Modern Crescenta Valley practically defines the notion of quiet suburbia
with its lovely homes and tree-lined streets. Yet the communities that
lie north of Los Angeles between the Verdugo and San Gabriel Mountains
once formed a vast, isolated, treeless, windstorm-swept dell. The
settlers who stayed in this valley found day-to-day subsistence
challenging. They farmed, hunted, tried bee ranching, gathered
greasewood, cultivated vineyards and dodged rattlesnakes. As settlement
in the area continued to develop, such refinements as literature and
photography flourished. Join author Jo Anne Sadler as she brings the
Valley's frontier days to life, recounting such quirks as a visit from a
rainmaker and the reasons behind the construction of the gaudy local
landmark the Gould Castle.