Sierra Madre Tutors Come To You

About seventeen miles east from Los Angeles, Sierra Madre, California is a small, mostly residential, city nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. For over 1,200 years before Spanish conquistadors and priests explored California, the Tongva people prospered throughout what are now Los Angeles and Orange counties. They most certainly lived in the canyons and foothills below the San Gabriel Mountains in what came to be known as Sierra Madre. They lived simple lives as small time farmers cultivating indigenous plants such as agave, elderberries and the banana-like plantain. When the Spanish arrived, the Tongva saw their way of life slowly extinguished as many died from disease and the rest conscripted to help build the missions. Many, however, did survive and intermarried with the Spanish. By the time California became part of the United States, the Tongva had virtually disappeared. Originally part of the Mexican land grant owned by early California pioneer Benjamin “Don Benito” Wilson, the area which is now Sierra Madre was acquired by E.J. “Lucky Baldwin” after the death of Wilson. Baldwin subsequently sold part of his land to Nathaniel Carter in 1881. At the age of 40 Carter had moved west from Massachusetts under doctor’s orders to seek out a warmer climate. Carter fell in love with the land and built an estate, known as Carterhia, of which only a barn and the remnants of a citrus orchard still stand. Today, Sierra Madre is known as the Wisteria City with an annual festival celebrating “Wistaria,” a particularly large example, covering one acre and weighing 250 tons, of the species which lives in the backyard of a Sierra Madre resident and is open to the public only on the day of the festival.

A Sierra Madre tutor will certainly be able to keep you ahead of the academic curve so you can take time away from the books to enjoy Sierra Madre and the rest of the greater Los Angeles region. For outdoor enthusiasts, Adams Pack Station in the San Gabriel Mountains above Sierra Madre is the jumping off point for hikes to Sturtevant Camp, Chantry Flat and Big Santa Anita Canyon. Although the canyon is only 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles it is a world away from the urban sprawl. Explorers began coming to the canyon in the early 1800’s and gold was discovered in 1850, although the amount paled in comparison to the gold rush in Northern California. Today, the area offers excellent hiking through the oaks, past cabins which were built over one hundred years ago.

It’s just a short drive across the 210 Freeway from Sierra Madre to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, a 127-acre oasis in nearby Arcadia which features a variety of plant habitats. The gardens are organized geographically and chronologically around Baldwin Lake, named after California pioneering businessman E.J. “Lucky” Baldwin. Gardens include South America, Australia, Africa and the Prehistoric Forest. The arboretum offers a variety of events throughout the year including concerts and tours.

Right next door to the arboretum, Santa Anita Park has been the site of some of the best horse racing in the United States for the last 80 years. The iconic Seabiscuit, subject of book and movie, won the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap, at the time the most expensive race in the nation offering $100,000 in prize money. In the 1940’s and 1950’s the track was a virtual playground for the Hollywood stars of the time such as Betty Grable, Cary Grant and Bing Crosby.