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The Scenic Mt. Lowe Railway Historical Committee
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Mount Lowe is a mountain on the southern fold of the
San Gabriel Mountains. Originally named Oak Mountain, it was renamed
for
Professor Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, who
built the
Mount Lowe Railway to its foot in 1896. The record of the naming was
made official by
Andrew McNally, the famous Chicago map printer, who promised to print
"Mount Lowe" on all his maps. Mt. Lowe was established as an alternate
route for the Mount Lowe Railway when attempts to procure rights of way to
the more prominent
Mount Wilson had failed.
The Scenic Mt. Lowe Railway Historical Committee
is a group of volunteers who
work to preserve the remnants of the
Mount Lowe Railway system in the San Gabriel Mountains / Angeles National Forest
above Altadena, California.
We work under the authority of the Angeles National Forest along with a cadre of
many other volunteers who help with various projects to protect
the Forest. We all have monthly meetings
with the District Ranger at a designated
location.
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We have many pictures of our projects...
click "Other Web Pages" at the bottom |
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At
the turn of the 20th Century, Rail Power was the dominant means
of transportation. Professor Thaddeus Lowe, who moved to
Pasadena in the 1880's decided to make use of the rail lines to
build a special Railway, a Hotel, and a Tavern in the mountains.
The history of Mt. Lowe can be read in some of the articles
contained in these pages.
Against many odds
the vision of Mr. Lowe, a former Ballonist in the
Civil War, (appointed by President Abraham Lincoln), came
to reality, and the world witnessed on July 4 of 1893, the
opening of the Echo Mountain hotel at the top of the Great
Incline. About 2 years later there would be another
building, the Alpine Tavern, built higher up at the foot of Mt.
Lowe along a trolley route. People ventured from all
corners of the earth to see for themselves, and take a ride on
the "Railway to the Clouds". This one act created a
phenomenon that put Pasadena on the map and became world famous.
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It is our
endeavor to preserve what is left of this famous attraction.
Countless hours have been spent working on the mountain at
several locations in and around Mount Lowe and Echo Mountain.
For over 14 years we have completed a great many projects, and
we wish to share some of those accomplishments in this website.
As we do our
work, such as clearing brush, for example, we learn more about
the Railway and its operation by finding artifacts, structures
and foundations that are long since forgotten. When foundations,
or other items, are exposed they are measured and documented
allowing us to discover their place in the Railway’s history.
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Recent work in this area has
included the Power Plants and Casino on Echo Mountain. Over time
we hope to document all of the buildings on the Railway In 1996,
our largest endeavor was to re-build the Ramada (Pavilion) at
Inspiration Point. You may see pictures of many of our projects as
they unfolded by following the "Projects" links below.
In 1993 and 1995 the group organized the
Centennial Celebrations at both Echo Mountain and Alpine Tavern, respectively.
And every December, with Forest approval, we organize a public outing up
to the Alpine Tavern site at Mount Lowe to honor the anniversary of its opening.
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Brian Marcroft and Jim T. Spencer formed the committee in 1992.
(see
photos)
We appreciate the help and inspiration of all our members.
Each volunteer brings a different background and knowledge base which gives us
depth and ability that helps us in some way on the mountain.
One of our key volunteers, John
Harrigan, has written a book about the Mt. Lowe
power and mechanical systems. Click to the Links below to see more
information.
We wish to acknowledge the contributions of photos
and memorabilia images:
BRIAN
MARCROFT * RON JASINSKI * ROBERT WILDE * BOB
MORGAN
JOHN HARRIGAN * SILKY GRIFFITH * PAUL AYERS * NEAL SALLEE
RALPH MELCHING * LEE ZEBOLD * JOHANNA TURNER
Want to make a comment, or have a question
?
OR do you want to be a volunteer ?
Contact Brian
Marcroft at (562) 868-8919
OR
EMAIL
Brian
Copyright
ă
2002 to 2008 by
The Scenic Mt. Lowe Railway Historical Committee /
Ron Jasinski
All rights reserved. Revised:
April 25, 2008
Music: Ennio Moricone / Fairwell To Cheyanne |
