'Crown of the Valley'
Cartographer:
Wookey, Howard William
Date of Creation:
1933
“In 1770 Don Caspar de Portola, poetically impressed with the beauty of this flower strewn valley exclaimed, ‘Le Grane Sabinalla de San Pasqual’, or, ‘the Great Altar Cloth of Easter’ and to see is to believe”.
“This Cartograph of Pasadena is affectionately dedicated to those fortunate souls who abide within its boundaries and to those many persons on the outside looking in with longing hearts… for who has seen Pasadena and felt the lure of its balmy fragrance, the tang of its scientific achievement, the natural beauty of it’s setting, the warmth of its peace loving citizenry, that has not wished he toocould live there? And to those on the outside we send this message, “keep hoping – keep smiling – keep trying” – and someday, perhaps, we will meet in the crown city, the gala city of the new year. “E Afortunado Anno Nuevo”.
“In the 1920 and 1930s, Pasadena was a important winter resort for affluent Easterners. Wookey’s lush portrait of the town includes border vignettes of Orange Groves, the Rose Bowl and Albert Einstein. The route of the Rose parade is shown in red" (Hornsby). Wookey worked as a commercial artist in Los Angeles for 45 years, and during his last six years was a secretary for the city council.