Portrait of Elias J. (Lucky) Baldwin, circa 1905 Lucky Baldwin – What’s he got to do with Monrovia?
Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin is often associated with Arcadia – he started the Santa Anita Park racetrack in 1907 and lived in the Queen Anne’s Cottage (c. 1885-1886) at what is now the Arboretum. So, what does he have to do with Monrovia?
Answer:
Around 1880, Lucky Baldwin became the wealthiest landowner in Southern California – owning around 40,000 acres. That’s around 62.5 square miles! He pretty much owned all of the San Gabriel Valley! In a 2013 PBS SoCal article, author Alvaro Parra wrote that “the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Temple City, parts of El Monte and South El Monte, most of Baldwin Park, Bassett, West Covina, La Puente, and portions of Montebello, South San Gabriel, and Monterey Park sit on former Baldwin lands.”
Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin is often associated with Arcadia – he started the Santa Anita Park racetrack in 1907 and lived in the Queen Anne’s Cottage (c. 1885-1886) at what is now the Arboretum. So, what does he have to do with Monrovia?
Answer:
Around 1880, Lucky Baldwin became the wealthiest landowner in Southern California – owning around 40,000 acres. That’s around 62.5 square miles! He pretty much owned all of the San Gabriel Valley! In a 2013 PBS SoCal article, author Alvaro Parra wrote that “the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Temple City, parts of El Monte and South El Monte, most of Baldwin Park, Bassett, West Covina, La Puente, and portions of Montebello, South San Gabriel, and Monterey Park sit on former Baldwin lands.”
But, back to Monrovia.
In 1883, Lucky Baldwin sold 240 acres from his Rancho Santa Anita to the “father of Monrovia” William Newton Monroe. The cost? $30,000 which is roughly $1.1 million today. Lucky Baldwin also sold land to Edward Spence, John D. Bicknell, James Crank and Jeremiah Falvey. They joined with Mr. Monroe to create the Monrovia Land and Water Company and to subdivide and sell off the lots.
And there you have it – the beginnings of Monrovia!
For further reading:
In 1883, Lucky Baldwin sold 240 acres from his Rancho Santa Anita to the “father of Monrovia” William Newton Monroe. The cost? $30,000 which is roughly $1.1 million today. Lucky Baldwin also sold land to Edward Spence, John D. Bicknell, James Crank and Jeremiah Falvey. They joined with Mr. Monroe to create the Monrovia Land and Water Company and to subdivide and sell off the lots.
And there you have it – the beginnings of Monrovia!
For further reading:
- Early Monrovia Structures Research
- Elias 'Lucky' Baldwin: Land Baron of Southern California. Alvaro Parra, PBS SoCal, 2013
- Lucky Baldwin, Wikipedia
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