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Changing Face of Southern California

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Changing Face of Southern California

Scene on Mt. Lowe Division Pacific Electric Railway, Los Angeles, Cal.

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Scene on Mt. Lowe Division Pacific Electric Railway, Los Angeles, Cal.

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Identifier	clloy_176
Title	Scene on Mt. Lowe Division Pacific Electric Railway, Los Angeles, Cal.
Creator	Unknown
Date Published	circa 1907
Subject (Topic)	Scenic railways--California--Lowe, Mount (Los Angeles County); Railroad bridges--California--Lowe, Mount (Los Angeles County); Mountains--California--Los Angeles County;
Subject (Name)	Mount Lowe Railway;
Subject (Place)	Lowe, Mount (Los Angeles County, Calif.);
Type	image
Form/Genre	Postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Country of Creation	DE
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	http://library.lmu.edu/generalinformation/departments/digitallibraryprogram/copyrightandreproductionpolicy/
Publisher	Newman Post Card Co.
Place of Publication	Los Angeles, Cal.
Language	eng
Description	A view of visitors on a railcar descending along the Scenic Railway on Mt. Lowe in Los Angeles, California. The tracks wind around a steep rock face and over a wooden bridge across a small ravine.
Historical Background	The development of Mt. Lowe in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, California, was mostly undertaken by Thaddeus Lowe who retired to Los Angeles in the late 1880s. In 1893, he organized the construction of the Mount Lowe Railway, along with engineer David J. Macpherson. The railway was developed in three parts: the Mountain Division, which wound around Mt. Lowe and Echo Mountain, the Great Incline, which was a funicular railway which traveled up a steep grade of 48-62%, and the Alpine Division, which navigated steep mountainsides and crossed deep canyons, offering dramatic views of the landscape. Unfortunately, the railway did not prove financially successful, and the tracks were constantly in need of expensive repairs. A series of disasters between 1900 and 1928, including fires, floods, and gale-force winds gradually destroyed the buildings on the summit, and visitors dwindled. Henry Huntington acquired the railway in 1901, and kept it in operation until 1938, when torrential rains washed away large portions of the track.
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: No. 5224
Additional Notes	Made in Germany.
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection