With its beautiful foothills setting, healthful climate and congenial hosts, the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel was a magnet for the rich and powerful. Eminent guests reportedly included Gen. William T. Sherman, Hollis P. Huntington, Helen Hunt Jackson, Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins and wealthy investors from New York and Europe. Early Villa guests, Abbot Kinney and James F. Crank enjoyed their stay so much they chose to remain here and were influential figures in the life and growth of the Pasadena area.
But possibly the most famous of all the Villa’s guests was not a railroad tycoon or general, nor even much of a writer, though much was written about him. This guy was a well travelled pugilist. I am talking about the Boston Strong Boy, the last bare-fisted heavyweight champion and the first gloved champion, John L. Sullivan.
The collector’s card above (from the Metropolitan Museum of Art) was released in 1887. That same year, Sullivan and his manager, Patrick Sheedy, were guests at the Villa.
So says the 137 year old hotel register I carefully perused from the archives at Sierra Madre Public Library. Below is a copy of the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel Register for September 15th, 1887. The last names on the page are those of Sullivan and Sheedy from Boston.
When he arrived at the Villa, Sullivan was well into his reign as heavyweight champion — a title he had held since 1882 when he took down Paddy Ryan in a bare-knuckled brawl in New Orleans. By 1887, the Great John L. had reportedly won hundreds of fights, most of the bare-knuckled variety. He had toured the nation offering a purse to any man still standing after three rounds.
Despite the questionable legality of his vocation, he was arguably the nation’s first sports superstar, earning more than a million dollars over his career. His matches, both legal and not, were covered nationally and internationally, he was the subject of literature and song, and his likeness was on barroom walls from coast to coast.
Two years after visiting the Villa, Sullivan would seal his legacy with a 75 round bare-knuckled win over challenger Jake Kilrain. The Kilrain fight on July 8, 1889, was at a secret location under the hot MIssissippi sun. Both Sullivan and Kilrain were arrested following the fight. This would be the last bare-knuckled championship bout.
As the late 1800’s saw great changes in American life, prize fighting changed too. By 1892, Sullivan’s title defense would be in a setting resembling modern professional boxing. That year Gentleman Jim Corbett beat Sullivan in a legal gloved match held at night under the lights before a crowd of 10,000. Over Sullivan’s career fighting had gone from illegal bare-knuckled brawling to legally sanctioned gloved boxing.
Some things didn’t change though. The color barrier was still in place and would not be broken until 1908 when Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns for the heavyweight title. Sullivan reportedly refused offers to fight black boxers.
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When I saw Sullivan’s name in the Sierra Madre Villa’s register, I knew I had to write this up. But, I didn’t know exactly where the post would go.
I wondered about how the Villa’s guests (mostly genteel types) reacted to Sullivan’s presence. Were they aghast at the thought? Or, did they want to shake the hand of John L. Sullivan? And I wondered about Sullivan’s behavior. Was he drinking (he was a notorious alcoholic) or did he walk about the foothills as he was known to take long walks while training? It all remains a mystery. I found no newspaper reference to any local fights or appearances. So, as Star-News editor Harold Carew speculated in his 1930 Pasadena history, it appears that Sullivan stole away from his tour for some rest at the Villa.
What to make of the hotel register and the man? In a kind of brutal way, Sullivan’s career and his life were symbolic of the late 1800’s in his evolution from a bare-knuckled brawler to more civilized and sanctioned gloved boxing.
Then there is this: At the pinnacle of his fighting career, Sullivan apparently stole away to the southern California foothills because, as General Sherman had said, “the Sierra Madre Villa was the most attractive spot to having a quiet, good time on the continent.”
Maybe a short quest for peace at the Villa is too much at odds with the brutal character of this John L. Sullivan. But, maybe not. Turned out there was more to the Boston Stong Boy than met the eye. After his fighting career ended, the Great John L. capitalized on his celebrity by appearing in vaudeville, giving speeches and dabbling in politics including supporting his friend Teddy Roosevelt. And, in an amazing turn, Sullivan bought a farm outside of Boston where he grew potatoes and was a favorite of local youth. He gave up drinking and spoke out in favor of the temperance movement.
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