Programs Report
January 15, 2016
By: Teri Muse

“The Birth of Arcadia”
Carol Libby; historian, author and volunteer took us back in time to 1875 when Elias Jackson Baldwin bought the Santa Anita Rancho for $200,000 and called it “paradise.” She explained how at the same time, Baldwin was building the Baldwin Hotel in San Francisco spending over $3 million. Even though the Santa Anita Rancho was small potatoes compared to the Baldwin Hotel, Carol explained how the Santa Anita Rancho would be the saving grace for Baldwin.

Baldwin lost millions in the stock exchange and savings he had to use to pay the mortgages. The only property he didn’t mortgage was the Santa Anita Rancho. Baldwin saw the opportunity to start developing the Santa Anita Rancho when the railroad starting bringing people to Los Angeles in the 1880’s, he sold 400 lots in 3 days at $400 a lot.

In the 1890’s Baldwin suffered financially throughout the Depression and the Santa Anita Rancho is what kept him afloat. Baldwin spent most of his time in San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and Gnome Alaska mostly developing gambling establishments. It wasn’t until the 1900’s when the Red Car came thru Arcadia that Baldwin gave Arcadia some serious attention. The area was first known as Baldwin and then Live Oak before it finally was named Arcadia and incorporated in 1903. Before becoming incorporated, Baldwin had to overcome many obstacles like overcoming public perception that he was going to turn Arcadia into a gambling town and finding a way to get 500 people to live in Arcadia to meet the incorporation population requirement. The first election was held on July 27, 1903. 39 residents voted. 38 voted Baldwin in as Mayor and 35 voted for incorporation.