DIVISION FIVE — NAMES. 399 



where there was any mountain top worth going to, or at all accessible ; and 

 in 1886, a cog-wheel railroad similar to the one on Mount Washington, New 

 Hampshire, was talked up — till finally R. Williams, Byron W. Bates and 

 C. S. Martin formed a company, and took steps to secure rights for land, 

 water, wood and stone on the unsurveyed government lands at the Mount 

 Wilson summit. ^^ Their idea was to make a good bridle-road first, and then 

 enlist eastern capitalists to build a hotel up there, and build a cog-wheel 

 railroad from the mouth of Eaton canyon up to it. They did secure some 

 land claims, though from various causes their railroad and hotel project 

 failed. But the locating of the Harvard photographing telescope on Mount 

 Wilson in 1889 gave a new measure of fame and interest centering at this 

 mountain ;t and the difficulties which Judge Eaton had to overcome in get- 

 ting that telescope, besides the heavy timbers, irons, etc., necessary for its 

 proper housing and mechanical control, up over the old trail, led him to 

 think seriously of trying to build a better road right up from the mouth of 

 Eaton canyon, I and thus connect Pasadena with this mountain top in the 

 shortest and most direct way, instead of having to go ten miles around, by 

 way of Sierra Madre town and the Santa Anita canyon. 



Accordingly, Judge Eaton called a meeting June 18, 1889, at the Presi- 

 dent's room of the First National Bank, "to consider steps necessary to be 

 taken to build a wagon road to Mount Wilson." The men who atttended 

 this meeting were: J. A. Buchanan, P. M. Green, E. C. Winston, George 

 A. Greeley, H. H. Rose, M. E. Wood, A. J. Painter, C. S. Martin, George 

 F. Kernaghan, Charles Copelin, J. R. Riggins, W. U. Masters. P. M. 

 Green was chosen for chairman of the meeting and Mr. Masters secretary. 

 Judge Eaton fully explained the feasibility of the project, from a preliminary 

 survey which he had made of the entire series of mountain slopes to be 

 traversed ; and ended by moving that they should proceed to organize a com- 

 pany to build such a road. The motion prevailed, and a preliminary organ- 

 ization was effected by electing Kernaghan for president, Martin vice-presi- 

 dent. Wood secretary and First National Bank treasurer ; and for directors, 

 Martin, Kernaghan, Buchanan, Greeley and J. W. Hugus. The organiza- 

 tion was incorporated as ' ' The Pasadena and Mount Wilson Toll Road 

 Company," July 12, 1889, with the following named shareholders: 



P. M. Green, A. J. Painter, Charles Copelin, J. A. Buchanan, James 

 R. Riggins, Benjamin S. Eaton, C. S. Martin, George F. Kernaghan, G. E. 



*" Mr. J. M. Willard, the surveyor, with four assistants, has been at work the last week surveying for 

 the new mountain-top company who have planned to make a good horseback road, with telephone line 

 to the summit camp, starting up at the mouth of Precipicio canyon." — [Pasadena Valley Union, Maj- 



14, 18S6. 



t" A good wagon road will bring it within ten miles of Pasadena, while the I.ick observatory is twenty- 

 three miles from San Jose. A mountain railroad will undoubtedly reduce the ten miles to five, and bring 

 the observatory within an hour of the Carlton."— C T. Hopkins, public address on Library fnteres/s.^Peh- 

 ruary 18, 1889 



t" Four men are at work this week running barometric levels to test for a possible wagon road, rising 

 one foot in ten, from the mouth of P^aton canyon to the top of Mount Wilson direct." — [Pasadena Stand- 

 ard, February 23, i8Sq. 



