Another view of "Smoot Hole" before cleaning up and just before subdividing for El Rancho Village. The name Smoot Hole came from aborted effort of Joe Smoot and Anita Baldwin to get race track built in about this location.
Aerial view looking west across Santa Anita Park from a position about Santa Anita Avenue just north of Huntington Drive. In the upper right portion of the photo can be seen the extensive earthwork done for the track Anita Baldwin and Joe Smoot planned to build. That vast area now is entirely built with homes and apartments and is called Santa Anita Village. Present-day Baldwin Avenue would follow the line shown by the Ranch Road bisecting the photo from right to left just east of the track abandoned by Anita Baldwin and Joe Smoot.
Northwest corner of the "Smoot Hole" and dump before clean-up began in 1938, just prior to the subdivision of El Rancho Village. This view was near street named Coronado.
Three people are standing in front of stable area of Elias J."Lucky" Baldwin's Santa Anita Race Track. L-R: Mrs. John (Ella) Ott; eldest son, Donald; and City Marshall, John Ott. (Their daughter told us in 1980 that everyone called her father Jack.) Mrs. Ott is wearing a lavishly feathered hat and a tailored suit. Marshall Ott is wearing a dark double-breasted suit with his badge.
Baldwin M.Baldwin in large straw hat standing with back to camera. He has on what appears to be a romper suit and high buttoned shoes. Apparently taken at Baldwin Ranch.
Dextra Baldwin on left, holding a large doll. She has ribbons in her hair and is wearing a large hat. Brother Baldwin M. Baldwin is sitting in a child's "walker-type" device and has white bonnet on.
Clara Baldwin Stocker is seen stepping out of a motor car. She is wearing a long light colored dress with no hat. Holding onto her left arm appears to be Walter McGinley, dressed in light colored suit, shoes and holding a hat. The car appears to be the same as photo #1570.
Clara Baldwin Stocker standing on the right, holding onto a chair in which Walter McGinley is seated. McGinley is wearing a white suit with a black bowtie and is holding a white hat with dark trim. Woman standing on the left is unidentified.
Black horsehandler standing in white shirt and dark pants holding harness of race horse with jockey mounted. Young man in suit and hat (possibly the trainer) standing to the right of these. None are identified.
Dr. Charles H. Strub brought horse racing back to Arcadia. After the state made it legal again in 1930, Anita Baldwin tried to revive her father, Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin's dream of a Santa Anita Racetrack. She worked with Joe Smoot but he couldn't achieve this, even though Arcadia City Council licensed his Santa Anita Jockey Club. San Francisco dentist Charles H. Strub (pronounced Stroob), owner of the San Francisco Seals baseball team, got a license for the Los Angeles Turf Club and founded Santa Anita Park with Hal Roach and other promoters. The track was designed by Gordon Kaufman and opened December 25, 1934.
In this aerial view looking toward the east, the oval directly in the center of photo was a training track belonging to Santa Anita. This was removed to make room for the Fashion Park mall. The small circular track across what is now Baldwin Avenue and the oval track farther south belonged to a private riding stable. The remains of the Los Angeles Jockey Club Track which Joe Smoot and Anita Baldwin started but did not complete in 1933, can be seen in lower right corner. This photo belongs to the Huntington Library. It is shown here for research only.
Young unidentified jockey mounted on race horse. Handler holding part of harness and a third man stands on right side of photo dressed in business suit and hat. These men are also unidentified.
Anita Baldwin seated on a camel in front of the Great Sphinx and one of the pyramids in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. She is accompanied by Ray Knisley, her business manager, on another camel. They are assisted by three local camel handlers in native dress. Anita is dressed in black dress and black hat with veil.
Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin sitting in his box at his Santa Anita Race Track. The box has curved railing and side. There appear to be five women in box with him and also two men. Baldwin wears his familiar black slouch hat.
Michillinda Avenue is street running parallel to left edge of photo. Santa Anita Avenue is close to right edge of photo. Four tracks are in view. Left to right they would be: 1. Training track used by Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, 2. Aborted L. A. Jockey Club Track project of Anita Baldwin and Joe Smoot in 1933, 3. Small training track belonging to Santa Anita Park Race Track, and 4. Main track and grandstand of Santa Anita Park. Arcadia County Park is seen in lower right portion of photo.