So, where was it first reported that Gen. Grant visited the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel? For the answer to that question, we turn to Mr. William Lauren Rhoades.
Mr. Rhoades grew up at the Sierra Madre Villa, Hotel. He was the grandson of its owner, eminent painter William F. Cogswell, whose portrait of the Grant family appears above. He was the son of the hotel proprietor, the genteel William Porter Rhoades.
William Lauren Rhoades has been on these pages before. He last appeared in our December post titled The Time William Lauren Rhoades Got a Donkey for Christmas. That post recounted a treasured gift Rhoades received in 1878 when he was just seven years old. The post includes a Carleton Watkins photograph of young Rhoades at the Villa sitting atop his donkey.
In today’s post we roll the calendar forward fifty years to 1929 where we catch up with Mr. Rhoades. His donkey is long gone but memories of his childhood at the Villa are fresh as ever. At this point, he’s 57 years old and has just moved back to the City of Sierra Madre. He has a lot to say about the glory days of the old hotel.
First Time Gen. Grant is Listed as a Guest at the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel
When Rhoades returns to Sierra Madre he is interviewed for a story about the old Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. That story appeared in the January 1, 1929 Star News and includes a short list of famous people to stay at the Villa. The story includes Gen. Grant as among the Villa’s famous guests. Here’s a clip:
As far as I can determine, this January 1, 1929 Star News article was the first time Gen. Grant was mentioned (at least in writing) as being a guest at the Villa.
Mr. Rhoades was just getting warmed up.
Rhoades’ History of the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel Mentions Grant
Rhoades’ return was impeccably timed. In 1931 the City of Sierra Madre celebrated its 50th anniversary setting off a surge of interest in local history. The Sierra Madre Historical Society was formed and Rhoades quickly joined in. With his Sierra Madre Villa connection, Mr. Rhoades was a walking, talking history book. He had instant local cred, a waiting audience and a knack for publicity. His return was captured in this September 8, 1931 Star News article:
Rhoades had a wonderful way of describing the Villa’s fame, its setting and views. And he seemingly always included Gen. Grant as a visitor. From the Star News article:
Over the balance of his life, Rhoades remained active in local historical and pioneer groups. He was urged to record his memory of the old hotel and, fortunately for us, he obliged.
Rhoades’ enduring historical contribution is his 1939 manuscript titled History of the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. His History stands as a lively first-hand account of life at the Sierra Madre Villa. Many posts on this blog have been drawn from Rhoades’ History, including the story of his Christmas Donkey and his description of Christmas celebrations at the Villa Hotel.
As you would expect, Rhoades’ History includes Gen. Grant as among the Villa’s famous guests. He writes:
As word got out in the leading clubs and resorts in America so it spread to Europe that to visit southern California and not go to the Sierra Madre Villa was not seeing California. So, it came about that people worth while gathered at the portals of the Villa to spend a few weeks or the entire winter, enjoying the society of the guests and the climate and surroundings and they always returned and so it got to be a habit to spend the winters among the orange groves of the San Gabriel Valley and sojourn at the Villa. Among those whom one would meet of note were General Grant and his family, Mr. Thomas, the famous band master of Chicago, Mr. Jacobs, the oil magnate, C.P. Huntington, A. N. Town, the Crocker family of San Francisco, the Mark Hopkins, and the leading financial men of New York City, Boston and Philadelphia and many of the leading European statesmen and members of the ruling families of foreign countries.
Rhoades widely distributed copies of his work to state and local history groups and his History is readily available at our local libraries.
Subsequent Reports Follow Rhoades’ History
Best I can tell, reports that Grant visited the Villa are rooted in the interviews and writings of Mr. Rhoades and in the “special register” that I presume was in his possession. And he is a good source of information. After all, he grew up at the Villa and his father managed the place.
Rhoades’ younger family members, who were born at the Villa, echoed his recollection. In Bob Sherlock’s 1952 LA Times piece (Gens. Grant and Sherman Slept Here), he interviewed Rhoades’ younger sister, Anita Rhoades, and cousin, Sarah Cogswell Diem. Both shared the same report, i.e. that Gen. Grant was a guest at the Villa.
After Mr. Rhoades’ death in 1948, many of the references to the old hotel routinely list the Villa’s famous guests and include Gen. Grant among them. As mentioned in my prior post, Grant’s visit appears well accepted, is included in local histories, and even real estate listings in the Star News say Grant visited the Villa.
Next Up
So, that’s the case for a Gen. Grant visit to the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. Does the case hold water?
To answer that question, we travel (at least figuratively speaking) to Mississippi State University to consult with research staff at the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. They should know a thing or two about what Gen. Grant was up to in the ’70’s and 80’s. Hopefully they can fully and finally settle the question: Did Gen. Grant Stay at the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel?
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