Some History of Glendale California

The City of Glendale fills a major portion of the geographical triangle formed by the Sierra Madre Foothills, the Los Angeles River, and the Arroyo Seco. It was this area, 36,400 acres of woodland, chaparral and grassland inhabited by native American Tongva (also called the "Gabrielinos" by the early settlers, who tended to name native tribes after the nearest Mission - in this case Mission San Gabriel) which attracted the attention of Corporal Jose Maria Verdugo of the San Diego Company of the Spanish army.

 In 1784 Corporal Verdugo, a native of Loreto, Baja California, received permission from his army commander Governor Pedro Fages to settle and graze this land. In 1798 he retired from the army to become a full-time rancher, and title was established. His ranch, Rancho San Rafael, supported herds of cattle, horses, sheep, mules, watermelons, corn, beans, peppers, and fruit. Senor Verdugo's route to and from Los Angeles, via San Fernando Road at his property's southern edge, came to be known as Verdugo Road.

The next half-century brought many changes, with California being ceded to the United States in 1848 and being admitted as a state in 1850 and the railroads being built to link Glendale to Los Angeles and points beyond. The fortunes of the Verdugo family declined, causing them to sell or mortgage parts of their Rancho San Rafael. There was great confusion due to differences between Mexican and American title laws until finally in "The Great Partition of 1871" the courts specified the areas owned by twenty-eight different people and members of the Verdugo family.

The Great Partition opened the way for more American settlers. They cleared the cactus and sagebrush, usually to establish fruit orchards. Sections of the former Rancho San Rafael began to develop individual identities. Residents of the central area gathered in a school house in 1884 to choose a name for their community, with "Glendale" being chosen. In 1887 residents in the southwestern part organized themselves as a separate town, "Tropico". This fertile area, for several years owned by W. C. B. Richardson as Santa Eulalia Ranch, produced barley, nuts, fruits, poultry, and dairy products and became famous for its strawberries, "Tropico Beauties". The southeastern portions of the former Rancho were developing separate identies, and would later become Eagle Rock and Highland Park. The extreme southern edge became Atwater Village.

In the early 1880s town names such as Etheldean, Minneapolis, Portosuelo, Riverdale, San Rafael, and Verdugo were proposed for the area. Following Thanksgiving dinner in 1883, settlers met at the schoolhouse (which also served as the community church) on lower Verdugo Road to discuss the possible names for the town. Ultimately, a young woman painter from Chicago offered the two word name "Glen Dale" and it was approved. Although there is no documented rationale for this choice, "Glendale" means "Valley" in Scottish or Gaelic, and many of the early settlers of the region had emigrated from the British Isles. The two-part name was simplified to one word, however mail continued to be addressed to "Verdugo". It took eight years to persuade the Post Office to adopt the name "Glendale"

By 1887, Glendale , having an established name and being at about 150 acres, was surveyed and recorded officially as a town. By the turn of the century Glendale was rapidly becoming urbanized. In 1902 the Glendale Improvement Society, under the leadership of Mr. Edgar D. Goode and Dr. D.W. Hunt, embarked on a campaign to advertise Glendale, to develop new business, to attract residents, and above all to bring the Los Angeles Interurban railroad to Glendale from Los Angeles. The tracks were laid in 1904 through a strip of land owned by Leslie C. Brand -- a location well to the west of the then main thoroughfare, Glendale Avenue. The railway (by then called the Pacific Electric) eventually helped shift the business center of Glendale to Brand Boulevard, and also sparked the desired population growth. Glendale was officially incorporated in 1906.

In 1918 Tropico was annexed to it. During the 'teens and 'twenties Brand boulevard grew into a lively, modern commercial and entertainment street. Banks, department stores, movie theaters and automobile showrooms appeared.

Citrus orchards and vineyards were further subdivided, giving way to homes built in the popular California Bungalow and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. Grand Central Airport and the Southern Pacific train depot connected Glendale to other communities and to the growing film and aviation industries. Churches and civic and fraternal organizations thrived. With population increasing from 13,756 in 1920 to 62,736 in 1930. Glendale called itself "The Fastest Growing City in America". .

During the 1980s and 1990s Glendale's population grew dramatically with the arrival of many thousands of immigrants, especially from Armenia, the Middle East, Korea, Mexico, and the Philippines. Large and small entertainment companies played an expanding role in Glendale culture and business. The newly restored Alex Theatre, 234 N. Brand Boulevard, and numerous international style restaurants made downtown Glendale a dining and entertainment magnet.

Glendale Alex Theater

Information from the Glendale Historical Society Website








 

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