Arcadia Bulletin, The First Newspaper Of The City
The Arcadia Historical Society has revived the name of the city’s first newspaper for its quarterly membership newsletter. Here is an article about the original Arcadia Bulletin:
Arcadia was incorporated in 1903, with Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin elected its first mayor.
The city Board of Trustees was handpicked by Baldwin and was composed entirely of reliable business associates and daughter Anita’s husband, Hull McClaughry.
“Lucky” Baldwin, circa 1903
Getting the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to approve his application for cityhood had not been easy. Baldwin’s reputation as a clever ”wheeler dealer” preceded him and led more than a few observers to conclude that Baldwin had falsified his claim of 500 permanent residents in the town. As was his custom, however, “Lucky” Baldwin prevailed and Arcadia became a city of the “sixth class.”
City fathers got right to work, hiring a city manager and a marshal to maintain law and order — another major challenge in a city known for gambling, prostitution and all-night saloons. A committee was then commissioned by the trustees to report back on the establishment of a school and within a few months Arcadia’s first school opened in a packing shed donated by Baldwin.
Ever the promoter, Baldwin was anxious to attract new patrons to Arcadia’s prospering hotels and gambling establishments. So, on May 7, 1904, the first edition of the Arcadia Bulletin rolled off the presses in a standard four-page layout.
The first of three headline stories featured none other than Arcadia’s most famous resident, Mayor E. J. Baldwin. Centered at the head of page 1 was an article entitled “Jolly Opening,” which enthusiastically described the grand opening of the “Clara Villa, Arcadia’s New Club House.” Clara Villa, located on the northwest corner of First Avenue and St. Joseph Street, was owned and operated by the mayor’s eldest daughter, Clara Baldwin Stocker. “Lucky” was careful to ensure that competition for his nearby Hotel Oakwood would be all in the family.
The front page also carried photos of Arcadia’s leading men: Mayor Baldwin, Trustees M. Lawrence, Hiram A. Unruh, David S. Unruh, Hull McClaughry, as well as City Marshal Elmer Anderson and City Treasurer Charles Anderson.
At the bottom of page 1 was a brief article, “Arcadia’s Song Birds,” which extolled the virtues of the ubiquitous feathered songsters at the Baldwin Ranch. The article observed: “Residents of Arcadia, who are accustomed to the birds, think little about the matter.” There was no mention of Arcadia’s peafowl which, while beautifully plumed, have never added much — as current residents will attest — to the melodies of singing birds.
The Arcadia Bulletin was replaced by the Arcadian in 1911. A series of other papers followed before Frank Roush began publishing the Bulletin again in 1938. But like Baldwin’s first newspaper, it too faded into the pages of history. The only known copy of the original Arcadia Bulletin has been carefully preserved in the archives at the Huntington Library.
