sea level, at the head of Grand Canyon, and from that point the summit
of Mount Lowe can be seen, towering eleven hundred feet above. A short
and enjoyable walk brings one to Inspiration Point, from which the
Observatory and buildings on Echo Mountain are seen as the play houses
of children, so far are they away; and the orange orchards and
vineyards and green grain fields in the valley resemble the
variegated patchwork upon the old-time bed-quilts. To those who from
here desire to ascend to the summit of Mount Lowe, a wide and safe
bridle road offers the opportunity of an exhilarating ride up the
mountain side, from whence a greater variety of views are obtained of
distant mountain ranges, extensive plains and broad expanses of sea.
[Illustration: Approaching Grand Circular Bridge, From Head of Millard
Canyon, Mount Lowe Railway.]
People go many miles, pay large railroad fares and spend much time to
visit Watkins Glen and Ausable Chasm, New York. At Mount Lowe the
scenery is an hundred-fold more grand, the canyons deeper than the
highest peaks of hills which are dignified with the name of mountains
in New York, and yet the expense of reaching Mount Lowe is but a
fraction of what is charged there; no charge is made for guides; the
time necessary to make the trip is much less, and the hotel
accommodations very much superior.
The Circular Bridge.
Bridge builders, as a rule, build upon a tangent, and are very
particular to have the floor upon a dead level. The reason that these
two conditions are thought necessary is to avoid too much strain upon
the structure, and in building railroads they are generally looked upon
as absolutely necessary. Where the conditions are such as to admit of
such construction it is undoubtedly the part of wisdom to follow the
beaten path, but occasionally such a course would either largely
increase the expense, or, as in the construction of the Mount Lowe
Railway, stop further progress. Such a dilemma was thrice presented in
the construction of the Mount Lowe Railway. First in the numerous
bridges along the lower portion of the route, in Rubio Canyon; again in
building the Great Cable Incline, and lastly on the Alpine division,
where it became necessary to build a circular bridge in order to get a
proper grade.
[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF THE MOUNT LOWE RAILWAY. From a painting
by Gardner Symons.]
In the second instance the bridges were built on the same incline as
the balance of the grade, in one instance the upper end being one
hundred feet higher than the lower in a length of 200 feet. It was,
however, in the construction of the circular bridge that the most
radical departure from the usual rules of bridge construction was
taken. At that point it was necessary for the track to swing around a
spur of the mountain, making a circle about 400 feet, with a diameter
of 150 feet across and on one side a deep canyon had to be bridged.
This was accomplished by the construction of a circular bridge built on
a grade of 4-1/2 per cent. Many engineers would have declared that a
car could not be run over such a structure, but it was so carefully and
scientifically built that cars are run over it with as much ease and
safety as over any other portion of the road. Stoppages are often made
upon it and the start is again made without any strain upon either the
bridge or car.
On other portions of the Alpine divisions loops are made around the
heads of great canyons, and the track turns upon itself in such a maze
that in one place nine different tracks can be counted on the mountain
side, each successively reaching a higher altitude, all the bridges
along the line conforming to the curvings and twistings of the track.
[Illustration: Near Mount Lowe Springs and Alpine Tavern. March, 1896.
Three Quarters of an Hour from Orange Blossoms and Roses.]
Alpine Club House. "Hanging of the Crane."
Harrison Gray Otis, the able veteran editor of the Los Angeles Daily
_Times_, describes the opening of the mountain club house, called "Ye
Alpine Tavern," on December 14, 1895, in the following manner:
"As was reported in yesterday's _Times_, the recently
completed extension of the Mount Lowe Railway to the new
'Alpine Tavern'--five miles beyond the Echo Mountain House,
and 5,000 feet above sea level--was made the occasion of an
interesting celebration last Saturday. A hundred visitors or
more from Los Angeles, Pasadena and abroad accepted the
hospitality of the indomitable builder, and made the trip
over the new line. It was a happy journey, a fortuitous
occasion. The day was all that is implied in the term, 'a
December day in Southern California.' A glorious southern
sun shone straight down, flooding the scene with warmth and
light. The air was limpid, thin, bright and bracing, and the
spirits of the party rose as the electric chariot bore them
on toward the summit, under the inspiration of a ride, the
unique character of which can be found nowhere else on the
foot-stool.
"The car goes swinging along the precipitous flank of the
rugged mountain and the line is marked by astonishing
sinuosities, startling curves, bold headlines and sharp
angled rock piles. The road appeared dangerous to the more
nervous and timid, but, in fact, it is as safe as any
railway line running on the level, for the road bed, track
and bridges are built in a most thorough and substantial
manner, and were not made to 'fall down.'
[Illustration: GLIMPSES OF MOUNT LOWE RAILWAY. Grand Circular Bridge at
Upper Right Hand Corner.]
"The picturesque route is through majestic forests, growing
heavier and more luxuriant with the ascent, and the line
penetrates deeper into the Sierra, where the snowfall of
winter furnishes increased moisture, and the shade of the
close set trees shields the ground and gives the fertile
soil a chance to feed the abundant tree and plant life of
this high altitude.
"The whole journey is alluring and picturesque, not to say
thrilling. On one side of the road rises the towering uplift
of the bulky mountain, its slopes bright in verdure and
covered with heavy timber, masses of displaced rock and
fallen trees. On the other sink immeasurable canyons, filled
with a dense forest growth, thickets of chapparal and beds
of luxuriant ferns.
"Far away, seaward, spreads the eye-filling panorama of the
lower levels. Foothill slopes, big and little valleys,
spreading plains, deep-cut arroyos, clearly defined
watercourses, cultivated fields and gardens, sweet cottages
and opulent homes--all are clear to the vision of the
beholder from this summit height. Pasadena, Los Angeles and
their environs are seen; the blue and restless ocean lies
beyond, its ceaseless breakers ever lashing its unyielding
shore into whitest foam.
"The delighted travelers brought up at the Alpine Tavern,
not merely because it is a hostelry affording 'entertainment
for man and beast,' but because the railway line runs, as
yet, no further than that point. The hotel, built at the
point known as Mount Lowe Springs, is constructed something
after the style of a Swiss chalet, and is as attractive as
it is unique. It is set into the very ribs of the mountain,
being built to suit the location rather than after any
stereotyped plan of the average modern architect, who would
ruthlessly fell the finest forests--God's first temples--for
the sake of building a wall 'just so.'
[Illustration: Carriage Road from Alpine Tavern to Inspiration Point.]
"In the forest all about the 'tavern' are giant pines and
immense oak trees, their branches touching the very roof of
the building. These trees are interspersed with maple,
sycamore, manzanita, bay, etc., and almost every variety of
fern is to be found in the adjacent canyons.
"In addition to the main dining hall there is a billiard
hall and some twenty sleeping rooms, neatly finished in
natural woods, and each heated by means of hot water
circulation. These rooms are designed especially for
visitors during the winter season, when it is desirable to
be housed in a single building, but for summer months
surrounding the Tavern are numerous tent cottages which
allow all who desire to sleep practically out of doors.
These tents are large and commodious, and are equipped with
comfortable beds and all the essentials of home. Many prefer
them to the rooms of the Tavern.
[Illustration: A Woodland Dell, Mount Lowe Springs.]
"The 'tavern' is of an entirely original design, the
construction being a combination of blocks of granite and
Oregon pine, finished in the natural color of the wood. The
building is forty by eighty feet, and the main floor is used
for office and dining room purposes, in which one hundred
people can easily be seated. In this dining room there are
five cheerful open fireplaces of unique construction; the
main one, in which swings the great crane, measures twelve
feet from side to side, and seven feet high, with stone
blocks for seats in each corner. Over the mantle is the
hospitable inscription 'YE ORNAMENT OF A HOUSE IS YE GUEST
WHO DOTH FREQUENT IT.' On One side is a large old-fashioned
brick oven, and on the other side an opening forming a
buffet of most unique construction, where 'mystery' and
other fluids are kept for the people of Pasadena.
[Illustration: Observation Car near Granite Gate, Grand Canyon, Mount
Lowe Railway.]
"It is estimated that more granite has been displaced and
rolled down the canyon in building this last five miles of
road than would be sufficient to construct a city the size
of Pasadena. The road-bed is literally 'rock-ribbed,' if not
'eternal as the sun.'
"The completion of the next section of the road is expected
to be accomplished at some time in the future. Already two
sections--that is, the one to Echo Mountain and the one
beyond--equal, it is claimed, two and a half times the
length of the famous Mount Washington road.
"While the improvements were going on at Echo Mountain the
road beyond was being steadily built, and, as before stated,
is now completed to these springs, 5,000 feet above the sea,
and five miles beyond Echo Mountain. The redwood ties, which
are of the standard size, lie on solid rock the whole
distance, making this the only road in the world, the
builder proudly claims, which for so long a distance is
built on a shelf of granite.
"Beyond this point nearly a mile of road has been graded,
which will be used as a carriage road for the present, and
for sleighing when snow comes. Gentle saddle animals are
provided here, at nominal expense, for those desiring to
ride, and many do so in order to look off from Inspiration
Point, at the summit of the first range, from whence can be
seen Echo Mountain, and the whole magnificent panorama below
and beyond.
[Illustration: Saddle Horses at Alpine Tavern, Ready for the Trip to
the Summit of Mount Lowe.]
"Returning to the 'tavern' the interested company further
inspected the quarters, and presently the ceremony of
'hanging the crane' was simply carried out by the chef and
assistants, uniformed in white aprons, and 'bossed' by the
whole party. The ceremony was quickly over, and was greeted
with applause and expressions of delight all along the line.
[Illustration: Mount Lowe, Looking North from Summit of First Range.]
"Then followed the dinner, which was a toothsome repast,
elegantly served. Prof. and Mrs. Lowe occupied the head of
the table, and the guests were seated at will about the
board. The repast was discussed with joy and satisfaction,
and thereafter Col. G. Wiley Wells, Col. H. G. Otis, Judge
McKinley and Dr. Conger of Pasadena, each responded to
calls, and made little talks for the entertainment of the
company.
"Each of the speakers paid a handsome tribute to Prof. Lowe
and his successful work, giving him full and high credit for
his genius, perseverance, indomitable will, large faith and
astonishing mastery of details. They dwelt upon the
importance of the enterprise to Southern California, and
predicted great results to flow from it in the years to
come. The boldness and energy of the builder in undertaking,
single-handed and alone, an enterprise vast enough to engage
the efforts of a large corporation were dwelt upon by more
than one of the speakers, and these references elicited the
plaudits of the appreciative company.
"Prof. Lowe responded, modestly telling of his work as a
practical modern man of business, who had simply undertaken
the very feasible task of building a mountain railway to fit
a mountain as he had found it--a work which required a very
different sort of talent from that employed by the great
artist to whom reference had been made in one of the toasts.
The possibilities for sleighing, and the unequaled views
from Inspiration Point were touched upon--a striking view
that may be had from a small level spot near the tavern, not
much bigger than an army tent would cover. It is certainly a
view such as can be had from no other spot on the wide
globe.
"The host's modest and candid speech was listened to with
keen interest, and at its close the speaker was warmly
applauded.
"This ended the high revelry, and then the revelers took
the train for the lower regions, but later got to their
respective homes all right, after a most enjoyable day, long
to be remembered."
The Benefits of Mountain Climbing.
The higher one climbs in the mountains the less becomes the atmospheric
pressure upon him, and lungs, heart and nerves all feel the reduction
of the pressure. All experience new sensations of freedom and vigor,
activity and exuberance, felt only on the levels in times of excitement
or stimulation. The lungs expand and the breathing is more profound;
the heart thereupon beats fuller and more vigorously, while the subtle
oxygen, no longer stealing into the body in a half-afraid,
surreptitious way, but taking fuller possession at each more vigorous
heart-beat, healthfully stimulates the nerves and the brain. Renewed
activity is the result, with the vim, _verve_, joy and happiness that
are natural concomitants of healthful physical conditions.
So mentally and spiritually. The higher we go, the less atmospheric
pressure is there upon us.
We think easier and to better advantage, and our hearts respond more
readily to the grand, the good, the beautiful and the sublime. The
subtlety of the mental and spiritual stimulus that comes into the life
when we are above the fogs and the clouds, breathing deeply a pure
atmosphere, is one of its chief charms. We feel the stimulus or respond
to it and wonder how and whence it came. A quickened mental and
spiritual life is the result. Thoughts whose existence were never
before dreamed of come and go with rapidity, and we experience all
the thrilling joy of mental and spiritual discovery.
[Illustration: On Grade of Mount Lowe Railway, near Alpine Tavern,
Thirty Minutes from Flowers at Echo Mountain House.]
Not only are spiritual, mental and physical power gained on the
mountains, but in them is contained a marvelously extended store of
material for the building up of the artistic and æsthetic sides of men.
Here artist, poet, orator may gain a stock of unforgettable memories
and provide themselves with gallery after gallery of perfect pictures;
pictures of beauty, sublimity, majesty and grandeur.
Just think for a moment of the canvases depicting mountains. Some of
the greatest artists of the world have built up their reputations
through their mountain pictures. Three of our greatest artists owe
their success to mountain pictures. Bierstadt, Moran and Hill are alike
mountain lovers and worshippers.
Then who can overlook the place mountains have in the poetry of all
peoples, of all times? And to merely recount the exquisite and strong,
the beautiful and the sublime passages in literature, of which
mountains are the theme, would fill many hundreds of volumes. Their
heights and their unattainableness, and yet the luring of us onward and
upward. The snow-capped peaks, the emblems of eternal purity. The
dangerous precipices. The shady recesses. The thrilling canyons. The
cooling fountains. The secret stores of waters they contain. The
minerals they hide. The towering rocks looking down upon all below. The
trees they nourish. The flowers they cherish. The valleys they make and
sustain. The clouds they arrest and make contributors to the common
good. The shields they are to the winds.
[Illustration: OUR ARTIST AMONG THE BOUNDERS. Bridle Road through
Castle Canyon, near Echo Mountain House, Mount Lowe.]
Health Gained in the Mountains.
Physicians are now recognizing more than ever before the great value of
conditions that exist in the mountains for the restoration of invalids
to health. Hence year by year thousands of people leave the stern
winters of the East, with their fierce snow-storms, blizzards, winds
and tornadoes, to enjoy the equable, delicious climate of our
sun-kissed land of the South, and nowhere can these benign influences
be enjoyed as well as on the various elevations of the Mount Lowe
Railway. Those who desire a moderate altitude find it at Echo Mountain,
3,500 feet above the sea, while to those who need the rarer atmosphere
of the more elevated points, Alpine Tavern, among the pines, is an
ideal spot. It is no mere formal statement that the hotels at these two
points are first-class in every respect. In all essentials no modern
hotel in the greatest cities of the continent surpasses them. The
health conditions, too, are simply perfect. Pure water from
uncontaminated sources,--springs that bubble up through the
disintegrated granite and give a naturally-filtered water free from all
mineral and organic matter; pure air, changing twice a day in gently
flowing currents, which alternate from ocean and desert, both ideal
purifiers of the atmosphere; balsamic and health-giving odors from
pines, firs, spruces and other mountainous trees and plants; absolute
freedom from all malarial or other injurious and noxious influences;
the quietude of gentle nature; these are some of the conditions of
distinct therapeutic value which minister to the physical and mental
well-being of those who dwell in these favored spots.
[Illustration: Winter Scene, Thirty Minutes from Perpetual Roses at
Echo Mountain House. Now Reached by Alpine Division, Mount Lowe
Railway.]
A Mountain Canyon in Winter.
Mountain canyons are always beautiful. No matter how rugged the scenery
is, Dame Nature is such a finished artist that she paints the most huge
rocks, or the most gnarled and twisted trees, so that all the human
painter can do in order to become famous is to properly interpret and
place on canvas the touches which nature has imprinted on the
landscape. At best man is only a copyist; all his "creations" and
"interpretations" are suggested to him by some manifestation of the
Great Creator painted or impressed on some canvas hung on the mountain
sides, or in the valley, or on the ever restless waves of the sea. It
is in the solitude of the mountains where the finest inspirations for
the artists are to be found. Here he is alone with nature. Here the
grandest exhibitions of the titanic power of the Creator are manifest,
toned and modified by the beautiful tints of flowers and ferns.
In this climate the summer is a season of rest for all natural
vegetation, except in the mountains. Only where man has reversed the
course of the seasons do we find growth and development. But even then
the canyons possess wonderful beauty, although the songs of their
brooks are sung in minor tones. As compared with the brown and parched
valleys their cool retreats are refreshing. In winter, however, they
possess their greatest charm. Then nature is busily at work. The rock
gives out bounteous streams of water, which leap down their mossy
sides, singing as they go joyful anthems and imparting to every kind of
vegetation the moisture which gives them renewed life. Where the
landscape has been brown and bare comes the rich green of a new life,
the very rocks putting on a richer coloring by absorbing their quota of
the vivifying fluid.
[Illustration: Alpine Tavern in Winter.]
Many people climb to the summits in order to get views of the canyons,
imagining that from such heights can be found the best vistas of their
caverns. They thereby get a beautiful glimpse of the dark recesses
below; but one must see the canyons from their depths in order to fully
grasp their beauty and grandeur. We now get close to nature, and she
talks to us in a language which all can interpret, and what glimpses of
the outer world we see are toned and made mellow by the setting of
rocks and forests which are blended by the variegated colors of
brilliant green and the "sere and yellow leaf" of those trees which
cannot overcome their hereditary nature and sleep while all other
vegetation is bursting into new life.
Professor Lowe, having the eye of a true artist, laid out bridle paths,
built stairways and walks, and, without disturbing nature, made access
to the canyons along the route of the Mount Lowe Railway easy and
pleasant, either on foot or on saddle animals. One can spend days and
weeks with pleasure and profit in exploring these recesses, with the
advantage of having a home at night with all the conveniences of urban
life, at no greater cost than when stopping at hotels in the valley.
Visitors should therefore come prepared to prolong their stay until
they have leisurely roamed over all the paths and explored the canyons
which constitute the itinerary of the Mount Lowe Railway, and not be
satisfied with a cursory glance at the wealth of scenery which is so
easy of access, especially when its hotel accommodations are superior
to all others in Southern California and at no greater cost than in the
valley.
The Flora of Mount Lowe.
The Sierra Madre are not composed of dry, barren earth heaps, but, true
to their name, are Mother Mountains, fostering and protecting life's
children. A refuge for all, for primitive man of past times, who was
forced to depend upon them for water and food, and for the civilized
man of to-day, seeking health and enjoyment in their oxygenated
atmosphere and restful solitudes.
[Illustration: Acorns Grown Upon the Summit of Mount Lowe. 6100 Feet
Above Sea Level.]
For the lowest as well as the highest of organizations the mountains
are a grateful retreat. The simple amoeba, whose existence is
undoubtedly the oldest of all times, finds living here impossible, for
in water it must live and move and in desert wastes it must perish.
The stately yuccas--the candlesticks of our Lord--their white fragrant
blossoms borne on the straight stalks, at a distance looking like so
many white stakes set by surveyors, grow only on the mountains and
foothills; while down in the deep canyon streams the lowest of plants,
the algæ, abound.
The nearer one approaches to the mountains the more abundant are the
signs of life, the more prolific is nature, the more do the flowers
multiply; until when the foothills are reached one sees them to be
literally covered with blossoms.
The ferns are already at the mountains, while the flowering plants all
seem to be on their way thither, as emigrants from the dry valley,
leaving but few by the roadside, stragglers loitering on the mountain
march, or perhaps not stragglers, but simply doubters, hesitating
whether to still proceed to where the water ever flows, or whether to
wait and see what further wonders man can accomplish with his
irrigation.
From the fertile, semi-tropical fields of Altadena, aglow with golden
poppies, stretching up in the mountains to the rocky summit of Mount
Lowe, where saxifrage and penstemons, ferns and nightshade harmoniously
cleave to the rocks and strive to gain a living in summer time
against altitude and dryness only to be buried in snow in the window
months, the line of march extends.
[Illustration: Garden of the Gods, showing Two Sections, with portion
of Circular Bridge, Mount Lowe.]
Shrubs and flowers in profusion vie with each other as to which will
brighten the landscape the more. The California lilac of the lower
altitudes, lays downs its masses of purple blue color, the manzanita
thickets of the heights send out their heavy white fragrant blossoms, a
pleasing contrast to their rich red gnarled stems, while the brilliant
gilias, the showy mariposa lilies, the various primroses, the mocking
monkey face flowers--the mimuli, make the trails and bridle roads
resplendent. The spotted tiger lilies look down upon the water flowing
in the canyons, the woolly blue-curls--the trichostema, relieves the
dull browns of the chapparral and the baby blue eyes, the nemophila,
hugs closely the mountain sides.