If a picture tells a thousand words, Where Ranch and City Meet will have done its job well. This photo history of the city of Arcadia chronicles man's changing use of the land he calls home. Elias Jackson Baldwin began the transition form ranch to city land when in the 1880's he made his first subdivisions in the sprawling Baldwin Ranch. Orange groves dominated the landscape for years, however, and tourists came by the thousands to enjoy the scenic wonders of the ranch which then overshadowed a fledgling Arcadia town-site to the east. With its incorporation in 1903, Arcadia began to vie for attention. As mayor, Lucky Baldwin over saw a city condemned by many as "a gambling hell and booze pleasure park," a city with an acclaimed racetrack and one where saloons and roadhouses outnumbered schools, churches and general stores combined. The Pacific Electric heralded in creasing sub-urbanization, though, and with the death of Baldwin in 1909, a new city image took shape. This book illustrated the rich history of Arcadia with pictures and stories.
If a picture tells a thousand words, Where Ranch and City Meet will have done its job well. This photo history of the city of Arcadia chronicles man's changing use of the land he calls home. Elias Jackson Baldwin began the transition form ranch to city land when in the 1880's he made his first subdivisions in the sprawling Baldwin Ranch. Orange groves dominated the landscape for years, however, and tourists came by the thousands to enjoy the scenic wonders of the ranch which then overshadowed a fledgling Arcadia town-site to the east. With its incorporation in 1903, Arcadia began to vie for attention. As mayor, Lucky Baldwin over saw a city condemned by many as "a gambling hell and booze pleasure park," a city with an acclaimed racetrack and one where saloons and roadhouses outnumbered schools, churches and general stores combined. The Pacific Electric heralded in creasing sub-urbanization, though, and with the death of Baldwin in 1909, a new city image took shape. This book illustrated the rich history of Arcadia with pictures and stories.