The historic Adams' Pack Station is having a fundraiser tomorrow. The funds are needed for the 50+ year old general store at Chantry Flat, to make upgrades to meet health codes. The pack station, originally established in Sierra Madre before it moved to Chantry Flat in 1936, uses a team of donkeys to carry supplies to the cabins in the Big Santa Anita Canyon, a camp owned by the United Methodist Church.
The Adams' Pack Station, owned by Deb Burgess, in the Chantry Flat area, 3 miles up a road starting from the top of Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia, fights to remain open as it faces costly upgrades required by the Los Angeles County Health Department. Forest authorities want it to remain a historic landmark, which would limit the amount and types of renovations that can be done.
Adams’ Pack Station in the Angeles National Forest for sale. It’s the last animal-assisted goods delivery system in SoCal. Pack donkeys carry 130 pounds of roofing material, flooring, food, tools, wood, whatever the cabin owners or renters need for their stays in Big Santa Anita Canyon, above Sierra Madre and Arcadia. Deb Burgess has owned it since 2006.