Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Altadena's Eldorado Inn Destroyed in 1969 Flood


We've updated this post because we now have a photograph of the Eldorado Inn before it washed away in the 1969  flood.  The photo, courtesy of Mark Molander, was taken in December, 1957, the day of his parent's marriage. 

Don't mistake the little run-off channel in the bottom of the photo for Eaton Canyon wash. That's just drainage for the parking lots. You can see the Eaton Canyon arroyo behind the restaurant sign.


Until it was washed away in 1969, the Eldorado Inn was on New York Avenue near Altadena Drive, about a quarter mile southeast from where the Nature Center is today.


Same location 2017. Note wooden power poles and Eucalyptus Tree left side.




From the January 30, 1969 "Altadenan":  "Twenty-two and a quarter inches of rain that fell in a nine-day period here was climaxed Saturday when torrential morning-long downpours devastated mountain areas inundating homes with flood and mudflows."




Red dot shows restaurant's location.
Red line shows where New York Drive was rebuilt after flood.

Ship on menu is a nice touch. Purely coincidental.

Read more about Altadena's significant floods.

9 comments:

  1. It looks like the El Dorado Inn was southeast (not southwest) of the Nature Center. Is that right? I'm thinking it was just east of the current channel, north of Eaton Canyon Rd.

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    1. yes. When you make a right on New York extension from Altadena drive you can see part of the old street as a driveway to the house on the corner. It was the first building East of the Eaton canyon stable.

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  2. As memory serves me I would agree with you Eric.

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  3. Does anyone remember any of the waiters' names?

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  4. My father was a organ and singer there when it happen

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  5. I was there day that back wall to bar fell into wash and all the bottles fell into the rushing water. We were evacuating my sisters horse from Eaton stables.

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  6. Does anyone remember the covered wagons that were a restaurant prior to the El Dorado ?

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  7. I hear that Richard and Rosie Johnson owned the land that the Inn was built on and that they leased to the owners of the restaurant. Is that true? If so, who operated the Inn?

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