Jose Maria Verdugo

I was on the phone with George Ellison of the Special Collections Room at Central Library the other day when he suddenly put me on hold. When he came back, he told me he had just given the historic Verdugo branding iron to someone from the parks department and that it was on the way to the Verdugo Adobe. There it would join the Verdugo platter, which had been delivered several weeks before. "It's too bad to see it go." Ellison said. "But people will be able to see it up there."

San Fernando Road, one of the oldest and most historic streets in Glendale, is part of a route that traces its roots back to Southern California's earliest days. Once a primitive, dusty trail, it was the primary route for those traveling from Mexico City to Northern California. No doubt, many of the Spanish soldiers, priests, Indians and early settlers used the trail as they passed through this area. The route ran right through the 36,000 acres on which Spanish soldier Jose Maria Verdugo grazed his cattle.

The story of the bandit for whom Vasquez Rocks are named is a story with special interest to local history buffs. A passage written by Elizabeth Sherer, widow of historian J.C. Sherer, piqued my interest in the bandits who roamed the valley in the days when the old Verdugo land grant had few inhabitants. Addressing the Glendale Historical Society in 1956, Sherer said the old Verdugo Road was first broken through by Jose Maria Verdugo while traveling between his domain and the pueblo of Los Angeles.

New homeowner Arye Gross was thrilled to discover that he and his family live in the house that Dora Verdugo built. During a recent trip to the Special Collections Room of the Central Library, Gross learned that his house on Verdugo Road was built by Dora Verdugo, great-granddaughter of land grant owner Jose Maria Verdugo. Dora Verdugo was born in 1882 in an adobe built by her father, Teodoro, in what is now the Verdugo Woodlands. After her father died in 1904, she sold the adobe.

Onondarka Ranch, nestled in the Verdugo Mountains above La Crescenta Avenue, has had only a few owners since it was first sold by descendants of land-grant owner Jose Maria Verdugo. George Englehardt acquired the 100-plus-acre ranch in 1875 and turned much of it into an orchard. He built a house on the edge of the property, just across the Verdugo Wash from a lane that later became La Crescenta Avenue. In 1900 Englehardt sold the property to the Sepulveda family, who sold it to Angelino Galenfino.

Glendale's Jubilee in 1981 marked 75 years since its founding in 1906. During the jubilee event, the city's pioneers (those who had lived here for 75 years or more) were honored. Making the introductions that day was Carroll W. Parcher, born in 1903, whose father was Wilmot Parcher, the city's first mayor. As Carroll announced each honoree, mayor John F. Day, presented them with a commendation and Glendale News-Press writer Ellen Perry made brief comments. The oldest attendee was Dora Verdugo, then 99 years old. She was the great-granddaughter of Jose Maria Verdugo, owner of the Spanish land grant on which Glendale was founded, according to the Daily News, May 16, 1981.

Katherine Yamada Credit: Courtesy, Special Collections, Glendale Public Library. Caption: A panoramic view of Glendale taken from the hills of Griffith Park sometime between 1780 and 1880. Downtown Glendale was first developed in an unusual plan dreamed up by real estate magnate, Andrew Glassell. A Los Angeles businessman, Glassell purchased land from the Verdugo family, but didn't gain clear title to it until the great partition of 1870, when the Verdugo ranch was divided in court.

Ten Years Ago Verdugo Hills Hospital drew a good-sized crowd when it held a Child Safety Fair. A mini-emergency room, health and safety information, game and food booths were set up in the parking lot area in front of the hospital’s main office.   Twenty Years Ago A new farmers’ market was launched in Montrose Shopping Park. It was announced the market would be held between 5 and 8 p.m. every Friday in the parking lot between Honolulu and Florencita avenues.

With the Days of Verdugo Festival attracting only a little more than half of the expected attendance last weekend, this may be the time for organizers to change direction. In June, the News-Press reported that the event's sponsoring organization, the Glendale Junior Chamber of Commerce, was lacking in manpower to organize the parade. Some 25 to 30 people had been involved in the organizing process in years past. This year, only a dozen junior chamber members had pledged to help organize the event.