Whiting Woods History
An appreciation of Whiting Woods would certainly not be
complete without some discussion of the history of the “Woods” itself.
At least one member of your Association is in possession of a First
Edition book entitled “PERRY Experiences of a Pioneer” written by
Perry Whiting. The book has a
copyright of 1930. All items shown
in quotes below are excerpts taken from this book.
Anyone wishing to browse or read this book should contact an Association
Officer or Board Member. 
Perry Whiting was born in Michigan on April 21, 1868.
As an adult, he co-owned the Whiting-Mead Company that specialized in
building material merchandising and lived at “3150 Honolulu Avenue, La
Crescenta (Los Angeles), California.” In
1915, Mr. Whiting learned his company “had a lien on the Pasadena Mountain
Club” for $2,500. He also learned
the property was “about one and one-half miles west of Montrose, on Honolulu
Avenue, situated in a canyon in the Verdugo Mountains” and it consisted of
“44 acres of mountain land all except about 10 acres of which was too steep
for any practical use.” The Club
consisted of a few stockholders who paid $.25 or $.50 for a membership card.
This prevented the owner from being arrested for selling liquor to the
members. The Club also consisted
“of a small club house and ten small one-room cabins used for bedrooms, which
they rented out for assignation purposes.”
When looking at the property, Mr. Whiting said, “It pleased me very
much, from the fact that there were a great many Live Oak and Sycamore trees.
Such places as this are not plentiful in Southern California.” Whiting-Mead
bought the property for $7,000 and Mr. Whiting subsequently purchased the
property from the Company for $9,000. He remodeled the Pasadena Mountain Club
clubhouse and used it for his private residence.
In the fall of 1916, Mr. Whiting read in the Los Angeles
Times “For Sale, 415 acres in the Verdugo Hills, in La Crescenta Valley.”
He contacted the owner who lived in Wisconsin and found the property in
question was in fact “part of the canyon adjoining my property” and that
“This land was very beautiful, having a regular forest on many parts.”
After negotiating for several months, Mr. Whiting bought the property for
$14,000.
In early 1921, Mr. Whiting’s ranch home “burned to the
ground furniture and all.”
However,
late in that same year, he purchased “260 acres up in the canyon for $20,000
from a Chinaman who pretended to raise vegetables for a living, but I believed
he made his money selling opium, as I found afterwards to be a fact.” He now owned 670 acres in the Verdugo Mountains.
Finally, in late 1926, Mr. Whiting remarried and planned to build a new home on the “La Crescenta Ranch across the valley from the fire-scarred foundation of my old abode.”
Today, Whiting Woods is a peaceful enclave that consists of
170 homes occupied by approximately 374 residents. Its major and only entrance and exit is on Whiting Woods
Road. Its other major streets are
El Lado Drive and Mesa Lila Road. The Woods still contain an abundance of live
oak and sycamore trees (both of which are protected by the City of Glendale) and
wildlife, such as deer, rabbits, coyotes, snakes, bobcats, etc., can frequently
be seen. There are hiking trails at
the top of Whiting Woods and Mesa Lila roads and there is a seasonal stream that
runs through the area. Truly,
Whiting Woods is one of the best places to live in the Los Angeles Basin.
|
|