished all the remaining buildings
and removed the railroad track & bridges
to allow the land to "return to nature."
The old railway is now a hiking trail.
Mount Lowe Railway Timeline
• 1887 Thaddeus Lowe visits California to see
about relocating to Los Angeles. AT the same
time the Pasadena Railway Company formed by
Andrew McNally, Col. G. G. Green and the
Woodbury brothers, to bring tracks to Altadena’s
wealthy residents
• 1887 Engineer of Mt. Washington Cog
Railway, John Horne, brought from New
Hampshire to look into a railway to Mt. Wilson
• 1888 Thaddeus Lowe moves to Southern
California and forms Citizen’s Ice Co. and the
Pacific-Lowe Gas Company
• 1889 Engineer David Macpherson comes to
Pasadena after working for the Santa Fe Railway.
He begins a solitary look into the possibility of a
railway into the mountains
• 1890 Citizen’s Bank of Los Angeles formed,
Thaddeus Lowe, President
• 1890 David Macpherson takes a survey team
into the mountains above Altadena to look for a
route to Mt. Wilson, funded in part by Pasadena
banker Perry Green
• 1890 Thaddeus Lowe moves to Pasadena and
Perry Green introduces David Macpherson to
Thaddeus Lowe. Then Lowe buys Pasadena
Grand Opera House whose second floor becomes
drafting offices for the Mount Lowe Railway
• 1891 Pasadena & Mount Wilson Railway
Company incorporated, but Mt. Wilson terminus
not agreeable with landowners and Echo Mtn.
becomes new focus
• 1891 Altadena Terminal Railroad Depot, later
known as Mountain Jct., becomes start of narrow
gauge tracks to Rubio Canyon
• 1891 Lowe travels to Pike’s Peak, CO to view
the cog railway and decides the railway back in
California should be electrified. The San Gabriel
Timber Reserve formed, later to become the
Angeles National Forest
• 1892 tracks arrive at Rubio Canyon and
Incline construction begins. Later cable is placed
at the incline to aid construction. Lowe takes a
group of interested patrons to Oak Mountain
Peak, later renamed Mount Lowe
• 1893 Lowe offers $100,000. in bonds to ease
construction costs. Later Rubio Pavilion opens
• 1893 July 4th, Grand opening of the great
incline railway and Echo Mtn. House (later
called the Chalet, after newer, larger Echo Mtn.
House was completed. The City of Pasadena
recognizes Thaddeus Lowe with a testimonial
holiday and George Wharton James becomes the
Mt. Lowe publicist
• 1894 the Mt. Lowe Echo tourist paper is
established and the newer, larger, Echo Mountain
House is under construction and then opens.
Later that year the Mt. Lowe Observatory is
constructed and World’s largest searchlight is
delivered to Echo Mountain from California
Mid-Winter Exposition in San Francisco
• 1894 Sale of construction bonds for the
railway reach $400,000. in indebtedness and the
construction of the Alpine Division begins
• 1895 Prof. Lowe wins the Valley Hunt Club’s
(Tournament of Roses) highest award for the
“best decorated carriage” as construction bond
sales slow and Lowe begins liquidating personal
assets to continue construction during nationwide
recession. Eventually the lack of money brings
Alpine Division construction to a halt at Crystal
Springs, home of Alpine Tavern. The tavern
open later in the year
• 1896 Thaddeus Lowe borrows money to meet
bond interest indebtedness of more than 1/2million dollars; this is after Lowe pays down the
debt by more than $100,000. from proceeds of
personal asset liquidation
• 1896 Mt. Lowe Echo publishes last issue
• 1896 Lowe turns over all personal real estate
to help satisfy creditors and receivership granted
to creditors
• 1897 Lowe loses control of railway and the
Pasadena and Mt. Lowe Railway incorporated
• 1898 Railway reconfigured in hands of
receiver owners and then a suit for foreclosure
filed and railway sold on steps of the Los
Angeles Court House
• 1900 Echo Mountain House burns and
Astronomer Lewis Swift retires and Edgar Larkin
takes over Lowe Observatory
• 1901 Pasadena and Mount Lowe Railway sold
to the Los Angeles Railway Company
• 1902 Los Angeles Railway Co. conveyed to
the Pacific Electric Railway Co.
• 1903 Trackage into Rubio Canyon
standardized & Rubio Pavilion closed to public
• 1905 Fire consumes the “Casino” dance hall,
the zoo, power house and the Chalet. Also, Mr.
& Mrs. T. S. C. Lowe celebrate their 50th
Wedding Anniversary that year
• 1906 the new power house is erected and the
World’s Fair Searchlight located on top
• 1908 Mount Lowe Daily News born
• 1909 Rubio Pavilion destroyed and replaced
by no frills car barn
• 1910 Pacific Electric boasts 2,800 cars are
running daily in Southern California
• 1911 P&E Railway sold to the Southern
Pacific Railroad and all stock transferred. The
P&E adopts “Safety, Comfort, Speed” logo.
Comfort, Safety, Speed logo adopted by P&E
• 1912 Mount Lowe incline cars Echo & Rubio
replaced with enclosed top cab design and third
car Alpine added. Mrs. T. S. C. Lowe dies
• 1913 Thaddeus S. C. Lowe dies
• 1917 O.M.&M. Railway formed
• 1921 Advances in technology allow 3 Alpine
Division cars to operate at the same time
• 1924 Alpine Tavern renamed Mt. Lowe
Tavern after remodeling and room additions
• 1925 Ramada at Inspiration Point completed
and photographer Charles Lawrence named head
of Lowe Observatory while the Mount Lowe
Tavern is enlarged
• 1928 Lowe Observatory demolished by huge
wind storm
• 1935 O.M.& M. Railway disbands and the
Macpherson Trestle burns
• 1936 Mount Lowe Tavern burns. Passenger
service limited to Hygiea, end of the double
tracks in Northern District
• 1937 Pacific Electric files for abandonment
for all Trackage north of Lake and Mariposa
Avenues in Altadena. Railroad Boosters take the
last trip up Mt. Lowe Incline
• 1938 Massive flooding washes out many parts
of the Alpine Division. All passenger service is
ended past Lake and Mariposa Avenues
• 1940 Echo Mtn. ablaze again as vandals burn
power house and Alpine Division Cars. Later
Mt. Lowe Incline and Alpine Division disappear
as scrappers pay $800.00 for salvage rights
• 1941 All rail removed into Rubio Canyon as
route gets sold
• 1947 Mt. Lowe Tavern, Echo Mountain and
Rubio Canyon sold by Pacific Electric to the
Angeles National Forest
• 1959 Mt. Lowe Tavern dynamited by the U.S.
Forest Service
• 1962 Power House on Echo Mountain
dynamited by U.S. Forest Service
• 1963 Granite marker placed on Echo Mtn. to
memorialize once famous Mt' Lowe Incline
Railway
• 1964 Former Mt. Lowe Incline Railway rightof-way into Rubio Canyon dedicated at
MacPherson Parkway.
• 1979 Altadena Substation #8 of the P&E
Railway on north Lake Avenue placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
• 1993 Mount Lowe Incline Railway placed on
the National Register of Historic Places for the
Centennial of the opening
• 1998 Rubio Canyon devastated by landslide
from Rubio Canyon Land and Water Company
construction work
• 2000 Mt. Lowe Preservation Society formed
to preserve remaining landmarks and artifacts of
Lowe & Macpherson works
MT. LOWE RAILWAY TO THE CLOUDS
Physical description
The railway terminal,
called Mountain
Junction, was located
at the corner of Lake
Avenue and Calaveras
Street in the
unincorporated
community of
Altadena, Los Angeles
County, California.
The line was divided
into 3 divisions: the
Mountain Division, the
Great Incline, and the
Alpine Division. The
mode of locomotion
was electric traction
railway, and a cable
driven incline
funicular. Electrical
power for the railway consisted of several power generating
stations equipped with either gas engines or Pelton wheels,
depending on the availability of mountain water.
Mountain Division
The Mountain Division, originally built as a 3 ft 6 in
(1,067 mm) narrow gauge line, began with a trolley that
ascended Lake Avenue to a turnoff near Las Flores Street,
along a private right-of-way through the Poppyfields
district, and proceeded into Rubio Canyon to the foot of
Echo Mountain. Since this part of the line ran through the
upper end of the residential community, it had station stops
at Newkirk (Las Flores), Poppyfields, Hygeia (recovery
hospital), and Roca before entering the Rubio Canyon. A
transition bridge was installed to cross the Rubio Wash
named Las Flores Bridge. At Rubio there was a large
platform that spanned the canyon with an integrated 12room hotel, the Rubio Pavilion. Other features at the
pavilion were a series of stairways and bridges that
ascended the canyon for viewing some eleven waterfalls, all
of which were named. The Mountain Division's tracks were
converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) in 1903.
Great Incline
From this platform passengers could transfer to a 3 ft 6 in
(1,067 mm) narrow gauge, three-railed funicular, the "Great
Incline," and ascend Echo Mountain (elev. 3,250 feet
(990 m)). The Incline powering mechanism was designed by
San Francisco cable car inventor Andrew Smith Hallidie. It
boasted grades as steep as 62% and as slight as 48%, and
gained 1,900 feet (580 m) in elevation. The funicular was
the first of its kind built with three rails and featuring a fourrailed passing track at the half way point. A particular
feature on the Incline was the Macpherson Trestle named by
Lowe for his engineer, David J. Macpherson, as was
custom, and noted for its exceptional design in crossing a
granite chasm over 150 feet (46 m) deep.
Echo Mountain
Professor Lowe had a dream to make the beautiful
Mountains overlooking the cities of Altadena / Pasadena
accessible to average citizens. After much planning, many
exploratory trips on horseback, he and Engineer Thomas
McPherson located a series of routes that could be built
upon with a series of rail cars to reach miles back into the
forest and eventually all the way to the top of Mt. Wilson.
Financing the project himself, Professor Lowe proceeded to
build his dream which eventually reached all the way to the
base of Mount Lowe (named after Prof. Lowe, previously
known as Oak Mountain). The result was beautiful series of
rail systems, hotels, trails, that would become one of the
"Must Visit" places known all over the world. At its peak it
was the top honeymoon destination in America.
Beginning with the famous red car lines in California,
Professor Lowe extended the line up through the rolling
hills in Rubio Canyon where a small hotel was built at the
base of new incline rail systems that would take a visitor up
a mile along a ridge overlooking the LA Basin to the top of
Echo Mountain. As tourists reached the summit of the
incline, they would spill out from the incline car onto Echo
Mountain, just to the left
would be the incline
powerhouse that housed
the cog wheel that
powered the cable
controlling the Great
Incline Funicular. Atop
the powerhouse was a
massive electrical spot
light that was said to be
seen 50 miles out to sea.
Directly in front of them
would be the loading
platform for the Alpine
trolleys that could be
taken through a lengthy stretch of breath taking scenic open
air trolley rail line crossing famous spots line the circular
bridge and granite gate, back to the Alpine Tavern hotel
which was located at base of Mt Lowe. On the right hand
side was a staircase leading to the beautiful and stately Echo
Mountain House. Opened in 1894 the stately 80-room
Victorian hotel was an imposing looking structure and fitting
for wealthy Victorian tourist that frequented what is
equivalent to a vacation resort. From the top of Echo
Mountain one would have a magnificent view all the way
from San Fernando Valley, down through the LA Basin and
south to Mt Palomar. On a clear day the view extends all the
way to the island of Catalina 65 miles away. The 2 story
domed structure designed with a wide porch extending the
length of the front and side of two forward wings for
viewing, sitting, playing chess, smoking or just relax.
Walking into the hotel opened into a large doomed grand
lobby. There were 2 floors of rooms in the wings both left
and right of the lobby. It was rumored that Professor Lowe
favored the view from room 5. To the rear of the lobby was a
large formal dining room typical of the high class
requirements of the day with formal china embossed with
Echo Mountain House logos, crystal glass wear etc. The
dining room was positioned to provide a view to the rear of
the hotel up and down Castle Canyon, at the top of which
was a visible covered overlook known as "Inspiration Point".
To the side of the dining room was a view of the smaller 20
room Chalet. The Echo Mountain House was an imposing
structure from both close up and afar and was visible from a
long distance off, similar to how the Griffith Park
Observatory is an icon to Hollywood and the LA basin. The
top of Echo Mountain became a little city of its own with
places to eat, order picnic lunches, shop at stores, dormitories
for employees, power generating station to power Echo
Mountain facilities. There was also a trolley repair building
and pit, observation decks at various spots, trails that could
be taken by hikers both up and down the mountain and into
the Alpine regions, tennis courts, stables and a now little
known zoo. The entire assembly of buildings were painted
white and because of the view from far below, became
known as "The White City in the sky". The “opera box” great
incline cars were also white and could be seen from afar
ferrying up and down the hill. On a ridge behind the Echo
Mountain ridge was an observatory building with a working
16 inch telescope housed in a round doomed building. The
foundations can still be found at the sight as well as the
cement stand which is what the telescope was mounted upon.
It was Professor Lowe's intention to build the rail system all
the way to the top of Mount Wilson along with additional
hotels and facilities on the top of Mount Wilson. Later, much
of the path of the large 100" telescope and observatory built
on Mount Wilson was used to transport the delicate 100"
mirror to the top of Mount Wilson.
Alpine Division
The third division, the Alpine Division, ed of 3.5 miles
(5.6 km) of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge track with
127 curves and 18 bridges and trestles.[25] On this line there
were three cars available for shuttling between Echo and the
end-of-line, though only one car ever operated at a time due
to electrical limitations, and there was no two-way traffic.
The division spanned the broad face of Las Flores Canyon,
rounded a promontory called the “Cape of Good Hope,”
traveled deep into Millard Canyon, reappeared at the front
face of the mountain, and eventually disappeared into Grand
Canyon where it terminated at the foot of Mount Lowe. This
location was called Crystal Springs (elev. 4,995 ft or
1,522 m) for a stream of water that poured from the hillside,
and it was here that the last of the hotels, the 12-room
Swiss-style chalet, "Ye Alpine Tavern,” was built.
A panorama from the Echo Mountain House Remains (2007)
Mount Lowe Railway Map
The Mount Lowe Railroad is the 5.7 mile Blue line.
The Yellow line is the Incline Railway.
The Red lines are hiking and bicycle trails.
The city at the bottom of the map is Pasadena.
Incline Railway
At the left is all
that's left of the
Incline Railway
tracks today.
Mount Lowe Facts
The following was presented in a 1936 Pacific Electric fact sheet about Mount Lowe:
The road to Echo Mountain from Lake and Calaveras Streets built between 1892 and 1893
Original construction cost of railway (estimate): $700,000.00
Railway built by Thaddeus S. C. Lowe and engineer David Joseph Macpherson
The Alpine Div. from Echo Mtn. to Mt. Lowe Tavern (Alpine Tavern) built between 1894-1895 (3.5 miles)
Mount Lowe Tavern (formerly named Alpine Tavern) opened December 1895
Distance from Los Angeles (Sixth & Main, Pacific Electric Railway station) to Mt. Lowe Tavern: .25 miles
Distance from Echo Mountain to Mount Lowe Tavern: 3.5 miles
Length of incline: 3,000 feet
Height of Echo Mountain above Rubio Pavilion: 1,300 feet
Elevation above sea level – Los Angeles: 128 feet
Elevation above sea level – Rubio Pavilion: 1,950 feet
Elevation above sea level – Echo Mountain: 3,200 feet
Elevation above sea level – Mount Lowe Tavern: 4,420 feet
Elevation above sea level – Summit of Mount Lowe: 5,650 feet
Grade of railway incline: variable 48% to 62%
Strength of incline cable: tested to 100 tons & Greatest load ever imposed: 7 tons
Curves in railway from Echo Mountain to Mount Lowe Tavern…127 & Bridges crossed: 18
Most number of tracks seen looking up and down mountain at one point: 7
Longest piece of straight track from Echo Mountain to Mount Lowe Tavern: 225 feet
Searchlight on Echo Mountain candle power: 3,000,000
Searchlight on Echo Mountain diameter of lens: 5 feet
Searchlight on Echo Mountain distance of visibility: 70 to 100 miles
Searchlight lens thickness: 3-1/4” at edge and 1/16th at center
Searchlight weight of lens, ring and cover: 1,600 pounds
Points of interest on the Alpine Division of the Mount Lowe Railway included Dawn Station (the trail to
the Dawn Gold Mine), Devil’s Slide (remnants of a miniature avalanche), Horseshoe Curve (shaped like a
horseshoe), Live Oak Grove, Circular Bridge (a circle of 400 feet with a diameter of 150 feet, built on a
grade of 4-1/2%), Grand Canyon (3,000 feet deep and 1-1/4 mile across), Granite Gate (the toughest vein
of granite known to man), Proposal Arbor and Inspiration Point (4,500 feet above the San Gabriel Valley).
Incline Car & Powerhouse with Searchlight
Echo Mountain House & Maids Houses
Telescope
Ride up to Inspiration Point
The Chalet that burned down in 1905
Echo Mountain House with Wraparound Veranda
Mount Lowe Observatory
Sea rchlight
Mules push trams to Inspiration Point
Early Open-bench Car on Circular Bridge
Trolley Car on High Bridge
Old Meueller Tunnel
Later Trolley Car on the Circular Bridge
Winding way to Cape of Good Hope
Heading for Alpine
Looking down on Horseshoe Curve
Granite Gate
Approaching the Alpine Tavern in 1890s
Alpine Tavern Front Yard
The Alpine Tavern
Henry Ford Visits The Incline Railway At Mount Lowe
The advent of the 20th century brought
many changes to people around the world
and none greater than those right here in the
United States where mass transportation
was becoming more and more affordable
for the common man. Everything from the
electric trolley to the automobile was
proving to be more than a mere passing
fancy and people by the thousands were
venturing out of their hometowns and cities
to take a look at the wondrous world around
them. These people were from all parts
of the globe and from every socioeconomic background.
Automobile mogul Henry Ford was not
only responsible for giving the common
man a way to tour about, but was also
one of those who did the touring as
well. Henry Ford and wife Clara were
among the richest people in the nation
and took to traveling around the world
to view its great wonders. Mass
production of the Model T in 1908
brought millions of dollars to the Ford
Empire and in 1914 the automobile
assembly line was born. Henry Ford was so
proud of his accomplishment he decided to
put the assembly line on display for the
world to view at the Pan-Pacific Exposition
in 1915. It was a smashing success.
While on the West Coast, the Ford family,
accompanied by young Edsel Ford, would
visit places in Southern California such as
Universal City, Cawston Ostrich Farm,
Catalina Island, and the Mt. Lowe Incline.
For many years the Ford family would
return to the San Gabriel Valley as Clara’s
sister and brother-in-law lived in a craftsman styled home near the corner of Santa
Rosa and Alameda Streets in Altadena.
George Brubaker and Eva Bryant Brubaker
played host and hostess to not only the
Henry Fords, but also Mr. & Mrs. Harvey
Firestone (Firestone Tires), Luther Burbank
(botanist), Mr. & Mrs. (Commander) Sir
Percival Perry, and Thomas Edison. These
well known figures were just like the rest of
an emerging population, who wanted to
explore the world around them, especially
wonders like the great Mt. Lowe Incline.
Henry Ford had always been an imaginative tinkerer and admired the work that
went into the making of the incline. He
would return many times between 1907,
when his sister-in-law and brother-in-law
were married, and the late 1920’s. The auto
magnate would marvel at the incline cars
going up a 63% average grade for nearly
two-thirds of a mile. He wondered how
such an engineering masterpiece could
operate so flawlessly and provide so much
pleasure. One of the things that tickled Mr.
Ford the most was taking the tour of the
Cable Room, the area just below the
winding station and power house. It is
rumored that this was Ford’s favorite part of
the trip, to see the great grip wheel turning
and the teeth opening and closing on the
steel cable that carried the incline cars up
and down the mountain.
Although the Ford’s were on vacation all
the gentleman wore dress shoes, suits & ties
– and don’t forget your hat! The women
still wore high top shoes and long dresses.
In the name of education, Ford sent moving
picture camera crews to hundreds of
locations around the globe to bring an
unfamiliar world to the eyes of young and
old alike. One of the first locations chosen
for the Ford Educational Weekly was none
other than the great cable incline at Mt.
Lowe. Ford himself came along on this
particular trip, giving Pacific Electric
Patrons the wonders of the San Gabriel
Valley and an arms distance look at a world
famous mogul enjoying a simple outing
with his family.
The photographs included with this
story have been documented by the Henry
Ford museum to have been taken during the
winter of 1915-1916. The Ford’s commonly
spent the winter months in California
sightseeing and visiting family so as to
escape the inclement east.
Henry Ford always insisted he was a simple
man; man of nature, bird watcher, and an
amateur astronomer. A far cry from his
1300-acre estate, “Fair Lane” (namesake of
his 50’s & 60’s automobiles) which in 1915
boasted a $1.9 million dollar price tag.
The powerhouse at Echo Mountain is said
to have served as a model for his own
powerhouse at Fair Lane, the sole supply of
electricity to run the massive estate. Ford
insisted his estate fit in with the surrounding
landscape and that is just one aspect he
loved so much about the incline railroad. So
little of the San Gabriel Mountains were
disturbed upon completion of the railway
from Rubio Pavilion all the way up to
Alpine Tavern. The little white opera cars
could be seen traversing the hill from time
to time and a few buildings dotted the top of
Echo Mtn.; just enough visually to make the
people down below ask themselves what it
must be like to go up the hill for a ride.
There is no evidence that Henry Ford met
Thaddeus Lowe, but the two pioneers had
quite a bit in common. Lowe made and lost
several fortunes and died nearly broke
trying to have fulfilled his mountain railway
dream. Subsequently he had lost control of
his trolley line by the time Henry Ford
had come to admire it. Ford had made
and lost a few small fortunes of his own
trying to perfect an automobile fit for
the masses. Both men were amateur
astronomers, naturalists, and
visionaries. Both were dedicated family
men. Too bad Ford and Lowe hadn’t
met earlier. Perhaps Henry Ford could
have altered local history with his love
for the Mount Lowe Incline and the
necessary money professor Lowe
lacked to fulfill his mountain dream.
On this particular trip Clara Ford brought
along friend Rose Flint. Rose was married
to Dutee Flint, head of Ford Motor's New
England sales office in Providence Rhode
Island. Her father accompanied Rose on
this trip as it was frowned upon for a
woman to travel unescorted in that day.
None of the other people in the photograph
could be identified, however the owner of
Pasadena Ford, Lewis J. Hampton, may be
among those photographed, as Hampton
and Ford were long time personal friends.
While Henry Ford was most likely the
biggest automotive celebrity to ride the
Mount Lowe Incline Railway, his
automobiles were not the first to drive along
the right-of-way to Alpine Tavern. In 1912
a White “Gasoline Torpedo” touring car
made the trip along the Alpine Div. with
tire chains as a publicity stunt and then
again in 1914 a Metz automobile made the
trip along the rails as well. It is believed that
the Mt. Lowe incline car bodies were
removed from their platforms to allow the
automobiles to be chained to them and
brought up to Echo Mountain. This was
routinely done in other circumstances when
larger cargo had to be brought up.
Donations
$$$ Green Box News Notes $$$
$1.00
Norma Dieker – Because Tom always gives a good program. We
had a beautiful day on Saturday to hand out Prevention of Child
Abuse literature.
$4.00
Wally Lehman – $3.00 for Exchanger expenses and $1.00 to warn
March days they sent are not supposed to sneak into late April.
$1.00
Dottie Mikucki – For our great trip out East and Brooks first
birthday. (Editor's note - Dottie shared this adorable photo with us
today of a very proud grandfather [Walt's not the adorable one] who
got his grandson to wear a cap just like grandpa. Thanks Dottie.
Great photo.)
$2.00
Nancy Williams – Because I appreciate those who helped with
Believe in the Blue for Prevention of Child Abuse and those who
were with us in spirit. $9.00 was donated by people for the free
materials.
$9.00
$10.00
$1.00
Tom Williams – Because the St. Louis Cardinals swept the
Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, the Fighting Illini have a new
6'11" x 270-pound center to replace the graduating Egwu next year,
and for a successful Believe in the Blue Program Saturday.
Thomas Williams – For the St. Louis Cardinals!! Enough said.
Our Believe in the
Blue Crew
Saturday, April 18th at the
Savoy Walmart from
11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Norma Dieker, Wally Lehman,
and Committee Chair Nancy
Williams (center). Not pictured
is Thomas Williams, Jr.
Help Prevent Child Abuse
Believe in the Blue "Crew"
April 18th at 11:00 am.–1:00 pm.
.
Norma Dieker, Wally Lehman,
Nancy Williams & Thomas Williams
Above we see our dedicated Believe in the Blue Committee Chairlady Nancy Williams handing a
Child a packet containing Child Abuse Prevention literature, a refrigerator magnet, and Activities
Book with pencil for children at the Walmart in Savoy last Saturday. Photos by Tom Williams, Sr.
We were fortunate last year to have warm but very windy weather. Today's temperature was in the
mid-70s with bright sunshine and very little wind. Nancy really knows how to pick the right day.
Exchange, America's Premier Service Club, working to make our communities better places to live.
Chartered
27 JulyAmerica's
1926
Exchange,
Firefighter of the Year
Premier Service Club, working to make our communities better places to live.
Champaign Exchange Club
1812 Coventry Drive
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (217) 356-1057
Meeting Every Monday at
12:00 Noon Except Holidays
Police Officer of the Year
Nursing Scholarships
A.C.E. Award
Prevention of Child Abuse
Time Out Teddy
Crisis Nursery
O’Charley’s Restaurant
730 W. Town Center Blvd.
Eastern Illinois Food Bank
President: Tom Williams, Sr.
National Day of Service
Immediate Past President
Thomas Williams, Jr.
Believe in the Blue
Secretary/Treasurer:
Nancy Williams
Directors:
Richard Adkins
Norma Dieker
Anne Johnston
Wally Lehman
Dottie Mikucki
Frank Scantlebury
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.champaignexchangeclub.com
Seniors Vial of Life
Campaign For Kids
GiveAKidAFlagToWave
One Nation Under God
Freedom Shrines
Proudly We Hail Awards
Book of Golden Deeds
Student of the Month/Year
Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club
Snacks For Kids
Salvation Army Bell Ringing
See us on Facebook - Champaign Exchange Club
Champaign
Exchange Club
1812 Coventry Drive
Champaign, IL 61822
Tom Williams, Editor
Americanism - Child Abuse Prevention - Community Service - Service to Youth