Location: Near the Peacock Fountain, southwest corner of Huntington Drive and Santa Anita Avenue (address below).
Dedicated in 2008.

Panel 1

Sign text: The City of Arcadia was founded by Elias J. ‘Lucky’ Baldwin from part of his large landholdings (Santa Anita Rancho) in the San Gabriel Valley. Baldwin was responsible for incorporating Arcadia as a city and became Arcadia’s first mayor.

When Ascot Racetrack in Los Angeles closed, Baldwin wasted no time in constructing his own track in Arcadia. The new track was built in record time on more than 150 acres of his ranch land near his home. The San Francisco Call quoted Baldwin as saying, “This is the greatest thing I have ever done. I am satisfied.” The track opened for business in December 1907. Unfortunately, the State banned horse racing in 1909, and the track was forced to close. Baldwin died of pneumonia that same year. The track’s grandstand burned in 1912.

In 1918 Baldwin’s daughter, Anita, sold the old racetrack to Los Angeles County, which, in turn, deeded it to the War Department. Work quickly began on converting the old track into the U. S. Army Balloon Training School, which was called Ross Field.

Lt. Cleo J. Ross of the 8th Balloon Company was the only death in the Balloon Corps due to aerial activity. When his balloon burst into flames after being attacked by a Fokker D.VII, Lt. Ross made sure his observer, Lt. Herbert Hudnut, got over the side safely before he jumped. Burning fragments of the balloon fell on his parachute, sending Lt. Ross to his death from several thousand feet.

At Ross Field, hangars were completed, stables converted into barracks, and other buildings constructed for the 3,500 soldiers at the school. The balloon school trained men to map and photograph enemy positions as well as direct artillery fire during World War I.

After the war, the Army gradually vacated Ross Field, and the War Department returned the land to Los Angeles County, with the proviso the land be used for recreational purposes. In 1936, groundbreaking for the Arcadia County Park began. The park was officially dedicated on July 4, 1938.

Top photos: Lucky Baldwin’s Santa Anita Racetrack, c. 1907. One of Elias J. Baldwin’s greatest ambitions was to build a horse racetrack. He sold 151 acres of his Santa Anita Rancho to the Los Angeles Racing Association, and the track’s construction began in 1907. The design was almost identical to the then-closed Ascot Racetrack in Los Angeles and was located on the site of today’s Santa Anita Golf Course. The track opened in 1907. Arcadia’s current Santa Anita Park racetrack (on the north side of Huntington Drive) was opened in 1934.

Panel 2

Top photo, left: Santa Anita County Golf Course and Clubhouse, c. 1938. When the U.S. Army Balloon School closed Ross Field in the early 1920s the property was returned to Los Angeles County. The County donated the course for the Santa Anita Open, which was established in 1938 to start the official Winter Golf Tournament season in Southern California. It was held each year until 1955. The course record during that time was 62.

Top photo, right: Lawn Bowling, c. 1940. The Santa Anita Bowling Green Club was organized in June 1937. It was for men only. The County of Los Angeles built a clubhouse for members in 1947. Women formed their own club in 1949 and 15 years later lawn bowling was fully open to women. There were no green fees prior to 1966.

Bottom photo, left: Swimming Pool at Los Angeles County’s Arcadia Park, circa 1940s. Groundbreaking for the 185-acre park began in 1936 and, by 1938, the park featured tennis courts, a golf course, lawn bowling, ball fields, a pool, and other facilities. Most of the work was done by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Bottom photo, right: Statue of Hugo Reid Family. Reid was one of the original owners of Santa Anita Rancho and is credited with building the first permanent home in Arcadia. This statue was originally located in Los Angeles County’s Arcadia Park in 1938 but was conserved and relocated to a site adjacent to the Arcadia Historical Museum in 2003.

All photographs courtesy of Arcadia Public Library, Arcadia, Calif.

Address:
405 S. Santa Anita Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91006