EARLY PASADENA CALIFORNIA 1884, 3 LETTERS IN ENVELOPE SENT TO IOWA (POP: 500) For Sale

EXTREMELY EARLY PASADENA, WHICH HAD AT THIS TIME A POPULATION OF ABOUT 500.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1884 LETTERS... 4 PGS, 4 PGS ON LETTERSHEETS. AND 2 PGS.
LOUIS TO MRS. M. ANNA PATTEN CHARLES CITY IOWA.
THE TWO LONGER LETTERS ARE DATELINED \"PASADENA.\"
SOME LINES PICKED AT RANDOM.....
JAN 27 LETTER.... EX GOVERNOR MERRIL OF DES MOINES AND HON. DELOS ARNOLD OF MARSHALLTOWNARE BUILDING WINTER HOMES.WRITER SOLD ACRES IN PASADENA FOR $7 AN ACRE, MORE.... QUITE READABLE.
FEBRUARY 10 LETTER.... \"THE JAPANESE CUPS....ARE INTENDED TO SET IN THE METALIC RINGS SO AS NOT TO HEAT THE TABLE, THEN PUT THE TEA IN THEM....\"\"HENRYS FOLKS WENT YESTERDAY. WERE HERE MOST FOUR WEEKS....\"\"I SUPPOSE YOU ARE BASKING IN THE SNOW AND ENJOYING THE SLEIGH RIDES....\"
FEB 23 LETTER....(SHORT LETTER)..HE REFERS TO WHERE HE LIVES AND THE SURROUNDING AREA.... \"THE LOS ANGELES RIVER HAS BEEN SO SWOLLEN BY THE RAINS+ MOUNTAIN STREAMSTO SWEEP AWAY ALL BRIDGES + INUNDATE ALL LOW PORTIONS OF THE CITY + CAUSE GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY + A FEW LIVES. BETWEEN FOUR + FIVE HUNDRED FAMILIES WERE RENDEREDHOMELESS......THE TRAINS ARE NOT YET RUNNING TO SAN FRANCISCO + THE MAILS FROM ALL PARTSOF THE STATE ARE UNCERTAIN.....\"WILL SEND INSURED WITH TRACKING.In 1884, Pasadena, California, was a quiet, growing agricultural settlement with an estimated population of several hundred people (sandwiched between the 1880 census count of 391 and the pre-incorporation boom leading to nearly 4,882 by 1890).Population in 1884

• Residents: Approximately 400 to 600 people lived in the area.
• Demographics: The community was primarily made up of Midwestern and Eastern settlers who had arrived via the Indiana Colony, alongside local farm laborers.

History and Context Around 1884

• Agricultural Roots: Founded in 1874 as the \"Indiana Colony\" and named Pasadena in 1875, the town was defined by vast, flourishing orange and citrus groves carved out of the former Rancho San Pasqual.
• Transition Period: The year 1884 sat just prior to the massive Southern California real estate and railroad boom. Real estate offices began opening in 1885, and the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1886 would soon transform the agrarian village into a booming winter resort city (which officially incorporated on June 19, 1886).
• Local Milestones: Infrastructure was minimal and community-focused; a local post office had been established two years prior in 1882, and local journalism took root with the area\'s early newspapers emerging around this era. In a quirky piece of local weather history, the area even experienced a rare, light dusting of snow on June 13, 1884

Pasadena, California experienced massive transformations in the 1880s, transitioning from a quiet agricultural cooperative into a booming, world-renowned winter resort town.

• The Original Names: In the early 1870s, the community was informally known as the \"Indiana Colony\" because its founders were a group of winter-weary immigrants from Indianapolis. The local settlement was also briefly referred to as \"Muscat\".
• The 1875 Shift: When applying for a post office, the U.S. postal authorities rejected the name \"Indiana Colony\". On April 22, 1875, the settlers held a vote to pick an official name. They weighed options like Granada and Indianola before finally choosing Pasadena.
• Meaning: The name was submitted by Dr. Thomas Elliott, who obtained it from a Chippewa (Ojibwa) missionary friend in Michigan. It translates to \"of the valley,\" but local founders proudly interpreted it as \"Crown of the Valley\".
• While the name change happened just before the 1880s, the town officially stepped into its modern identity when it incorporated as the City of Pasadena in 1886—becoming only the second incorporated city in Los Angeles County.
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• \"The Great Citrus Fair\": On March 24, 1880, Pasadena hosted its very first Citrus Fair. It is widely considered the first event of its kind in the United States.
• The local industry had exploded, and the town was essentially one massive orange grove. The fair featured grand indoor displays of fresh citrus fruits arranged into towering structures, decorative pampas grass, flowers, and jars of preserved fruits.
• Pasadena’s citrus fairs became a staple of the 1880s. By the 1891 State Citrus Fair, Pasadena won massive acclaim for a towering monument entirely wrapped in oranges and lemons, topped with a floral crown. [1]

• The Great Saloon Ban: A driving catalyst for the city’s incorporation in 1886 was the conservative Midwestern founders\' desire to ban the sale of alcohol. By 1887, Pasadena passed strict ordinances completely outlawing saloons.
• The Rail Boom & Luxury Resorts: In 1887, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway opened connections to Pasadena. This sparked a massive real estate frenzy. Wealthy Easterners flocked to the area for its mild winter climate, prompting the building of grand luxury resort hotels like the famous Raymond Hotel in 1886.
• The Birth of the Rose Parade: At the tail-end of the decade (1889), members of the local Valley Hunt Club decided to celebrate their orange harvests and beautiful winter weather by decorating horse-drawn carriages with flowers. This structure officially became the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890