Pasadena

From its earliest years, the town of Pasadena has been richly endowed by nature. The abundant sunshine, dramatic mountains, and sparkling streams invited settlers to a near-paradise. Health seekers and wealth seekers arrived, amazed at the mild climate where just about anything would grow. Agriculture thrived, and Pasadenans loved the canyons and the wild edges of their community. Today Pasadena is a sophisticated city but still fringed with large natural areas: the Arroyo Seco on the west, Eaton Canyon on the east, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the north. Parks and native plant gardens preserve gems of nature within the city. Pasadenas natural history is not just a memory of the past but a living companion for the present.

Elizabeth Pomeroy is a well-known historian, publisher, and speaker in Pasadena. She has been a trustee of the Pasadena Museum of History and chair of the city's Recreation and Parks Commission. She has walked Pasadena's Arroyo Seco and mountain trails for 30 years and is a docent-naturalist at Eaton Canyon Nature Center. For this book, she has gathered stunning photographs from the Huntington Library, the Pasadena Museum archives, the Pasadena and Los Angeles Public Libraries, the Bancroft Library, and other sources.