The Mysterious Name Behind The Highest Mountain Peak In Los Angeles

I wanted to cognize much nan infinitesimal I publication “Sister Elsie Peak” connected an aged map.

I discovered nan sanction while researching trails astir Mt. Lukens, nan highest highest successful Los Angeles proper. Looking astatine nan peak’s location connected a humanities representation of L.A. County’s mountains, I noticed that it was antecedently named for a female I’d ne'er heard of.

Few of Southern California’s upland peaks are named aft women, truthful Sister Elsie Peak stuck pinch me. Who was she? And why was her upland renamed to alternatively grant section leader Theodore Lukens?

In this version of The Wild, our play outdoors newsletter, I will return you pinch maine connected my arduous travel to find nan origins of nan first known sanction for Mt. Lukens. Over nan past week, I enlisted thief from aggregate librarians, representation experts and 1 gracious historiographer (who you’ll meet later). We each scoured newspaper archives and history books, catching nan fever of curiosity that seems to devour anyone who tries to find retired who Sister Elsie was.

What we collectively recovered was this: Sister Elsie was astir apt not a existent person, and her fable was astir wide shared successful nan early 20th period by a section landowner who was known to embellish, including claiming that Josephine Peak adjacent Mt. Lukens was named aft his daughter. (It wasn’t.)

There appears to beryllium nary grounds anyplace — successful newspapers, successful history books, successful Catholic Church records — arsenic to nan beingness of a Sister Elsie or, arsenic you’ll study much astir below, an alleged orphanage, ranch aliases schoolhouse that she ran successful nan Tujunga area for Indigenous children aliases nan broader Indigenous community.

In that aforesaid vein, I want to telephone thing retired earlier we begin: Stories astir nan relationships betwixt colonizers and Indigenous peoples often get romanticized (see: Thanksgiving), pinch storytellers and early historians intentionally leaving retired immoderate specifications of forced assimilation aliases nan American genocide. I cannot study thing actual astir really Sister Elsie really treated Indigenous group successful ample portion because I don’t judge she was real.

The sunset arsenic viewed from a way adjacent Mt. Lukens successful nan San Gabriel Mountains.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

OK, I’ve held you successful suspense agelong enough. Let’s jump into everything nether nan existent sun that I could find astir Sister Elsie Peak.

To statesman my reporting, I contacted Times editorial room head Cary Schneider, who is ever eager to thief maine pinch prospective stories (i.e. highly circumstantial net rabbit holes I’ve fallen down).

Cary recovered what mightiness beryllium nan earliest mention successful a section newspaper: A communicative successful nan Monrovia Daily News connected April 23, 1910, successful which a writer mentions a caller way starring to Sister Elsie Peak, but tragically gives nary specifications of its namesake.

Next, we jump 20 years into nan early erstwhile The Times and nan Pasadena Star-News covered nan dedication of Sister Elsie’s Well successful Tujunga. Both publications described nan good successful their stories connected April 28, 1930, arsenic named aft “the Catholic nun” who ran a schoolhouse for Indigenous children “in nan days of nan Spanish missions.” The Times called her a “pioneer nun and teacher.”

Multiple power towers and different infrastructure beryllium astatine nan apical of Mt. Lukens, arsenic seen connected a 2022 hike there.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The dedication occurred connected nan onshore of Philip Begue, a important characteristic to understand successful nan Sister Elsie legend, arsenic he’s believed to person either dispersed aliases made up nan story, according to a section historian. Begue’s family bought onshore astir Tujunga and La Crescenta successful 1882, and later, Begue was an early pioneer and 1 of nan first wood rangers successful what would later go Angeles National Forest.

Throughout nan precocious 1920s and 1930s, Begue seemed group connected sharing nan communicative of Sister Elsie. In 1934, he told nan Pasadena Star-News that nan sister “ministered to nan sick and needy” Indigenous people.

A Times communicative connected Sept. 29, 1935, announced a barbecue fundraiser for a section Catholic institution astatine nan “old Basque rancho” owned by Begue. “The ranch connected Honolulu avenue was celebrated successful early days erstwhile Los Angeles was a pueblo and Sister Elsie had a children’s location wherever nan ranch now stands.” The Begue family planned to navigator “hundreds of pounds of nutrient for nan affair.”

Times columnist Harry Carr offered successful his column, nan Lancer, a wholly different take. Carr wrote connected April 3, 1935, that Sister Elsie Peak was named “for a nun who mislaid her life trying to locomotion from San Fernando to San Gabriel.” No, he doesn’t supply a root for wherever he learned that information. Trust me: I excessively shook my fist astatine nan sky.

The past rays of sun broad crossed Mt. Lukens, arsenic seen from Dunsmore Canyon successful Deukmejian Wilderness Park adjacent Glendale.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I would beryllium remiss to mention that nan oldest reference to a “Sister Elsie” successful The Times’ archives appears to beryllium an 1889 communicative astir — buckle up — a psychic mean successful Azusa. For a little and beautiful moment, Cary and I hoped Sister Elsie Peak would move retired to beryllium named aft Elsie Wheeler, a spiritualist mean whose ain communicative relates to an astrological tool. Alas, nan highest was named earlier she was calved (which doesn’t activity unless she was a really bully psychic). That said, a highest named aft a mythical nun and a clairvoyant feels arguably due for nan highest constituent successful L.A.

Cary besides discovered 1 of my favourite facts astir nan Sister Elsie fable — that it was turned into a play titled “Sister Elsie successful Tujunga.” It was written by Frances Muir Pomeroy, superintendent of summertime schoolhouse astatine Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. It was said to beryllium astir “the experiences of Sister Elsie erstwhile she conducted an orphanage present galore years ago,” according to a 1938 Times story.

There are different references to Sister Elsie successful The Times’ archives complete nan adjacent respective decades, but thing that gives actual grounds that she really existed.

Cary advised maine to interaction nan Los Angeles Public Library. Librarian Kelly C. Wallace, who specializes successful California history, quickly sewage backmost to me.

Knowing that Cary had already scoured The Times’ archives, Wallace sifted done nan agency’s Los Angeles Area Historical Newspapers database, which contains nan Los Angeles Daily Star (1870-1879), nan Los Angeles Evening Post-Record (1896-1936) and nan Los Angeles Star (1851-1871), on pinch organization newspapers specified arsenic nan Eagle Rock Sentinel and nan Highland Park Herald. She recovered small there.

The way done Stone Canyon to scope Mt. Lukens.

(Mary Forgione / Los Angeles Times)

This is particularly puzzling if Sister Elsie did beryllium because, earlier nan advent of television, newspapers reported seemingly everything that we now station connected societal media — elaborate travel reports, nan attendees of parties, commencement announcements, and moreover basal roadworthy repairs.

Wallace did observe a fewer absorbing tidbits successful books, but curiously thing earlier 1930.

The earliest reference that Wallace recovered was successful nan 1938 book “History of La Crescenta-La Canada Valleys” by Grace J. Oberbeck. She said to Begue, who spun rather nan yarn:

“On El Rancho de las Hermanas, nan ranch of nan sisters, a group of nuns who had an orphanage not acold distant, kept a herd of cows which was looked aft by” section Indigenous group “who supplied beverage to nan schoolhouse whenever needed. Sister Elsie was nan overmuch loved nun successful complaint of” nan Indigenous dairy workers, “and her sanction was fixed to nan well. Almost straight northbound from present towers a precocious highest of nan Sierra Madre scope and this bears nan sanction of Sister Elsie Peak.”

Legendary outdoors writer and historiographer John W. Robinson, Wallace found, told nan Sister Elsie communicative successful his 1977 book “The San Gabriels,” but followed it up pinch a correction successful his 1983 tome, “The San Gabriels II”: “The derivation of Mt. Lukens’ original name, Sister Elsie Peak, is clouded successful uncertainty. Exhaustive investigation into Catholic Church records fails to find immoderate grounds of a nun named Sister Elsie nor an orphanage named El Rancho de Dos Hermanas.”

You’re telling me, John!

Wallace besides recovered an wholly different communicative astir Sister Elsie connected page 47 of “The San Fernando Valley” by Jackson Mayers, published successful 1976.

“Sister Elsie, a Sister of Charity, came to Tujunga from Los Angeles betwixt 1850 and 1875 to activity with” Indigenous group “at a schoolhouse and orphanage. Near Haines Canyon was Sister Elsie’s well; Sister Elsie’s Peak was named, it is said, because erstwhile troubled she would summation spot by raising her eyes to that eminence, 1 whose apical she was to beryllium buried. Others held that 2 nuns connected their measurement from Mission San Fernando to Mission San Gabriel mislaid their measurement successful Tujunga and died atop nan peak.”

There is tragically nary footnote connected nan page, truthful I person nary thought who Mayers’ root was.

I hoped that uncovering retired when Sister Elsie Peak was named would help, but that besides proved to beryllium a dormant end.

Local historiographer Mike Lawler, erstwhile president of nan Historical Society of nan Crescenta Valley, told Realtor Sharon Hales successful a 2016 question and reply that cartographer George M. Wheeler and his squad named nan mountaintop Sister Elsie Peak during their study of California successful nan precocious 1800s.

“We don’t cognize why he named it Sister Elsie Peak,” Lawler said. “The reasons why he named everything are mislaid to history. They were destroyed successful nan 1906 San Francisco earthquake.”

This led maine to interaction nan unit astatine nan David Rumsey Map Center astatine Stanford University Library, arsenic its collections are vast, and I hoped possibly they’d someway find half a charred page of notes pinch Sister Elsie’s curriculum vitae scrawled successful quill pen.

Instead, Kristina Larsen, nan center’s subordinate curator, came up short, uncovering only that a misspelling, “Sister Else Pk” was connected nan 1881 onshore classification map from Wheeler.

Evan Thornberry, nan center’s caput and curator, unearthed “Vignettes of California Catholicism,” a 1988 book by Monsignor Francis J. Weber, longtime archivist for nan Archdiocese of Los Angeles astatine nan San Fernando Mission.

Weber conducted an exhaustive hunt for nan beingness of Sister Elsie and recovered nary impervious of immoderate beingness of Sister Elsie aliases a Catholic orphanage successful nan Tujunga area astatine nan time.

Weber offered my favourite proposal for why nary 1 tin find immoderate hint of Sister Elsie’s existence: “Maybe nan bully Sister was kidnapped by Martians!”

If so, I dream personification location takes amended attraction to protect knowledge regarding nan names of that planet’s mountains.

You’d deliberation I’d springiness up here, right?

Instead, I contacted historiographer Kristine Gunnell, who wrote “Daughters of Charity: Women, Religious Mission and Hospital Care successful Los Angeles, 1856-1927” (Vincentian Studies Institute).

I hoped Gunnell would person an answer, arsenic Sister Elsie was said to be successful nan Sisters of Charity, an American type of nan Daughters of Charity, a group that was founded successful France successful nan 1600s pinch an purpose of serving low-income and sick people.

The Daughters group yet inspired American Catholic women to service successful a akin way, first forming nan Sisters of Charity until nan groups fundamentally merged. In nan 1850s, arsenic much group moved to nan American West, a bishop successful nan L.A. area requested that Daughters of Charity travel to L.A., Gunnell said.

But, there’s nary Sister Elsie referenced successful Gunnell’s book.

Gunnell said aft proceeding from me, she contacted a history professor from DePaul University who is compiling a database astir each nan Daughters of Charity who served successful California. He recovered nary 1 referred to arsenic “Sister Elsie” betwixt 1850 and 1900.

A 1931 news communicative references that Sister Elsie treated Indigenous children diagnosed pinch typhoid fever.

Tujunga “was only a day’s wagon thrust from Los Angeles, and if these Tongva were Catholic aliases had Catholic connections, nan sisters whitethorn person considered their request,” Gunnell wrote to me. “I was hoping that I’d beryllium capable to find a grounds of nan typhoid outbreak successful Tujunga successful nan 1860s aliases 1870s and transverse reference it pinch nan Daughters’ records. It’s a bully story, and nan sisters apt would’ve reported it if it’s true. However, I can’t isolate a circumstantial outbreak.”

Later, Gunnell and I hopped connected a Zoom telephone to commiserate.

With each of our investigation earlier us, we reached nan aforesaid conclusion: A Catholic sister could person feasibly traveled to Tujunga astatine nan petition of a bishop to thief Indigenous people, but presently location is nary grounds of a female known arsenic Sister Elsie who did so. There’s nary grounds of overmuch of thing told successful nan Sister Elsie story. It seems, instead, to person been an municipality fable of its time.

At slightest for now.

Hikers successful Elysian Park.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

3 things to do

1. Reach for nan rainbow successful L.A.
One Down Dog, an L.A. yoga and fittingness studio, will big a Pride hike from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday successful Elysian Park. Guests will hike a loop way done nan park. For much details, registry astatine eventbrite.com.

2. Marvel astatine mollusks successful Malibu
The Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation will big a tidepooling arena from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 19 adjacent nan Wishtoyo Chumash Village (33904 Pacific Coast Highway) successful Malibu. Guests will study astir Wishtoyo Village, which is typically not unfastened to nan public. All acquisition levels welcome. Learn much astatine nan foundation’s Instagram page.

3. Learn on nan L.A. River successful Downey
The California Native Plant Society and Friends of nan L.A. River will big a guided motorcycle thrust on nan L.A. River. Naturalist Cris Sarabia will thatch participants astir section ecology during nan ride. Binoculars will beryllium provided. Guests should bring information cogwheel and water. Learn much astatine nan group’s Instagram page. Register astatine folar.org.

The must-read

Burn harm to nan Torrey conifer grove astatine Santa Rosa Island.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

The magnitude of clip that it will return for Santa Rosa Island to retrieve aft a blaze scorched astir one-third of nan land remains unclear, Times unit writer Grace Toohey wrote aft a caller sojourn to nan island. The fire, which grew to 18,379 acres, is now afloat contained. Firefighters faced vicious winds and, astatine times, 30-foot flames. “They held nan line, and we person them to convey for redeeming housing, redeeming nan island, redeeming nan history of nan Santa Rosa Island,” said Ethan McKinley, superintendent of Channel Islands National Park. The land has agelong been a respite for hikers and backpackers, including Times unit writer Lila Seidman, who shared her experiences connected nan land and her condolences that came successful nan aftermath of nan blaze. “Now fearfulness clouds nan memories: Does nan rugged, magical spot of my mind’s oculus still exist?” Seidman wrote.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

I person a flurry of bully California animal news to share. First, 3 mule cervid were nan first animals to walk complete California’s first wildlife crossing complete State Route 97 successful Siskiyou County. Second, scientists person feared that nan organization of endangered steelhead trout successful nan Santa Monica Mountains were killed successful monolithic debris flows aft nan Palisades fire. However, researchers recently spotted nan food — and their babies — successful Topanga Creek. And finally, nan California Department of Fish and Wildlife shared earlier this week that 5 orphaned achromatic carnivore cubs that were rehabilitated and released into bluish California successful November successfully hibernated done nan wintertime and returned to nan scenery this outpouring patient and active, according to caller information reviewed by nan agency’s scientists.

For much insider tips connected Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, cheque retired past editions of The Wild. And to position this newsletter successful your browser, click here.