Mile of Christmas Trees Has Been Lit Yearly Since 1920
Christmas Tree Lane, Altadena California
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Christmas Tree Lane is the most prominently recognized landscape feature in Altadena. The six block double row of one-hundred-year-old Deodar Cedar trees have been an important part of the history of the community since first being planted in 1885 by Altadena's founders, Frederick J. and John P. Woodbury, as part of their ranch. The trees have attained significance because of their association with an important community event. A Christmas Tree lighting ceremony was started in 1920 as a community project and has become a major event for Altadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley region attracting hundreds of thousands of people from throughout Southern California and beyond.
The trees were started as seedlings in 1883 by Frederick J. Woodbury. Captain Woodbury, as he was commonly called, and his brother John were natives of Marshalltown, Iowa and had purchased approximately 937 acres of Rancho San Pasqual in 1882. Captain Woodbury, a Civil War veteran, built a house for his family on Madison Avenue, just two blocks east of Santa Rosa Avenue. His brother John and his family came to California in 1885, and John supervised the planting of the trees that led up the avenue to the plot of land on which he planned to build his family house. John's earlier travels to Italy, where he first saw the Deodar Cedar tree, inspired him to write the U.S. Department of Agriculture to see if the trees could grow in California. Receiving an affirmative answer, he ordered the seeds and they were planted in frames in 1883. In 1885 Thomas Hoag, ranch foreman, together with Chinese laborers, planted the seedlings and built the stone gutters.
Taking advantage of the railroad boom of 1887 sweeping Southern California, the Woodbury brothers, together with surrounding landowners, formed the Pasadena Improvement Company for the purpose of subdividing their property. They chose the name Altadena after receiving permission from Byron O. Clark, whose nearby business was called the Altadena Nursery because of its higher location above Pasadena.
The town of Altadena, conceived as an affluent community by John Woodbury, was subdivided in 1887, and several large estates were built by wealthy individuals. Among the most prominent were Andrew McNally and Colonel George G. Green who built palatial residences on Santa Rosa Avenue and Mariposa Street. Mariposa Street became known as "Millionaire's Row." The McNally house still exists although the spacious grounds around it were subdivided. After the boom collapsed in 1888, John Woodbury returned to the east with his family. Frederick Woodbury moved to Pasadena in 1894. The trees remain as the visual reminder of Altadena's early development and a significant landscape feature in the Altadena community. As the city continued to grow after the Woodburys' departure, the residents who built their houses along Santa Rosa Avenue cared for the trees.
The trees are also significant as probably the oldest Southern California lighting spectacle. In 1920 the trees were lit during the Christmas holidays for the first time, and the street became known as Christmas Tree Lane. The idea was initiated by Altadenan Fred Nash, a member of the Kiwanis Club and a Pasadena merchant. The first tree lighting ceremony, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, was held every evening from Christmas Eve to New Year's Eve. The first lighting ceremony included a program that featured a performance by the Pasadena Concert Band and a community sing. Gifts were collected for the needy and distributed. Subsequent programs included a parade as well. After the ceremony, people walked down Santa Rosa Avenue to observe the colored lights. After the initial walk, automobiles by the thousands and tour buses would traverse the Lane. During 1967 an estimated 150,000 people viewed the lights.
Since 1920 the trees have attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from throughout California as well as other states, many who had come to watch Pasadena's Annual Tournament of Roses on New Year's Day. The only dark years were during World War II, the financial transition period in 1958, and the energy crises in 1974.
From 1920 to 1958, the Altadena and Pasadena Kiwanis Clubs, the City of Pasadena and the Power and Light Department paid the cost of lighting the trees. In 1958 the Christmas Tree Lane Association was formed to undertake the financial responsibilities of lighting the lane. The Woman's Auxiliary raises money through carnivals, and donations are collected from local organizations and private donors. The community and the Electrical Union donated manpower to string the lights.
The tree lighting event has played a major role in fostering community involvement throughout the Altadena/Pasadena area. Each year hundreds of volunteers including individuals, organizations, and businesses have contributed thousands of hours to make the event a success. Local church choirs, bands, and youth groups have participated every year in the opening ceremony and parade.
The significance and popularity of this annual event have been recorded in dozens of local history books, guidebooks, magazine articles, and newspapers. Among the earliest, California Arts & Architecture for December 1929 states, "Since 1920, a mile of Christmas trees in Altadena has given joy to thousands. Time Magazine on December 20th, 1968, listed the Mile of Christmas Trees and referred to it as "the oldest of Southern California's Christmas lighting spectacles."
Christmas Tree Lane Association Website
Site Description
Christmas Tree Lane is a six-block-long hilly street in Altadena that is lined on both sides with 135 Deodar Cedar trees and stone-lined gutters. The lane has maintained its integrity over time with the gradual replacement of trees lost to disease and age. The Lane, Santa Rosa Avenue between Woodbury Road and Altadena Drive (earlier called Piedmont Dr. and then Foothill Blvd.), is part of a mesa that lies at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The generic name of the trees is Cedrus deodara. They are a member of the Pinaceae family originating in the Himalaya region of India. The trees are planted approximately 50 feet apart. The 108 mature trees are about 80 feet tall with a spread of approximately 40 feet. Their trunks measure up to 15 feet in circumference, with some of the multi-trunk specimens measuring over 25 feet in circumference just above the ground. Of the probable 160 trees originally planted, about 27 have been replaced over the years because of age or disease. Most of these replacements are less than 25 years old. Another approximately 25 trees have never been replaced.
Santa Rosa Avenue is a residential street that runs north and south across the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Pasadena. Woodbury Road is the southern boundary of Altadena where it joins Pasadena. On the northeast corner of Woodbury and Santa Rosa Avenues is a small park with a monument that states the following: "This Park is given to the public by the property owners on Santa Rosa Avenue in grateful appreciation of the planting of these Cedrus Deodara Trees in 1885 by Frederick J. and John P. Woodbury, 1928." The monument was given by the Woman's Circle of Altadena. The obelisk next to the monument was probably placed there at the time the park and monument were dedicated in 1928. Another obelisk was located across the street and formed an entrance to the Lane at one time. However, the road was widened and the obelisk was removed. Residences line both sides of Santa Rosa Avenue. They date from about 1908 through the 1950s. The Altadena Library, built in 1967, is located at the southwest corner of Santa Rosa Avenue and Mariposa Street.
The trees, planted in 1885 by the Woodbury brothers, were laid out on poppy and chaparral-clad hillside land to create an impressive drive between John Woodbury's house on the north and Frederick Woodbury's house on the south. John Woodbury's house was never built but it is said that a small lookout platform once existed on the site. Frederick Woodbury had planted shrubbery and ornamental trees to enhance the beauty of the hillside setting.
His house is located about two blocks west of Santa Rosa Avenue and one block north of Mariposa Street. The ranch lands were planted with citrus and vineyards. Stones were collected from the nearby Arroyo Seco and used to create gutters next to the trees to handle the drainage during the rainy season.
The original avenue was a dirt road. Only a few houses were located on the lane after it was subdivided and the town of Altadena created in 1887 by the Woodburys. The majority of houses on the lane today were built after 1930. It is uncertain when the road was paved, but it was probably done by 1920 when Christmas Tree Lane was first established as a tree-lighting event and cars traveled by to view the lights. Driveways and pathway approach to houses on the street are cantilevered over the stone gutters. Run-off rainwater is carried beneath intersecting streets by metal culverts connecting the gutters.
Santa Rosa Avenue, intersection Altadena Drive, looking South (1988)
Santa Ross Avenue, intersection Mariposa Street, looking South (1988)
Santa Rosa Avenue, between Mariposa Street and Mendocino Street, looking North (1988)
Santa Rosa Avenue, between Mendocino Street and Calaveras Street, looking North (1988)
Santa Rosa Avenue, between Calaveras Street and Alameda Street, looking South (1988)
Santa Rosa Avenue, between Alameda Street and Sacramento Street, looking North (1988)
Santa Rosa Avenue, between Sacramento Street and Woodbury Road, looking South (1988)
Plaque, northeast corner, Santa Rosa Avenue and Woodbury Road (1988)
Obelisk, northeast corner, Santa Rosa Avenue and Woodbury Road (1988)
Stone gutter and culvert, Santa Rosa Avenue and Deodara Drive, Southeast corner (1988)
Deodar tree, on island, intersection of Santa Rosa Avenue and Barry Place (1988)
Deodar tree, Santa Rosa Avenue, east side, beside 595 E. Calaveras Street (1988)
Stone gutters, Santa Rosa Avenue and Calaveras Street, southeast corner, looking South (1988)
Deodar tree, Santa Rosa Avenue and Alameda Street, Southwest corner (1988)
Deodar tree, Santa Rosa Avenue, west side, opposite 2177 Santa Rosa Avenue (1988)
