For additional information on thaddeus lowe, the mount lowe railway and the white city in the sky. In 1889, david macpherson, a former santa fe railway civil engineer, planned a steam powered railroad into the mountains behind pasadena. For a chance to step back in history, a hike to the ruins of the white city is well worth the trek. Appendix i cultural resources technical report tehachapi renewable transmission project x. Lowe railway was one of the mustsee attractions in southern california. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible yearround. Wilson, american chemical society trip, southern california, 1927 digitally reproduced by the usc digital library. Lowe railway, circular bridge, california nypl b1264739862569. Altadena north of pasadena, on the corner of lake avenue and loma alta drive. Atop echo stood the magnificent 70room victorian hotel, the echo mountain house. Lowe historic site interpretive plan usda forest service. Originally named oak mountain, it was renamed for professor thaddeus s. The hike to mount lowe on the sam merrill trail is daunting to say the least with a 4,000 climb. The library of congress does not own rights to material in its collections.
The white city by miles clements the ruins of the echo mountain. Lowe railway were delighted to find the alpine tavern awaiting them at the end of their long journey. The railway opened in 1893 and stopped services in 1938. It covers this piece of history from the first ideas of what was to be built to its ultimate demise. Along the trial youll find historical markers that relate the story of the rail line. The mount lowe railway was the third in a series of scenic mountain railroads in america. Now, readers can enjoy local history and fabulous vistas without the effort of a days hike. Mount lowe railway arcadia publishing history books. Mount lowe railway is a hiking adventure located in or near altadena, ca.
The pacific electric railway promoted the line as the the. The trail switches back and forth as you wind up the mountain to the top of echo mountain where there are remnants of. A historical marker sits in front of them commemorating the. Up the steps and inside its broad doors all was generous mountain hospitality. Mount lowe railway the guided tour this is a complete trail of mount lowe. This is a hike along the ruins of the mt lowe railway, echo mountain, and the.
Mount lowe road to inspiration point and mount lowe trail. Mount lowe railway mountain bike trail map and elevation profile. A windstorm in 1928 and a fire in 1936 destroyed much of the amenities at the top of the run. Mount lowe is a mountain on the southern fold of the san gabriel mountains. This is one of the most comprehensive books i have found on the mt. San rafael ranch records and addenda msssan rafael ranch 1 san rafael ranch records and addenda.
Lowe, who is credited for being the first person to set foot on and plant the american flag at its peak, and who built the mount lowe railway to its foot. The mount lowe railway is a historic railroad grade that used to transport people up the mountains to several different hotels and resorts that used to rest high up in the san gabriels. Folder 12 newspapers with articles about history of the area. Lowe railway, view from circular bridge library of. Gallardo, bri wong, clay stalls department of archives and special collections, william h. From the california historical society collection at the university of southern california. The incline is a steep 60% grade section of the mt. Youll hike up the sam merrill trail, which follows the old mt lowe railway route up to echo mountain, where you can see the old ruins of the echo mountain mountain resort. The echo mountain trail is actually a combination of two trails, the lower sam merrill trail and the mount lowe railway trail. It reads like an authoritative history book on the subject and does not skimp on details or photos it.
From 1893 to 1938, the mount lowe railway provided public transportation to the heights of the angeles national forest. Nov, 2019 have always been into trains and railways since i was a wee little guy. Patris, steve crise, the mount lowe preservation society on. Interestingly, the railway was the only scenic mountain electric traction overhead electric trolley railroad in the country. Download mount lowe railway gps map data and view the topographic trail map. Lowe railway with its cable incline rail, circular bridge, ye alpine tavern, and echo mountain house and station as it appeared in the early 1900s. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. In 1891, macpherson and thaddeus lowe, a public figure from the civil. The historic mount lowe railway was a scenic route and a tourist attraction up to the crest of the san gabriel mountains above altadena, california. Pacific electric railway rebuilt the cars used on the great cable incline to include a roof on the top deck. The echo mountain hike packs a lot of bang for the buck. The scenic mount lowe railway historical committee the formal name for a group of volunteers who work to preserve the remnants of the mount lowe railway, including structures and artifacts.
The library of congress believes that many of the papers in the detroit publishing company collection are in the public domain or have no known restrictions and are free to use and reuse. Mount lowe railway trail altadena 2020 all you need to. From the flatlands of altadena to the alpine tavern on mount lowe, the railway to the clouds gained 3,121 feet in elevation over 5. Today the train tracks are gone, but you can still ride through an old tunnel, see old. Lowe, a civil war areonaut who built an incline railroad to its base in 1896, mount lowe was a popular attraction for tourists at the turn of the 20th century. The railway, originally incorporated by professor thaddeus s. The scenic mount lowe railway historical committee the formal name for a group of volunteers who work to preserve the remnants of the mount lowe railway, including structures and. More than a dozen historical markers along the way tell the fascinating story of. Pacific electric mount lowe line electric railway historical. Lowe pacific electric 1918 brochure online as a 19 page gif book mt. Given the southern california heat and a trail with little to no shade, its an intimidating prospect to say the least. These cars, stripped to their floors, were last used to carry salvage in 1938, when the mt. Since mount lowe railways abandonment in 1936, millions of hikers, mountain bikers, and railfans have followed the longdeserted rail beds to glimpse the scenic grandeur of what was once the earths grandest mountain ride.
This rail line was constructed and funded by professor t. Lowe line was southern californias favorite, scenic railway line. Mueller tunnel was built in 1942 by the us forest service, serving as a gateway to the summit of mount lowe via a fire road still in use today. A few routes reach inspiration point and mount lowe trail camp from the base of the san gabriel mountains including castle canyon trail, but this writeup offers a topdown approach venture down to inspiration point and mount lowe trail camp from the top of mount lowe road where it meets mount wilson red box road. Lowe railway would have been judged an engineering marvel.
Lowe railway loop to inspiration point and echo mountain, drive to mt lowe rd, altadena, ca 91001 the final turn onto cheney trail rd from w loma alta dr can be easy to miss, so be vigilant. Mount lowe railway mountain bike trail map, elevation. The mount lowe railway was once considered one of the. Starting from a trolley line in altadena, passengers took an incline railway to lofty echo mountain, where they could stay at the chalet or. Mount lowe preservation society secures and shares the. The hike to mount lowe on the sam merrill trail is daunting to say the least with a 4,000 climb to the summit spread out over 6. It was lowes dream to further extend the railway all the way to summit of the mountain that. 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 infrastructure itself is either owned by the railway company, as in the united states, or run as a. Lowe railways thrilling, terrifying circular bridge. The echo mountain house was an elegant victorian resort waaaay up on top of mt. The mount lowe preservation society is a nonprofit whose mission is to help secure and preserve history and. It was placed on the national register of historical places on january 6, 1993, a listing that.
The record of the naming was made official by andrew mcnally, the famous chicago map printer and summertime resident of altadena, who promised to print mount lowe on all his maps. Work on the incline section began in april 1892 and was finished in time for opening day on july 4, 1893. It was his dream of building a railway into the scenic, mountainous terrain of the san gabriels as an. The mount lowe railway was created as a scenic tourist line to bring visitors to see mount lowe and echo mountain. From i210 in pasadena, take the lake avenue exit and head north left if you are coming from the west, right if from the east and go. Many individuals and groups have worked hard to keep the memories of the mount lowe incline railway in place, among them the scenic mount lowe historical committee. In 1891, macpherson and thaddeus lowe, a public figure from the civil war, incorporated the pasadena and mt.
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