Neighbors to your South

Crank is a railroad man and developer in Monrovia and builds one of the oldest buildings in the area still standing. The Craigs home, the Hermitage is the oldest and still standing but not visible from the street a couple miles down Allen on the west side in a neighborhood.

Brigden Ranch has roots in the late 19th century agricultural history of the area. Albert Brigden purchased 135 acres of land from the old Fair Oaks Ranch in 1876. The area was then part of the settlement of Lamanda Park east of Pasadena. Brigden, a New York native and Civil War veteran, developed the land, establishing a vineyard ,orange and lemon groves, and other fruit trees. Key Features of the Brigden Ranch: The ranch was located at the head of N. Craig Avenue, near the current Brigden neighborhood, bounded by Galbreth Road, Casa Grande Street, North Allen Avenue, and Martelo Avenue. Brigden transformed his land, cultivating vineyards, citrus groves, and fruit trees, reflecting the agricultural character of the area in the late 1800s. The area was originally part of Lamanda Park, a settlement that grew to become part of Pasadena.

According to a 1907 Pasadena city directory, Mrs. Helen L. Brigden's ranch was at the head of N.Craig Avenue. Perhaps this was the same home, and the ranch was the location of the current Brigden neighborhood. According to the Brigden Ranch Neighborhood Association website, the neighborhood's boundaries are Galbreth Road on the north, Casa Grande Street on the south, North Allen Avenue on the west, and Martelo Avenue on the east.

In 1869, James Craig, an Irish immigrant, purchased 5,000 acres within the former Rancho San Pasqual and established a 150-acre rancho he named “The Hermitage.” That same year, he built a house on the property, likely incorporating an existing adobe structure that dates to c. 1840. Craig became a notable producer of citrus and olives as well as a water system developer. In 1886, The Los Angeles Herald reported—whether accurately or not—that Craig presented half a dozen bottles of olive oil, described as “the first ever made in Pasadena,” at the town’s citrus fruit and floral fair. His residence, the Craig Adobe (2121 Monte Vista Street), is considered one of the oldest buildings—if not the oldest—in Pasadena.