Harry Ainsworth Ranch, upper grove looking north to mountains. Present day Highland Oaks School would be located about where trees block the end of the row of citrus trees.
A disc plow sits in field in this view looking north toward mountains. This was very shortly after Mauch family bought the 5 acres near Palm Avenue and Holly Avenue. The dirt road on extreme right is Holly Avenue.
Man is riding bicycle on a path inside Rancho Santa Anita Park and Lake (later, the Arboretum), with many palm trees. Sign reads "Open to the Public Daily until 7PM, private property" and "Curves, drive slowly through park." The following information is from Sandy Snider: This is indeed, today’s Arboretum, but at the time the property was owned by a real estate syndicate named Rancho Santa Anita Inc. The enterprise was headed by the Chandler family (Harry until he died), and they bought the land from Anita Baldwin in 1936 for purposes of residential development. About 1939 they opened “the park” to visitors in hopes of encouraging land sales. About 30 acres surrounding the lake was sort of set aside as Santa Anita Park and Lake, that was roughly the area made available for movie location rentals and clearly for bicyclists, etc. 1939 is the circa date for this photograph, but it could have been anytime between 1936 and 1947 (when the land was sold to State and County for use as an Arboretum). The granite boulders lining roadways were typical Baldwin Ranch landscape features, and the pillars seen in the photo are also from Baldwin times. In the background you can see more boulders in a circular sort of shape – likely the old Baldwin Lily Pond.
Mr. Aloyosius Mauch is seen loading blackberries packed in wooden crates onto flatbed truck. A dog sits on top of one crate. Mr. Mauch's sons helped run the five acre ranch which was at Palm Avenue and Holly Avenue. Information provided by son Henry (86 years old in 1980) and his wife.
Newly planted strawberries are seen covered by paper cups for protection. Mr. Mauch said they learned to do this from their Japanese neighbors. This view is looking north toward mountains from Mauch ranch at Holly Avenue and Palm Avenue.
