San Gabriel Timberland Reserve facts for kids

The San Gabriel Timberland Reserve was the very first federal protected area in California. It was created on December 20, 1892, by an official order from President Benjamin Harrison. This reserve covered about 555,520 acres (2,248 km2). It stretched from Pacoima Canyon near Sylmar all the way to Cajon Pass in Southern California. Later, in December 1908, the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve became known as the Angeles National Forest.

Why Was the San Gabriel Reserve Created?

In 1891, the U.S. Congress passed a law called the Forest Reserve Act. This law gave the President the power to set aside federal lands as forest and rangeland reserves. These lands were taken from the "public domain," which means land owned by the government that was not yet claimed by anyone. The first reserve created under this law was the Yellowstone Park Timberland Reserve.

Most people in Southern California liked the idea of these reserves. They believed the reserves would help protect important water sources, keep the soil healthy, prevent large fires, and control how much timber was cut from the mountains.

Protecting Water and Land

The General Land Office was a government agency in charge of public lands from 1812 to 1934. Many people, including a conservationist named Abbot Kinney, along with citizens and leaders in Los Angeles, strongly supported setting aside these lands.

On November 2, 1891, a group sent a request to the General Land Office. They asked for the San Gabriel watershed to be made a forest reserve. They explained that this would:

• Keep water in the mountains.
• Save snowmelt as it slowly melted.
• Protect water from pollution caused by large groups of cattle and sheep.
• Help prevent big floods in winter.
• Provide water for irrigation in the valleys below during the dry season.

Colonel Benjamin F. Allen from the General Land Office investigated the San Gabriel area. He recommended that the reserve be created. In 1907, all these reserves were officially renamed "National Forests."

Challenges: Grazing and Fire

For a long time, raising cattle and sheep was a main business in California. Ranchers let their animals graze on public lands. Even after a terrible drought in 1863-1864, the cattle business grew very large by the 1880s. These American ranchers, who took over from the Mexican rancheros, became powerful landowners. Their cattle and sheep herds often competed for the best grazing spots. This led to too many animals on the land, which caused more and more damage to California's grasslands.

While fire is a natural part of forest and grassland ecosystems, it was used too much in the 1800s. Cattlemen, sheepherders, loggers, and prospectors often set fires. Burning the woods was an easy way to improve grazing areas. Fires set in the fall would leave ash and minerals, which helped new plants grow in the spring. Fires also cleared away fallen logs and thick undergrowth, making it easier for herders to move animals and for prospectors to look for minerals.

As more people moved to the Southern California foothills, their homes and property were in danger from fires and the floods that often followed. People in towns and cities started to protest, and newspapers wrote about the problem. Reports from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 1899 and 1900 showed that large areas of chaparral (a type of shrubland) had been burned many times. This caused serious damage to the soil and its ability to hold water. Another report from the US Bureau of Forestry (now the US Forest Service) found poor conditions in the Tujunga, Arroyo Seco, and Santa Ana watersheds.

Local People Take Action

During this time, Abbot Kinney, a conservationist and landowner in Pasadena, saw the damage happening to the San Gabriel Mountains from logging and grazing. In 1886, Kinney was the chairman of the state Board of Forestry. He wrote to California's governor, George Stoneman, saying:

• "We urgently need smart oversight of California's forest and brush lands."

In 1890, the Board asked the U.S. Congress to properly manage the state's timberlands instead of ignoring them.

Another conservationist, Theodore Lukens, also pushed for more protection. He believed in planting trees to restore damaged areas on mountainsides and along streams. As a citrus grower, he was very interested in tree farming.

Other local leaders also supported efforts to protect the watershed. These included Fred Eaton, who was the mayor of Los Angeles, and General Harrison Gray Otis, who published the Los Angeles Times newspaper. They all worked together to convince the federal government to act and prevent more damage.