Eaton Canyon
Encyclopedia
Eaton Canyon is a major canyon beginning at the Eaton Saddle near Mount Markham
and San Gabriel Peak
in the San Gabriel Mountains
in the Angeles National Forest
, USA. Its drainage flows into the Rio Hondo river
and then into the Los Angeles River
. It is named after Judge Benjamin Eaton, who lived in the Fair Oaks Ranch House
in 1865 not far from Eaton Creek.
The most well-known portion of the canyon is the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena, California
. The trailhead of the Mount Wilson Toll Road
is in the canyon.
, once a main part of the San Andreas Fault
.
Eaton Canyon is in the foothills of these mountains. Originally called "El Precipicio" by the Spanish settlers because of its steep gorges, the canyon falls under several governmental jurisdictions.
Benjamin Eaton was hired by Don Benito Wilson to bring water to the Fair Oaks Ranch
. In August 1877, naturalist
John Muir
set out from Pasadena for an expedition into the San Gabriels. He writes: "On the first day of my excursion I went only as far as the mouth of Eaton Canyon, because the heat was oppressive, and a pair of new shoes were chafing my feet to such an extent that walking began to be painful."
On October 27, 1993, the floor of Eaton Canyon, along with 118 surrounding homes, was devastated by a wildfire.
On August 10, 2010, a small 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) brush fire broke out in the canyon, but was soon put out by fire engines and helicopters.
and Rancho Santa Anita
on land designated for the Southern Pacific Railroad
. Once the railroad gave up the land, it was opened for homesteading. The nature center
is unique in the area because it houses exhibits that educate on the flora and fauna local to the San Gabriel Valley Southern California. The center was rebuilt in 1998 after the 1993 fire destroyed the previous facility.
Pasadena and parts of Altadena receive about 40% of their water from local sources.
The upper third is controlled by the Water Department of the City of Pasadena
. - Eaton Canyon Park
once described the waterfall as "a charming little thing, with a low, sweet voice, singing like a bird, as it pours from a notch in a short ledge, some thirty or forty feet into a round mirror-pool."
Several waterfalls also exist above Eaton Fall, which are more secluded and officially closed to the public. Until 1979, there was a tunnel which allowed access, but this has been dynamited and filled in. While the upper falls were accessible decades ago, there are no longer any maintained trails. People have been injured and killed trying to make these climbs.
On July 31, 2011, a man fell to his death on the hike to the falls. Another man fell to his death one week later on August 6, 2011.
- Eaton Canyon falls
featuring narrow fairways and rolling terrain. It is administered by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation and has been open since 1962.
It was originally planned as an eighteen-hole facility and was designed by famed golf course architect, William Francis Bell
(known as Billy Bell, Jr., son of famed golf course designer, William Park Bell
). Opening day ceremonies included a golf outing with dignitaries and local golf professionals, including 1961 PGA Champion, Jerry Barber
.
- Eaton Canyon Park Golf Course
which ascended Mount Wilson
via a vehicular passable road from the base of the foothills in Altadena
. It was accessible from Pasadena
via Santa Anita Avenue which drove right to the front porch of the toll house. The road is still accessible from Pinecrest Drive, just off Altadena Drive in Altadena. Access was blocked after a 2005 landslide destroyed 50 yards of the road, but the road has since been rebuilt and reopened.
Mount Wilson had always been active with human passage starting from the days of the local Indians. It was Benjamin Davis Wilson who established a proper trail to the summit of Mt. Wilson from Sierra Madre
through the Santa Anita Canyon
. The Mt. Wilson Toll Road to Henninger Flats
is controlled by the Forester and Fire Warden of the Los Angeles County Fire Department
. - Mt. Wilson Toll Road trail head
and then into the Los Angeles River
. The wash is one of the Altadena streams that helps to feed to Raymond Basin. Rubio, Las Flores and others all flow to the east eventually to join the Rio Hondo. Millard Canyon on the west flows to the Arroyo Seco
. Eaton Wash it is one of the two major streams that channels storm water in Pasadena; the other is the Arroyo Seco on the western side of the city.
On its way to the Rio Hondo, the Eaton Wash is joined by the combined drainages from Pasadena Glen and Hastings Canyons. These channels have all been modified by flood control dams near the base of the mountains, and both have been confined to manmade channels or storm drains in their lower reaches. Typically the Eaton Wash and Arroyo Seco carry very little water. Peak discharges are typically less than 1,000 ft³/s (30 m³/s) for Arroyo Seco and less than 500 ft³/s (15 m³/s) for Eaton Wash.
- Eaton Wash, USGS El Monte (CA)
. The dam is a rock fill, 63 feet (19 m) in height, and is 1545 feet (471 m) in length. Normal storage for the reservoir is 721 acre.ft. It has a surface area of 54 acres (220,000 m2) and drains an area of 9.47 square miles (25 km2). Its primary usage is for flood control
and debris storage. - Eaton Canyon Reservoir - Eaton Wash Dam
Mount Markham
Mount Markham is a majestic twin-peaked massif, 4,350 and 4,280 m, surmounting the north end of Antarctica's Markham Plateau. Discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition , it is named for Sir Clements Markham, who, as President of the Royal Geographical Society, planned the expedition...
and San Gabriel Peak
San Gabriel Peak
San Gabriel Peak is a summit in the San Gabriel Mountains in the U.S. state of California. It was named by the United States Geological Survey in 1894 and is located in the Angeles National Forest. This peak was first named The Commodore for Commodore Perry Switzer.The name is derived from the...
in the San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
in the Angeles National Forest
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest of the U.S. National Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, southern California. It was established on July 1, 1908, incorporating the first San Bernardino National Forest and parts of the former Santa Barbara and San Gabriel...
, USA. Its drainage flows into the Rio Hondo river
Rio Hondo (California)
The Rio Hondo is a tributary of the Los Angeles River in Los Angeles County, California, approximately long. As a named river, it begins in Irwindale and flows southwest to its confluence in South Gate, passing through several cities...
and then into the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
. It is named after Judge Benjamin Eaton, who lived in the Fair Oaks Ranch House
Crank House
Crank House, also known as Fair Oaks Ranch, is an 1882 Victorian style residence in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 for its association with the early settlement of Altadena. ...
in 1865 not far from Eaton Creek.
The most well-known portion of the canyon is the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. The trailhead of the Mount Wilson Toll Road
Mount Wilson Toll Road
The Mount Wilson Toll Road is a historic roadway which ascended Mount Wilson via a vehicular passable road from the base of the foothills in Altadena. It was accessible from Pasadena via Santa Anita Avenue which drove right to the front porch of the toll house...
is in the canyon.
History
The canyon is one of the east-west canyons that separate the steep southern ridge and the taller northern ridge of the San Gabriel Mountains. The canyons run along the San Gabriel FaultSan Gabriel Fault
The San Gabriel Fault is a geological fault in Los Angeles County, California, running about southeastward from the Ridge Basin in the Sierra Pelona-San Emigdio Mountains juncture area to the western San Gabriel Mountains that forms their southwestern face near Sunland and the northeastern San...
, once a main part of the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
.
Eaton Canyon is in the foothills of these mountains. Originally called "El Precipicio" by the Spanish settlers because of its steep gorges, the canyon falls under several governmental jurisdictions.
Benjamin Eaton was hired by Don Benito Wilson to bring water to the Fair Oaks Ranch
Crank House
Crank House, also known as Fair Oaks Ranch, is an 1882 Victorian style residence in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 for its association with the early settlement of Altadena. ...
. In August 1877, naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
set out from Pasadena for an expedition into the San Gabriels. He writes: "On the first day of my excursion I went only as far as the mouth of Eaton Canyon, because the heat was oppressive, and a pair of new shoes were chafing my feet to such an extent that walking began to be painful."
On October 27, 1993, the floor of Eaton Canyon, along with 118 surrounding homes, was devastated by a wildfire.
On August 10, 2010, a small 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) brush fire broke out in the canyon, but was soon put out by fire engines and helicopters.
Eaton Canyon Natural Area Park
The Eaton Canyon Natural Area Park is located where the mountain stream debouches into the foothill wash at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The park is administered by the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation. The county administers the lower two-thirds of the area below the toll road bridge. Most of the 190 acres (0.8 km2) that comprises the natural area lie on the northern boundaries of the old Rancho San PascualRancho San Pascual
Rancho San Pascual also known as Rancho el Rincon de San Pascual was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given to Juan Marine in 1834 by José Figueroa...
and Rancho Santa Anita
Rancho Santa Anita
Rancho Santa Anita was a land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given to Perfecto Hugo Reid. The land grant was formally recognized by Governor Pio Pico in 1845. The land grant covered all or portions of the present day cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena and San...
on land designated for the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
. Once the railroad gave up the land, it was opened for homesteading. The nature center
Nature center
A nature center is an organization with a visitor center or interpretive center designed to educate people about nature and the environment. Usually located within a protected open space, nature centers often have trails through their property. Some are located within a state or city park, and...
is unique in the area because it houses exhibits that educate on the flora and fauna local to the San Gabriel Valley Southern California. The center was rebuilt in 1998 after the 1993 fire destroyed the previous facility.
Pasadena and parts of Altadena receive about 40% of their water from local sources.
The upper third is controlled by the Water Department of the City of Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. - Eaton Canyon Park
Eaton Canyon Falls
The falls are where the Eaton Creek has a fifty foot drop and are located north of the bridge in the part of the canyon administered by the US Forest Service. John MuirJohn Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
once described the waterfall as "a charming little thing, with a low, sweet voice, singing like a bird, as it pours from a notch in a short ledge, some thirty or forty feet into a round mirror-pool."
Several waterfalls also exist above Eaton Fall, which are more secluded and officially closed to the public. Until 1979, there was a tunnel which allowed access, but this has been dynamited and filled in. While the upper falls were accessible decades ago, there are no longer any maintained trails. People have been injured and killed trying to make these climbs.
On July 31, 2011, a man fell to his death on the hike to the falls. Another man fell to his death one week later on August 6, 2011.
- Eaton Canyon falls
Golf course
The Eaton Canyon Golf Course is a regulation 9-hole courseGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
featuring narrow fairways and rolling terrain. It is administered by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation and has been open since 1962.
It was originally planned as an eighteen-hole facility and was designed by famed golf course architect, William Francis Bell
Billy Bell
William Edward Bell was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played four seasons in the National Hockey Association and six in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Wanderers, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. He won the Stanley Cup in 1924 with the Canadiens.-Career...
(known as Billy Bell, Jr., son of famed golf course designer, William Park Bell
Billy Bell
William Edward Bell was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played four seasons in the National Hockey Association and six in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Wanderers, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. He won the Stanley Cup in 1924 with the Canadiens.-Career...
). Opening day ceremonies included a golf outing with dignitaries and local golf professionals, including 1961 PGA Champion, Jerry Barber
Jerry Barber
Carl Jerome "Jerry" Barber was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.Barber was born in Woodson, Illinois, and was one of nine children raised on a Jacksonville, Illinois farm. He turned professional in 1942. Among his seven tour victories, was the 1961 PGA Championship at...
.
- Eaton Canyon Park Golf Course
Mount Wilson Toll Road
The Mount Wilson Toll Road (1891–1936) is a historic roadwayToll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
which ascended Mount Wilson
Mount Wilson (California)
Mount Wilson is one of the better known peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, part of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California. It is the location of the Mount Wilson Observatory and has become the astronomical center of Southern California with and telescopes, and and tall...
via a vehicular passable road from the base of the foothills in Altadena
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
. It was accessible from Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
via Santa Anita Avenue which drove right to the front porch of the toll house. The road is still accessible from Pinecrest Drive, just off Altadena Drive in Altadena. Access was blocked after a 2005 landslide destroyed 50 yards of the road, but the road has since been rebuilt and reopened.
Mount Wilson had always been active with human passage starting from the days of the local Indians. It was Benjamin Davis Wilson who established a proper trail to the summit of Mt. Wilson from Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre, California
The city of Sierra Madre is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 census. The city is located in the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains below the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest. ...
through the Santa Anita Canyon
Santa Anita Canyon
Santa Anita Canyon is a canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains, within the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:...
. The Mt. Wilson Toll Road to Henninger Flats
Henninger Flats
Henninger Flats is a small hanging basin above sea level in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest. It was part of the Mt Wilson Toll Road. The trailhead to reach the flats is at the top end of Eaton Canyon in Pasadena, California.-History:...
is controlled by the Forester and Fire Warden of the Los Angeles County Fire Department
Los Angeles County Fire Department
The Los Angeles County Fire Department , serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including La Habra. It should not be confused with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, which serves the city of...
. - Mt. Wilson Toll Road trail head
Eaton Wash
Emerging from the foothills and flowing south, the Eaton Creek becomes the Eaton Wash, whose drainage flows into the Rio Hondo riverRio Hondo (California)
The Rio Hondo is a tributary of the Los Angeles River in Los Angeles County, California, approximately long. As a named river, it begins in Irwindale and flows southwest to its confluence in South Gate, passing through several cities...
and then into the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
. The wash is one of the Altadena streams that helps to feed to Raymond Basin. Rubio, Las Flores and others all flow to the east eventually to join the Rio Hondo. Millard Canyon on the west flows to the Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County)
The Arroyo Seco, meaning "dry stream" in Spanish, is a seasonal river, canyon, watershed, and cultural area in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The Arroyo Seco has been called the most celebrated canyon in Southern California.-River course:...
. Eaton Wash it is one of the two major streams that channels storm water in Pasadena; the other is the Arroyo Seco on the western side of the city.
On its way to the Rio Hondo, the Eaton Wash is joined by the combined drainages from Pasadena Glen and Hastings Canyons. These channels have all been modified by flood control dams near the base of the mountains, and both have been confined to manmade channels or storm drains in their lower reaches. Typically the Eaton Wash and Arroyo Seco carry very little water. Peak discharges are typically less than 1,000 ft³/s (30 m³/s) for Arroyo Seco and less than 500 ft³/s (15 m³/s) for Eaton Wash.
- Eaton Wash, USGS El Monte (CA)
Eaton Canyon Reservoir and Dam
Eaton Wash Reservoir and the Eaton Wash Dam were built in 1937 and are controlled by the Los Angeles County Department of Public WorksLos Angeles County Department of Public Works
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control...
. The dam is a rock fill, 63 feet (19 m) in height, and is 1545 feet (471 m) in length. Normal storage for the reservoir is 721 acre.ft. It has a surface area of 54 acres (220,000 m2) and drains an area of 9.47 square miles (25 km2). Its primary usage is for flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
and debris storage. - Eaton Canyon Reservoir - Eaton Wash Dam
See also
- Angeles National Forest Fire Lookout AssociationAngeles National Forest Fire Lookout AssociationThe Angeles National Forest Fire Lookout Association is a non-profit 501 organization of citizen volunteers dedicated to the preservation, restoration and operation of the fire lookout towers in the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County, and other Southern California areas...
- California chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia chaparral and woodlandsThe California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
- Eaton Canyon Natural Area