366 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



land under cultivation, with more that migh<- be cleared and utilized. He 

 raised hay, grain, fruits, vegetables, poultry. In October, 1891, with a 

 party of four, I procured there from him a supply of most excellent water- 

 melons, peaches, plums, etc. The old man stuck to his mountain home, 

 for he could not live in a lower altitude, and finally died there May 4, 1894 

 — aged 75. Peter Steil of Pasadena furnished the old man with groceries 

 and other supplies during his last lingering illness, and attended to his 

 burial when he died. July 3, 1895, H. C. Allen bought the Henniger 

 property, 120 acres, at administrator's sale, for $2,600, and made it adjunct 

 to the Mount Wilson Toll Road Company's plans of development. 



Wilson's Peak— Mount Wilson. — Back of or north from Mount 

 Harvard lies Wilson's Peak, which is not a peak at all, but a great body 

 of mountain, from which Harvard and Pyramid are projecting spurs. The 

 summit of Mount Wilson has plowable land enough for two or three good 

 farms, no more rough, hilly or stony than farms I have seen cultivated in 

 Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Northern California, and several 

 New England states. Mr. A, G. Strain raised barley, pumpkins, potatoes, 

 and some other vegetables successfully up there on the very summit, where 

 a wild barley field had flourished aforetime and been a favorite pasture 

 ground for deer ; but generally the rains cease and leave the ground dry too 

 early in the season to make the tillage profitable ; and there is no chance to 

 reach the field crop lands by irrigation except with pumping works, which 

 would be too expensive, as the permanent springs are from 100 to 300 feet 

 lower altitude than these lands. The top of Mount Wilson varies from one- 

 quarter to a mile in width north and south and about two miles east and 

 west — and that is why I say there is no distinct peak. It takes its name 

 from Hon. B. D.Wilson, who, in 1864, built the original trail to its summit. 

 See article, " Wilson's Trail." 



The north slope of Mount Wilson forms the south wall of west San 

 Gabriel canyon, the flowage of this branch of the famous river being from 

 west to east. An old burro trail of fearful and perilous character led from 

 the Wilson summit down into this canyon, a distance of four or five miles, 

 to Pasadena camp. In June, 1891, a party of Pasadena young folks were 

 encamped there, consisting of Misses Jessie R. Mitchell, Louise Kerr, Alice 

 Glass, Ella Knight, Winnifred Webb ; also Charles C. Glass, Unn Free- 

 man, Rhoden Scudder, Alva McCoy. June 20th Carlton Durrell and Will 

 L,inney started from Pasadena with a horse named "Jerry" loaded with 

 camp supplies, to join their friends in the canyon. They reached Wilson's 

 peak the first day ; and on the 21st (it being Sunday) they started down the 

 adventurous trail. But at a certain extra perilous passage called "Devil's 

 slide,"* their horse lost his footing, and went rolling, tumbling, grinding 



* In October, 1891, Dr. H. A. Reid and wifeworked hard two days makinga new and safer trail right 

 over the moutitain spur instead of aloagr its steep and crumbly sidecalled " Devil's slide." While they 

 were at work the second day, and before they had ,g:ot the new route entirely opened, P. T. Reed of 

 Sierra Madre came along with a hunting party, just returning from Barley Flats, and wasthe first to 

 ride over it. oronouncing it " a mighty sight better " than the old one. It is in use yet, and is called 

 " Reid's trail." 



