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On May 8, 1903, after a short address at Pomona College that morning, President Theodore Roosevelt traveled to South Pasadena for lunch at The Raymond.
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Roosevelt accepted an invitation to tour California only after confirming a visit to see the former first lady Lucretia Garfield (widow of slain President James Garfield).
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Note: Lucretia “Crete” Garfield commissioned Charles and Henry Green to design a chalet style craftsman bungalow which still stands at 1001 Buena Vista Street. Garfield spent her winters in South Pasadena until her death at home 100 years ago this year.
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President Roosevelt finished the day with a rousing speech at Wilson High School in Pasadena. Roses were laid at his feet as he approached the elevated platform where he shared the stage with a stuffed grizzly bear.
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President Roosevelt remarked, “I have been traveling through what is literally a garden of the Lord with His majestic mountains in sight.”
Over a century later, little has changed in that regard.
Throwback Thursday is written and produced by Rick Thomas