Today, we start a brief series of posts in which I will endeavor to, once and for all, put to rest a long vexing question of east Pasadena history: Did Gen. Ulysses S. Grant stay at the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel?
Let’s admit up front that, since at least 1929, it has been routinely reported that General Grant and his family stayed at the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. Against that, there is a small number of super careful local history buffs who question Grant’s visit. Frankly, I’ve preferred to go with the crowd and assume Grant was here. But, a recent Star News real estate listing pushed me to find the real truth. Is the accepted reporting correct? Or has near 100 years of historical reporting been wrong all along?
Certainly many histories of the Villa, including this blog’s early effort, report Gen. U.S. Grant was among the Villa’s famous guests. The Homestead Blog’s extraordinary multi-part Villa history included Grant as among the Villa’s famous visitors. Pasadena histories, such as Ann Scheid’s Pasadena Crown of the Valley write that Grant visited the Villa. Numerous newspaper reports say the same — that Grant slept at the Villa — including C.F. Shoop’s 1948 Star News piece and a February 15, 1953 Los Angeles Times article written under this headline:
With that headline, you know what the Times article reported.
Then, real estate agents latched onto the story and started promoting properties purportedly connected with Gen. Grant. Just last December, a Star News piece about a home for sale in the Sierra Madre Villa area was headlined: “Pasadena Home on Site of 1870’s Hotel where President Grant Stayed Seeks $4.3M.” Who knew a Grant connection was worth so much?
It is fun to imagine the likes of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and the great John L. Sullivan, hanging out at the Villa. And to imagine that Gen. Grant held court here with cigar and whiskey in hand — well that’s very cool stuff. Good for real estate values too. But, is it true?
Let’s find out.
The Case Supporting the Fact Grant Visited the Villa
We’ll lead with the documentary evidence and in my next post I will provide further support.
The December 4, 1931 Los Angeles Times contained a story profiling leading tourist hotels of the late 1800’s. Naturally, the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel was included among the venerables and, as became typical, the Villa’s famous guests were mentioned, including Generals Grant, Sherman and Sheridan. The Times printed a “special register,” pictured below, bearing the signatures of all three generals and composer Theodore Thomas.
Without further explanation, the “special register” was offered as proof the generals, including Grant, visited the Villa. Clearly that was sufficient for the Times writer.
Certainly, there is no reason to doubt the paper or card bears the signatures of the four men. The Sherman signature matches his signature which appears in the hotel registers retained at the Sierra Madre Library. Grant’s signature and Thomas’ signature on the special register also match samples of their signatures available on the Internet. So, I think we must accept that the paper or card bears the signatures of Grant and the other three men.
But, was or is the card a “special register” of the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel? To my knowledge, the only surviving registers of the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel are at the Sierra Madre Library. The “special register” is not at the library and, at this point, I have no information as to where it may be. Private collection?Others on the Villa historical trail may know more.
Examining the card, we find clues. What do we make of the scribbles under Grant’s signature? And what to make of the four men – three Civil War generals and a German music composer?
In my next posts, we will look at those clues and there is still more evidence Grant stayed at the Villa. We’ll look at that too. Till next time….
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