[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





            TRIBUTE TO CRESCENTA VALLEY'S 135TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 2019

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the community of 
Crescenta Valley, California upon its 135th anniversary.
   The Crescenta Valley is comprised of the communities of La Canada 
Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Glendale, Sunland, and Tujunga. For 
well over a century, this picturesque valley has grown and prospered, 
and today is a prominent suburb of Los Angeles nestled between the San 
Gabriel and Verdugo Mountains and the San Rafael Hills.
   The valley was originally populated by Native Americans before Don 
Jose Maria Verdugo, namesake of the surrounding hills, was granted 
36,000 acres by the Spanish Crown in 1784. Don Verdugo eventually went 
bankrupt, and the homeless thieves and bandits of the foothills who 
roved the area shared his namesake and were called ``verdugos.''
   Nearly a century later in the early 1880's, Dr. Benjamin Briggs from 
Indiana moved to Southern California and purchased land in the valley, 
subdividing and selling 10-acre parcels, with the intent to establish a 
hospital for lung disease due to the clean, dry air. Dr. Briggs chose 
the name ``La Crescenta'' for the valley, noticing the crescent shapes 
of the mountains from the windows of his home. Although Dr. Briggs did 
not live to realize all his plans, other physicians and health workers 
followed his lead establishing health clinics and sanitariums; 
eventually yielding to the establishment of vineyards, orchards, and 
resort homes.
   With the advent of an electric trolley line in 1913 which connected 
Crescenta Valley to Glendale and Los Angeles, small family homes began 
to evolve, a precursor of the thriving suburban neighborhoods that 
populate the valley today. In the 1930's, the Crescenta Valley 
experienced a major calamity when a massive flash flood struck on New 
Year's Day that took forty lives, and left hundreds homeless. Despite 
this tragedy, the Crescenta Valley grew rapidly, developing into an 
established, mainstream suburbia, and the 210 freeway that was built in 
the 1970's allowed distant communities to connect, incorporating 
Crescenta Valley even further into the fabric of Los Angeles.
   The Crescenta Valley has flourished and has found its place as a 
distinguished part of the greater Los Angeles community. It contains 
many scientific, cultural, and historical highlights, from the beauty 
of Descanso Gardens to the world-renowned Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
   I ask all Members to join me in congratulating the Crescenta Valley 
upon its 135th anniversary.

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