News of our readers
October 4, 1997 members of the Scenic Mt. Lowe
Historical Committee met at Inspiration Point after a
three-month summer break. Present were Brian Marcroft, John
Harrigan, Scott Neilson, Bill Crouch, Robert
Wilde, Lee Varnum, Bruce Chubbuck, Jim
Beckwith, and Jake Brouwer. Work projects were planned
and scheduled for the months of October and November. An event
was announced for the 6th of December 1997,
celebrating the last run of the Mt. Lowe Railroad. After the
meeting the group went to the Mt. Lowe Campground and excavated a
sidewalk and steps that had been covered since the 1920’s.
In
subsequent visits by the above members and others, brush was
cleared around the tavern area in preparation for the event.
Later the group went up to Inspiration Point with the
purpose of moving the flagpole from off the side of the
ravine to a position approximate to its base. With wire rope, a
heavy-duty truck, and a bit of manpower the heavy pole was put
into place.
The SMLHC
has many projects planned for the up coming year including but
not limited to the following: Preserving the wood on the
structures at Inspiration Point, reinstalling the flagpole,
install an interpretive sign for Easter Rock, repair and align
Observation tubes on Mt. Lowe, repair benches, reinforce trails
from the Cape of Good Hope to Echo Mt., and rebuilding the
station at Dawn. These and other projects are usually performed
on Saturdays and provide a chance for you to return some of the
joy the mountain brings to you by working to preserve, protect
and inform others about the Scenic Mt. Lowe Railroad. If you
would like to help out contact us at the paper and we’ll get
you on a notification list. You can also help with donating money
or materials to a specific project.
The Internet brought some new friends to us. Bob
Daniel’s from Fairfield, Ohio found the Echo Mtn. Echoes
web site. He was raised in Altadena and used to hike the trails
as a Boy Scout.
Also in November the great grandson of Charles
Lowe, Thaddeus Lowe’s brother, contacted us. Gordon
Allen Lowe Jr. lives in New Hampshire at the foot of Lowe’s
Path. Lowe’s Path was the first path cut to the top of
the Presidential Range of mountains and is traveled by people
from all over the globe. Mr. Lowe says his grandfather Charles
Lowe took 37 years to build it cutting waterways and stairs into
the mountain using nothing but hand tools.
I recently found on the Internet a book written by Barbara
Hunter Schultz, called Pancho, The biography of
Florence Lowe Barnes. Anyone looking to learn more about
the Lowe family should pick up this book about T.S.C. Lowe’s
granddaughter Florence. Pancho, as she preferred to be called was
an aviatrix involved with stunt flying, setting women’s
speed records, and later in life owner of the Happy Bottom
Riding Club near Edwards Air force Base. The book can be
purchased in the mountain marketplace section.
Readers are encouraged to send in their
news for consideration to be printed. News of events, finds,
studies, books, and activities pertaining to the Mt. Lowe
experience are all welcome.
Send email to Echowebmaster@aaaim.com to report any problems.
Last modified: February 12, 1999
No part of this paper may be
reproduced in any form without written permission from:
Jake Brouwer
All articles and photos were provided by:
Land-Sea Discovery Group
Copyright © 1999