By Oliver Beckwith
MHM Board Member

In 2021, the City of Monrovia honored Leroy Criss (1925-2008), one of its home-grown citizens, with a Neighborhood Treasure Monument. Since 2018, the city had been honoring people of Monrovia’s past who made a difference, and Leroy Criss was the fifth person to receive the honor. Criss is known for being one of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, but his lifetime achievements go well beyond his military service. In order to understand the nature of his accomplishments, a study into his life must include a consideration of American society during his lifetime.

Born in 1925, Leroy Criss grew up in Monrovia, and like many kids of his generation, he dreamed of flying. He lived on Maple Street, not far from the Monrovia Airport, and he could see and hear the planes flying. Leroy attended the segregated Huntington Elementary School, located just North of Huntington Drive on Canyon  Boulevard, where Black, Latino, and Asian students from the area were assigned.

In spite of the obstacles, Leroy Criss did well in school. He was Co-Captain of the football team at Monrovia-Arcadia-Duarte High School. He took flying lessons at Monrovia Airport, and in December of 1943 he entered the military. After Basic Training, he volunteered for and was assigned to be an air cadet at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. In flight school he received training in different aircraft, like the L-4 Piper Cub and the Stearman PT-17, before receiving advanced training.

In 2012 20th Century Fox Studios released a movie titled “Red Tails,” about the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen, and interest in the group increased. The movie told the story of the brave aviators flying P-51 Mustangs into combat, escorting heavy bombers safely over their targets in Europe. That was the story of the 332nd Fighter Group. 

While many Tuskegee pilots were trained for service as fighter pilots, others trained in the 477th Bombardment Group. Leroy Criss was trained in the 477th as a light bomber pilot in the North American B-25. Medium range light bombers with twin engines were used as tactical support for troops, and long range heavy bombers, like the B-17’s, were used on long range missions.

​Leroy Criss completed his training and earned his wings on April 15, 1945. He was now a pilot in The U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). It was a big feat to be a Tuskegee Airman. Mistakes made by pilots at any level could result in being “washed out” and rejected from the pilot training program. The baseline training standards for the group were the same for everyone in the USAAF, but the Tuskegee cadets sometimes faced unsupportive training staff and harsh evaluations. Lieutenant Criss was one of only 992 African American pilots in the USAAF to earn his wings.

In 1947 he married Helen Butler, and together the couple raised three children. Leroy worked out of Los Angeles Unified School District, and Helen was a counselor at Muir High School in Pasadena. In 1962 they became involved with a program that would become Outward Bound Adventures, Incorporated (OBA). Leroy became a Co-Director of OBA and took at-risk Black youths on mountaineering expeditions. Helen helped group members with family issues and academic support.

For Leroy and Helen, this endeavor went on for 30 years. At the museum I have heard  stories from some of Leroy and Helen’s students who were positively impacted by their  leadership. Program members were taught a number of things including mountaineering, environmental education, leadership, and teamwork. He took his students on trips to the top of Mount Whitney, the Mojave Desert, and to Catalina Island. Outward Bound Adventures Inc. is still a thriving group today, allowing underprivileged students an opportunity to engage with nature, and giving at-risk young people a better chance to become successful individuals.

Leroy Criss led a remarkable life, first in service to his country as a pilot, and then as an educator, encouraging underprivileged youths. Take a walk over to the monument on Maple and Ivy, and remember a life well lived. 
​
Sources and Additional Reading (links): 

• Tuskegee Airman LeRoy Criss Honored With Fifth Neighborhood Treasure. Monrovia Now, Brad Haugaard, August 2021.
• Conversations with Ralph Walker - Leroy Criss, YouTube video, 2019.
• Monrovia Changemakers: Stories | Leroy Criss 
• Scrapbook of Tuskegee Airman Leroy Criss, San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives, 2012.

By Vicky Hansen
MHM Board Member

Can you guess which former Monrovia High School student our Museum visitors ask to find most often at our yearbook station?

With decades of Monrovia school memories at their fingertips, visitors search for old classmates, teachers, friends and familiar faces. But there is one former student whose photograph seems to be requested more than anyone else's.  And by the story behind the familiar face found in the pages of a Monrovia High School yearbook.

Before the Headlines: Leslie Van Houten at Monrovia High

Perhaps the contrast between those notorious events and the seemingly ordinary Monrovia teenager pictured in our yearbooks explains the continuing fascination. In fact, Leslie Van Houten remains one of the people visitors most frequently ask to find at our Yearbook Station.

Leslie Van Houten may be one of the names visitors most often ask about at our Yearbook Station, but she is certainly not the only Monrovia High School student who became known well beyond our hometown. Over the generations, Wildcats have distinguished themselves in academics, entertainment, civil rights and professional sports.​

​
​From Wildcats to Notable Monrovians: Where Did They Go From Here? 
Click the names to read more.

Johnny Lindell — A standout athlete during his Monrovia school years, Lindell went on to a lengthy Major League Baseball career and is best remembered for playing with the New York Yankees; he died in 1985.

Keith Lincoln, Class of 1957 — Lincoln became an AFL football star with the San Diego Chargers, helping the team win the 1963 AFL Championship; he died in 2019.

Thomas J. Sargent, Class of 1961 — Sargent became one of the world's leading economists and was awarded the 2011 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Class of 1961 — Known as “Steve” to his Monrovia High classmates, Kuromiya became a nationally recognized civil-rights, antiwar and LGBTQ-rights activist and pioneering HIV/AIDS advocate; he died in 2000 and was honored here in Monrovia with a Neighborhood Treasure monument in 2026.

George Trapp, Class of 1967 — After helping Monrovia High win a CIF basketball championship, Trapp became the fifth overall selection in the 1971 NBA Draft and played professionally for the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons; he died in 2002.

Ron Husband, Class of 1968 — Besides being a stellar athlete in both track and football, he was then and still is an accomplished artist. He has the distinction of being the first black animator for Disney. His legacy can be seen on Disney+ in the excellent documentary, HUZ.

Donna Adamek, Class of 1975 — Adamek became one of the outstanding professional women bowlers of her era, winning 19 professional titles and earning induction into both the PWBA and USBC Halls of Fame.

Ian Hunter, Class of 1983 — Hunter went on to an acclaimed career in Hollywood visual effects, becoming a co-founder of New Deal Studios and a two-time Academy Award winner whose credits include The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar and First Man.

Corie Blount — The former Wildcat was selected in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls and went on to an 11-season NBA career.

Kate Wiesner — The Monrovia High soccer standout continued her career at Penn State before being selected seventh overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft and moving into professional women's soccer.

And these are surely not the only Wildcats whose journeys took them from Monrovia High to interesting and noteworthy places.  Did we miss someone? If you know of another Monrovia High graduate who went on to make a name in the arts, sciences, business, public service, sports, entertainment—or somewhere completely unexpected—we'd love to hear about them. Let us know, and perhaps we'll find them in the pages of our yearbooks, too.

​By Oliver Beckwith
MHM Board Member 

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." ~ Booker T. Washington

Few people realize that one of the most remarkable figures in American history once lived, preached, and ultimately spent his final days in Monrovia. His extraordinary journey from slavery to becoming the highest-ranking African American officer in the U.S. Army is a story well worth remembering. 

When I give presentations about Monrovia’s history to different groups, I often mention that our city’s founder, William Monroe, had a number of occupations in his life. From farmer to Army Major to hotel manager to railroad superintendent, a Civil War veteran who eventually gets a city named after him. Conversely, Lt. Col. Allensworth's resume, comparable in many ways to Monroe, has one major difference: Allensworth started life as a slave.

​​Walk in front of the Second Baptist Church on Shamrock Avenue in Monrovia and you will find a Neighborhood Treasure Monument dedicated to the Church’s first pastor, Allen Allensworth (1842-1914). His resume is comparable in many ways to Monroe with a major difference: Allensworth started life as a slave. The photo here shows the City of Monrovia's tribute - Neighborhood Treasure monument dedicated to the church's first pastor. 

Allen Allensworth was born into a world of enslavement. In spite of the conditions of his birth, he became an escaped slave, a nurse, a gunboat seaman, restaurateur, teacher, missionary, minister, church builder, lecturer, Republican National Convention Delegate, and the 24th Infantry Buffalo Soldiers Chaplain. He retired in 1906 as a Lieutenant Colonel, the highest ranking African American officer in the Army at the time. He was both a Civil War and a Spanish American War Veteran, and like Monroe, he had a town named after him. 

​With so much accomplished in a single lifetime it would be impossible to do his story full justice, so I am going to outline some of the many highlights of his life. Perhaps you are familiar with the story, but the passage of time indicates that some readers will be learning about this for the first time. Many of my sources will be found below if you would like to extend your reading, or for viewing locally produced YouTube videos about Lieutenant Colonel Allensworth.

Allen Allensworth was born a slave in Louisville, Kentucky. In his early years he was a playmate of Thomas Starbird, his master’s son  Allen’s mother Phyllis encouraged him to find a way to read and write by learning about what Thomas was doing in school. Learning reading and writing was illegal for slaves at that time. He must have had some level of success in this because, at age 12, he was sold off the farm for trying to learn to read. At age 13 he tried to escape after a beating by his new owner, but he was recaptured. Eventually he was sold to a slave owner in New Orleans and was trained as a race jockey. 

The Civil War gave Allensworth the cover he needed to escape, this time into the hands of Union forces. He first became a nurse for the 44th Illinois Infantry, but later he signed on as a sailor, and he spent the rest of the war on gunboat duty. Sailors in these ships were certainly in harm’s way. 

When the war ended Allensworth and his brother opened two successful restaurants in St. Louis. After a time they sold their businesses, and Allen went back to Louisville. There he completed his training in reading and became a teacher for the Freedman’s Bureau. Before long he was put in charge of some Freedman’s Bureau schools in Kentucky. 

Deeply interested in spiritual growth, Allen Allensworth was ordained in 1871. His first congregation in Franklin, Kentucky numbered 13 souls. Soon there were 150 members and the congregation was self-sufficient, so Allensworth left to continue his studies at the Baptist Institute. Before long he became the secretary for the General Association of Baptists in Kentucky. After that he grew a number of Baptist congregations, and married Josephine Leavell, a talented musician who complemented his efforts. 

Allen Allenworth became a known lecturer who was in high demand. His most well known lecture was on “The Five Manly Virtues.” These were Industry, Fidelity, Gentleness, Fortitude, and Prudence. In this time period he also served as a Republican Delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1880 and 1884. The connections made there helped him with the next chapter of his life.    

In 1882 a Buffalo Soldier from the U.S. Army’s 24th infantry spoke to Allensworth about the desire for the soldiers in the unit to have a Black Chaplain. With Allen’s established political connections, he was able to obtain a commission as the 24th’s Chaplain with the rank of Captain. In his career he served the spiritual needs of the Buffalo Soldiers in a number of forts throughout the West. And he spent three years stationed in the Philippines during the Spanish American War. According to Monrovia historian Steve Baker, “His entire career was marked by enthusiasm, efficiency, devotion to duty, and a deep concern for the men entrusted to his care.” 

In 1906 Allen Allensworth retired, and because of his service in the Civil War, he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was one of the highest ranking African American officers in the United States Army’s history. Soon afterward he was in Monrovia and established the Second Baptist Church. Then he worked with some community leaders in Pasadena to found a self-sufficient community in the San Joaquin Valley.  The end result was a town, and soon it was named Allensworth. 

Initially the town prospered. There was water from wells and a Santa Fe Railroad station for the town. On Sunday, September 13, 1914, Allen Allensworth arrived at the Santa Fe Station in Monrovia. As he crossed the street on Myrtle Avenue, he was struck by a motorcycle with a sidecar. The next day he passed away, ending a storied life. Services were held a few days later at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. 

Over time the community of Allensworth faltered. The water company failed to add needed well water, and then the Santa Fe Railroad pulled its station and bypassed the town. The population decreased over time. In 1966 the place was scheduled for demolition when arsenic was found in the water supply. But there was an interest in saving the remaining buildings By 1976 the Colonel Allensworth State Park was established. You can visit the park today, it’s just over 160 miles from Monrovia. 

The Second Baptist Church in Monrovia thrives today as a legacy of Allen Allensworth. In 2017 the City of Monrovia dedicated a Neighborhood Treasure Monument to Allensworth. The image of Allensworth on the monument was created by church member Ron Husband, a prolific animator for the Walt Disney Animation Studios. When you get a chance, stop by at the church and take a look.  

References and Links: 

• Battles and Victories of Allen Allensworth, A.M., PhD., Lieutenant-Colonel, Retired, U.S. Army. Charles Alexander b. 1868, published in 1914.
• Lt. Col. Allen Allensworth (1842-1914), Steve Baker, 2002.  
• Allensworth Centennial Commemoration - Ralph Walker, KGEM, 10-15-2014 featuring YouTube videos with Ralph Walker, Steve Baker, and others held at the Monrovia Historical Museum in 2014. 
• Allen Allensworth - A Remarkable Man. Steve Baker, Monrovia Historical Society, 10-22-2020.

By Vicky Hansen
​MHM Board Member

​Friendly rivals for decades, the two high schools came together for one unforgettable evening in 1967. Here's the remarkable story of how a student promoter from Arcadia High brought a little-known rock band to the stage at Monrovia High—just weeks before "Light My Fire" made music history. 

Just weeks before they became famous on the radio and “Light My Fire” hit #1 on the charts, The Doors played on April 28,1967 in Monrovia High School’s Auditorium.

According to Arcadia High's student, Leanne Meyers, who promoted the 1967 concert, presented as “The Happening”, The Doors were not her first choice. She had attempted to book Sergio Mendez, of Brazil 66, but their price was too high. The Doors first album wasn’t released yet— Light My Fire was on the radio, but the band was still relatively unknown, so they were affordable. They performed 3 songs - Break On Through, When The Music's Over, and Light My Fire. Three other bands played that night. Leanne has since claimed, humorously, that she's the only promoter to have ever lost money on The Doors.

Monrovia’s auditorium stage crew, Tom Ruzika, MHS Stage Manager Mr. MacIntosh, Leslie Peterson were on hand at the concert. The stage crew was instrumental in the audio-visual effects for all programs at the school and has had a long and celebrated run through the many years of Monrovia High School’s history.

By Oliver Beckwith
​MHM Board Member

​​On May 2nd, 2026 the Monrovia Area Partnership unveiled their latest Neighborhood Treasure Monument, a program dedicated to celebrating historically significant Monrovians. The monument is
located at 934 Royal Oaks Drive in East Monrovia, across the street from where the honoree, Kiyoshi Kuromiya, was raised. It was a meaningful event with the entire city council, representatives of the historical community, and family members in attendance.

Of all the people who lived in Monrovia in the past 140 years only one person has been honored with a Google Doodle, and Kiyoshi Kuromiya (1943-2000) is that person. Kiyoshi was a Sansei, a third generation Japanese American, born at the Heart Mountain concentration camp in 1943. After the war his family returned to Monrovia.

At Monrovia High School, Kiyoshi, called 'Steve' by his classmates, excelled academically. He was Vice President of the History Club and received a scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania as an architecture major. Once there he became an activist; he joined the Anti-War Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Congress On Racial Equality (CORE), a major group in the Civil Rights Movement.

For the rest of the 20th Century Kuromiya was an activist. After achieving remission from lung cancer in 1977, Kiyoshi met architect, philosopher and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983). Fuller is best remembered for designing the Geodesic Dome. Kiyoshi co-wrote six books with this 20th century thinker, until Fuller’s passing in 1983.

Kiyoshi Kuromiya was diagnosed with HIV during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. After educating himself on every study he could obtain about the disease, he eventually sat on panels at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There he shared his experiences using medical marijuana to treat nausea and other side effects of the disease. Kuromiya published a newsletter named after a book he co-wrote with Fuller in 1981. “Critical Path,” was a publicly available resource explaining the latest information on HIV/AIDS, and it was distributed
worldwide.

Kiyoshi was the lead class action plaintiff in Kuromiya v. US (1999), arguing that marijuana had medicinal value for people with HIV/AIDS. He lost the case. Kiyoshi Kuromiya passed away in 2000, but his memory lives on. On June 4th, 2022, Kuromiya was honored with a Google Doodle, and in May 2026, the City of Monrovia honored him too.

Many details of Kiyoshi’s extraordinary life have been left out of this writing, but fortunately there are many sources which cover his legacy below. The Kuromiya family articles by Susie Ling would be a good place to find out more information on Kiyoshi Kuromiya. 
​
Special thanks to Brennan Beckwith for proof reading this article.

Sources and additional reading:

• Susie Ling. Kuromiya Family of Monrovia, Parts 1 and 2. 2017 & 2020.
• Google Doodle Information from 6-4-2022.
• Google Arts and Culture Link on Kiyoshi Kuromiya
• Juan Michael Porter II. You Should Know This Gay Asian, Civil-Rights, Anti-War, and
  HIV/AIDS Activist. The Body - The HIV/AIDS Resource​
• Time Magazine. The Forrest Gump of Activism Who Helped HIV/AIDS Patients Get Life-Saving Treatment Information, Oct. 2021 

​By Oliver Beckwith, MHM Board Member

​Since the beginning of Monrovia’s existence to the present time, educating young people has been a key factor in fostering and maintaining the success of the city. City fathers recognized it; the first school, Orange Avenue School (now Monroe Elementary), was constructed in 1887 on land donated by William Monroe. The building had two stories, with elementary grades meeting on the first floor and the high school located on the second floor.
 
Early on Monrovia had a reputation for academic excellence. An early Superintendent was James A. Foshay (1856-1914). Foshay went on to become the Los Angeles City Superintendent of Schools. In 1925 Foshay had a school named after him and today it’s still educating students. The James A. Foshay Learning Center in Exposition Park is a testament to the memory of this Monrovia educator. 

Before long, Monrovia had outgrown the second story school on Orange Avenue. In 1903 the school was moved to the larger Ivy Avenue School (now Clifton Middle School), again on the upper floor. That year the high school was ranked 4th out of the 21 high schools in Los Angeles County. In this period Monrovia High had an outstanding debate team, and by 1905 the school was ranked 7th in California.
 
In 1913 Monrovia High had a new principal named Archie Clifton. He was well liked, and later became Superintendent of Monrovia Schools. In 1931 he served as Superintendent at Los Angeles County Schools, and after his passing in 1942, Ivy Avenue School was renamed in his honor.
 
In 1917 the United States became involved in the Great War (World War I), as it was then called. 96 students left high school for the war. The first Monrovia High student to die fighting for his country was Paul Spence. The high school participated in bond drives and engaged in war related activities.
 
In 1920 students from Arcadia and Duarte joined the high school, and by 1927 the name was changed to Monrovia-Arcadia-Duarte High School. Along with the name change came a $625,000 bond to build a new high school. An election determined the site was to be at the corner of Orange (now Colorado) and Madison. In the 1920’s there was money available for building schools.
 
MAD High School was completed in 1929 with the final price coming in at just under $500,000. John C. Austin was the chief architect and his work was first rate. Among his other works are the Los Angeles City Hall and the Griffith Observatory. According to Austin, "We have never designed a school that gave us more pleasure.” The design has held up quite well in the past century. 
 
Before 1929 was over the stock market crashed and the Great Depression was on. Teachers and administrators in the new MAD High School took pay cuts and class sizes were increased. The 1930’s were lean years for everyone and the high school was no exception.
 
In 1931 MAD High School acquired an unusually large collection of relics from all over the world from the estate of Dr. Salisbury, a recently deceased Monrovia dentist. The collection was in storage for more than 60 years until it was loaned to the Monrovia Historical Museum in 1992. 
 
Friday, March 10, 1933 was an ordinary school day at MAD High School, but at 5:54pm that day the Long Beach earthquake (6.4 magnitude) hit the area. Damage to the new school was minor, but a number of Monrovia schools were heavily damaged.
 
As the decade came to a close, concern over another war grew when Germany invaded Poland in September of 1939. War came on Sunday, December 7th, 1941. Seaman First Class Dwight Orr (class of 1940) was stationed on the USS Arizona that morning and was among the 1177 sailors who lost their lives on that ship. By early 1942 all students of Japanese ancestry were removed from the Monrovia, Arcadia, and Duarte communities. Eventually they were sent to the Heart Mountain Concentration Camp for the duration of the war.
 
Many MAD High School students joined the military, as did some teachers. Others joined the Red Cross, tended Victory Gardens, worked on scrap metal drives, and raised money for war bonds. By the end of the war more than 50 former MAD High School students had lost their lives.
 
Changes were afoot in the postwar years. Student life began to return to normal, but population increases after the war led Arcadia to form its own high school in 1953. For a number of years the place would be known as Monrovia Duarte High School, but by 1961 Duarte would form its own high school.
 
In October of 1946 an important political debate was held at the High School for the upcoming Congressional election. Newcomer Richard Nixon squared off with incumbent Jerry Voorhis. Nixon prevailed in the campaign and became the local Congressman for Monrovia. In 1953 he became Eisenhower’s Vice President. Nixon lost the 1960 Presidential election to John F. Kennedy, and he lost the California Governor’s election in 1962. But in 1968 he was elected as President of the United States.

By Oliver Beckwith
​MHM Board Member

​One of the more unusual structures to be found along Route 66 is found right here in Monrovia. There is nothing like the Aztec Hotel anywhere along the eight  states and more than 2400 miles of the Mother Road. Yet despite its uniqueness the place has never been a successful business venture. In order to find out why, questions need to be answered. Why was it built there in 1925, and what caused investors to have it built? Why did they choose such an unusual architectural style at that time, and why did it ultimately fail? 

By Oliver Beckwith

In concert with the grand opening celebration of our new Route 66 exhibit, "Engines of Change: How Transportation Moved Monrovia," I was inspired to take a journey into some of the many historical connections Monrovia has with the Mother Road. This month, my focus is on one of the key parts of our new exhibit involving "The Good Roads Movement," one of many reforms that came out of the Progressive Era.

​​​The Good Roads Movement and Route 66

The Good Roads Movement was one of many reforms that came out of the Progressive Era, which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s. The initial goal was to improve roads for rural farmers. The Progressive Movement had many parts designed to make life better for all Americans. Among these were political, economic, and social reforms, many of which we still have today.

There were political reforms like women’s suffrage, direct election of Senators, initiatives, referendums, recalls, and primary elections. Economic reforms included trust-busting, income tax, and adding silver to gold for the money supply. This would create more available money for loans to farmers, and higher salaries for industrial workers. 

Social reforms included child labor laws, prohibition, which Monrovia embraced, and roads in rural areas to promote a better life for farmers. Good roads would also connect those farmers to urban centers, leading to improved commerce.  Route 66 connected Chicago to Los Angeles, and provided economic opportunities for all the rural communities along its path. Like many communities on the highway, Monrovia was a beneficiary of the Good Roads Movement. 

The Wizard of Oz and the Progressive Movement

L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 during the heyday of the Progressive Movement. The book was incredibly successful, and by the time the copyright ended in the 1950s more than 3 million copies had been sold. Millions of people have seen the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz that featured Dorothy’s ruby red slippers. Quotes like, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” “I’ll get you my pretty,” and “Follow the Yellow Brick Road!” have had a long reach into our popular culture. 

In the 1939 film, we remember Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Then there are the Wicked Witches of the East and West, the Good Witch of the North, and the Wizard. Also we see the Winged Monkeys, the Munchkins, the Yellow Brick Road, and Emerald City. However, in Baum’s 1900 book there are some differences. Dorothy is wearing silver slippers and there is a Good Witch of the South.  

At the time the book was written nobody made a comparison between the story and the Populist Movement. Baum never mentioned it, but in more recent times some historians, not all, have seen the book as an allegory for the Populist Movement. Thus it would be distantly connected to Route 66. 

Here is the theory from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book: Dorothy lives in Kansas, the geographic center of the country, representing the average American. She is caught up in a tornado and lands in Oz. She meets the Munchkins, little people (like most Americans) who are suffering the dual tyranny of the Wicked Witch of the East (Eastern Banking interests who controlled the money supply) and the Wicked Witch of the West (Railroads and Mining interests). Dorothy meets two good witches, North and South, and these two represent Northern and Southern voters who would make the movement happen. 

Dorothy is encouraged to “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” to Emerald City. In the book, she is wearing silver shoes, and walking along the path represents the Populist idea of adding silver into the gold economy. Putting these two together will take her to Emerald City, a place where illusion hides reality. The government there is run by the Wizard, who is a fraud. But Dorothy doesn’t know this until she gets there. Remember that Oz is an abbreviation of ounce. The Populists wanted to add 16 ounces of silver for every ounce of gold, enlarging the money supply. 

On the road she finds the scarecrow (farmers), the Tin Man (industrial workers), and the Cowardly Lion (Populist politician William Jennings Bryan, who unsuccessfully ran for President in 1896). Together they team up, make it to Emerald City, and find out the truth about the Wizard (political leaders). Glinda the Good Witch of the South guides Dorothy back home to Kansas, where a better life awaits.

Route 66: Yellow Brick Road?

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy was searching for a way back home by following the Yellow Brick Road. In its life span Route 66 was the road of promise for millions of Americans, and like the Yellow Brick Road in Oz, the Mother Road held the promise of new opportunities. Here are some stories about that.

Route 66, Monrovia, and the 1932 Olympics

One of the heavily promoted events in 1932 was to see the Olympics in Los Angeles. Travelers were encouraged to take Route 66 to see the games. Even though it was the height of the Depression the games were a success, netting more than a million dollars in profit. 

Knowing that travelers would be passing through Monrovia, an Olympic Beautification committee grew more than 30,000 petunias in Recreation Park and gave them away free to homeowners. One person who planted petunias in town was Yutaro Uyeda. Mr. Uyeda is remembered as Monrovia’s “Strawberry King,” and the Monrovia News-Post reported that Uyeda was “energetically planting petunias for about two blocks about his gardens.” People driving through Monrovia that summer saw flower lined streets!

At the games more than 100,000 people witnessed the opening ceremony, and those lucky enough to see it witnessed a new world record (40.1 seconds) in the 4x100 Meter Relay. One of the runners was Hector Monroe Dyer, grandson of William Newton Monroe. At the time Monrovia was referred to as “Petunia City.” 

Dust Bowl Migrants in Monrovia

The Dust Bowl was caused by a series of catastrophic droughts in the mid-1930’s. Many farmers in the Southern Great Plains lost their land and were forced to head out to California on Route 66. California set up checkpoints in the desert designed to turn back indigent Dust Bowl migrants, and in general they were unwelcome locally. Years ago I spoke to an older African American gentleman who sat next to me at the breakfast counter in the Arcadia Denny’s. As we ate our breakfast, he explained to me that he got around the desert checkpoint by waiting until nightfall and hiking several miles around it in the dark.

Sometimes migrants would camp out in an orange grove along the highway. They were not truly welcomed here at the time and most people considered them to be vagrants. One migrant who passed through Monrovia on Route 66 became one of the most influential folk singers of all time. A few years after Woody Guthrie passed through here he wrote “This Land Is Your Land.” People of a certain age used to sing this in their elementary classrooms. 

Upton Sinclair 

In 1906 Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) published The Jungle, an exposé of the American meat packing industry. A few months later Congress passed the Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, so he was highly respected in the Populist Movement. In 1916 Sinclair moved to California and lived in Pasadena with his wife Mary. He unsuccessfully ran for political office as a Socialist several times and lost. In 1934 he ran for Governor as a Democrat. His plan to end poverty in the state went under the acronym EPIC (End Poverty In California). The plan was so radical that he lost the election to a Republican candidate. 

After that he was sometimes harassed at his home in Pasadena and his wife had health issues from the smog there. In 1942 Sinclair took a short trip East on Route 66 and moved into his new home at 464 N. Myrtle Avenue. Monrovia offered Sinclair a quiet life; he converted a garage in the back into a place to write and spent a lot of time there. In that place Sinclair wrote a number of books, including the highly regarded Lanny Budd series, until he departed in 1966. Upton Sinclair passed away two years later. 

End of the Road? 

Route 66 held out the promise of taking Americans down the road of opportunity and offered the potential for a better life, which is what the Progressive Movement intended. The three stories here do not even begin to scratch the surface of a century of stories related to the Mother Road in Monrovia. We, at the Monrovia Historical Museum, hope to hear from people who have stories to tell about Route 66. After all, there’s no place like home, especially if that home is Monrovia!

If you have a story you would like to share about Route 66 and Monrovia, feel free to share it in the comment section below. We wish to record these memories so future generations can access them. 

Special acknowledgment goes to the following individuals and sources for providing information and inspiration in writing this article (links provided for reference): 

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Baum, L. Frank, 1900. <link to internet archive>
• 1932 L.A. Olympiad, Beautification Project, Monrovia-City of Petunias, Farmer-Earll, Sarah. <link> 
• Yutaro Uyeda, Monrovia's Strawberry King, Ling, Susie. <link> 
• Who Was Upton Sinclair, Harvis, Mark. <link>

​Rosalie Cardiel Garcia lived on Monrovia’s Route 66 in the 1930s, "We used to live on Huntington Drive... When I drive down Huntington [today], I would remember when my brother and I would lie down on that street. There wasn't that much traffic [then]. We would be lying there, and my brother would say, 'Oh, there's the light of a car way down there...' So we would then get up to let the car pass. Then we would lie on the street again. We played hopscotch on Route 66. There was an airport next to us. When it was really foggy, they would blow a horn. Then the men would all go to the airport with their cars and turn their headlights on for the incoming plane." Rosalie married Louis Garcia, grandson of Lucinda Garcia. This Garcia family traces their legacy on this land to before the Spaniards built the San Gabriel Mission in 1771.

​While many came west on this “Main Street” linking Chicago to Santa Monica, there were others who were already here and watched Monrovia grow and change. A large group of African Americans settled in Monrovia as early as January of 1886. They were families named Adams, Graham, Hollins, McClain, McCoy, McQueen, Moore, Morris, and Shaw that had migrated from Bennettsville, South Carolina. By 1892, they had built Shiloh AME Zion Church - on the corner of Canyon and Huntington Drive - with its door facing eastward, ready to greet new visitors.

​Satoru Tsuneishi came east to Monrovia in 1907 at the age of 19. He came to attend Monrovia-Arcadia-Duarte High before pursuing farming and raising a family. The Tsuneishis had a fruit and vegetable stand on Route 66 that welcomed travelers. It is appropriate that there’s a park named after Mr. Tsuneishi on the west end of Huntington Drive now. After their unjust internment during World War II, part of the Tsuneishi family returned to Monrovia and lived next door to Lucinda and Louis Garcia’s family.
​

​Jessica Blount Springfield Valentine came west to Monrovia on Route 66 in 1936, when she was 9. She had picked cotton in Prentiss, Mississippi before coming west. "Mama, Daddy, Louis Mikell (who helped with the driving)" were in the front seat of their Oldsmobile and "Aunt Mat and four of us children" were in the back. "We took turns sleeping on the floor (of the car), but there was no complaining because we were so overwhelmed about some of the sights that we had never seen before, and some that we had never even heard of. Daddy went out of his way to stop at the Grand Canyon. Today, after all the years that have come and gone, if I close my eyes, I can envision the formations of the Canyon rocks, the variety of colors, and the vastness of the natural structure..." 

Jessica mentioned that her parents contacted George Oatis of the Mississippi Negro Network that helped friends and neighbors to venture westward. Many Monrovian families came from the Prentiss area - including Larry Spicer’s family. In the 1950s, Larry’s dad would drive his California family eastward on Route 66 to visit relatives in Mississippi. Larry remembers how his daddy had to worry about the safety of the children when they stopped at gas stations in the segregated south. Larry saw what he now realizes was a cross burning. At the time, his daddy didn't want to explain it. 

In 1933, Julius Parker had come to Monrovia on Route 66 with his sister and mother from Guthrie, Oklahoma. When he turned 18 in 1942, Julius Parker took Route 66 eastward to Fort Huachuca in Arizona - the largest military installation for African American soldiers. He returned home from the service in 1946, and lived just south of Huntington Drive.









Happy 100th birthday, Route 66!

By Oliver Beckwith

At the Monrovia Historical Museum, I enjoy telling our guests the story of our city’s beginnings. I often share that the city’s 1887 incorporation story has something to do with saloons and the founders’ desire to get rid of them. The community began in May of 1886, and by the fall of 1887 Monrovia was growing quickly.​

​Saloons were allowed in Los Angeles County, thus they were allowed in

Monrovia. But some prominent citizens who opposed these “gin mills” found that they could ban saloons if Monrovia incorporated as a city. This is what happened in December of 1887 when the City of Monrovia was born. One outcome of that decision is that Monrovia is the fourth oldest city in Los Angeles County. Only Los Angeles (1850), Pasadena (June 1886), and Santa Monica (November 1886) are older.

At this point there is often lighthearted talk about saloons, and how Monrovians who wanted a drink would have to ride their horse to Arcadia or Duarte to get one. Today we have many places to consume alcoholic beverages in Monrovia, so why was it such a big deal back in 1887? Recently I’ve found something in William Newton Monroe’s autobiography that might give a hint at what was going on with the decision to ban alcohol sales. Other forces were at play at that time and these should be considered as well.

Before settling here William Monroe was busy building railroads for the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1883 Collis Huntington asked him to build a line in Southern Texas and into Mexico. In his autobiography, Monroe wrote about meeting the infamous saloon keeper “Judge” Roy Bean in Langtry Texas.

While employing 1500 men on the railroad, a number of his workers visited local saloons. Judge Roy Bean would serve his workers liquor and then arrest them for being drunk. Then he would ask railroad builders like Monroe to pay fines for their release. One night, Bean arrested eight workers along with some dance hall girls, and demanded payment from Monroe. According to Monroe,

“He put the men in jail, the girls in his office tent and tried them the next morning, fined them ten dollars each and the girls five. The judge sent for me to come and pay their fines. I said, ‘Judge, who got them drunk? I don’t drink and discharge every one that comes on my work drunk. Let the saloon keeper pay the fines.’ I rushed the work to get away from there…”

There is a difference between 19th century saloons and the places serving alcoholic beverages today. In California today, serving alcohol in food establishments or bars is strictly regulated by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. For example it is a crime for a bartender to serve alcohol to anyone who is obviously intoxicated. In the 1880’s there were no such laws. Serving more alcohol to drunk patrons was legal and profitable for the saloon keeper.

Stories of drunken men going home and endangering their wives and children were well known here. At the time there was a temperance movement led by the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). This was a national organization with more than 150,000 members, some of whom were settling in the Monrovia area.

The goal of the WCTU was to ban alcohol sales and return America to its family-centered roots. Men were the primary wage earners for their families, so having the family problems associated with the man of the house being drunk was tragic. These women could not vote but their influence was felt in homes and churches.

California had a Sunday business closure law, known as a “Blue Law,” in place which restricted saloons from operating on that day. But it was repealed in 1883, just 3 years before Monrovia was founded. By 1887 saloons began to appear on Myrtle Avenue and a local vigilance committee, led by William Monroe, would try to get them to leave. Usually they were successful.

Monrovia was a new settlement with lots of promise, if only the right type of settler could be found. Twenty miles away in Los Angeles saloons were abundant. Some of these establishments were reputable but many were not, and problems with public drunkenness, gambling, and dance hall girls were a regular feature of life in those neighborhoods. Although saloons were a lawful business, the founders did not want to attract the “wrong people” to the town.

By the Fall of 1887 there was trouble on Myrtle Avenue. A tough business owner named Burton opened his saloon there, and he kept firearms behind the bar to discourage the vigilance committee. The Planet newspaper reported an increase in crime and drunkenness. This encouraged city leaders to take the necessary steps to incorporate as a city.

December 8, 1887 was election day and 112 men voted (women did not have the right yet) on the question of incorporation. 109 were in favor, two abstained, and one voted no. Monrovia was officially incorporated as a city a week later. Other than organizational ordinances, the first order of business was to ban saloons and the sale of alcohol. Monrovia became a dry city, so Mr. Burton had to close shop and leave town. Monrovians who wanted to visit a saloon would have to visit Duarte or Arcadia.

The move to ban alcohol and its perceived social ills continued into the twentieth century. In 1919 the 18th Amendment was ratified, establishing a nationwide ban on alcohol sales. But instead of solving social ills, others were created. Organized crime controlled illegal alcohol sales, and an underground economy with bootleggers and speakeasies grew nationwide. The amendment was repealed in 1933.

Today many businesses in Monrovia serve alcoholic beverages and most patrons moderate their consumption. It’s interesting to see how attitudes have changed since the city began. If you would like to read more about Monrovia’s founding check out the sources below. Or you can visit us at the museum and ask me for a tour.

Sources:
~Richard Singer, 1887: A History of Early Monrovia (Monrovia, CA, 2020)
~Sandy Burud, book and translation, William Newton Monroe’s Life: In His Own Words (Monrovia Historical Society, Monrovia, CA, 2025)