Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-08
COLEGROVE IS
MUCH AROUSED
DESTRUCTION OF TREES is
: DEPLORED
Property Owners Say Uprootlna Of
Giant Eucalypts and snashlna
Of Acacias ls Public
Disaster
ColeRroye's crime,

In the pretty suburban village which
has long been known ns the place
where the big trees grow.
The big trees grow there no longer,
however, for the county chain gang
is busily digging the magnificent eu-
calypts out and throwing them heavily
across fences and into the tops Of the
acacia trees, which are making such
brave stand as second line Of de-
fense.
Citizens of Colegrove say the crime
is in the sacrifice of the big trees
which line Santa Monica avenue from
Grover street west about one-haR mile.
When asked who is responsible for
the Colegrove crime, dwellers In that
one-time quiet town are likely to point
to his neighbor and, in the language
of the small boys in the apple cart
say He done it."
Some of the property owners talk
freely, however, and they express
themselves in language that is force
full and direct.
Seward Cole Tells History
Seward Cole son of former Senator
Cole, the man who planted the euca-
lyptus trees thirty-five years ago, said
to a Herald representative:
when the eucalypts were planted
we had great difficulty in keeping
them alive. At that time the country
hereabouts was an open plain from
the foothills to the sea- 1t was barren
and treeless. The cattle and sheep
roamed the ranges and it was this
stock which offered the greatest mem
ace to the trees. Finally the eucalypts
attained growth sufficient to stand
the wear and tear of the stock, and
from that time on they seemed to
thrive despite the fact that we had
ceased to irrigate them.
"Then this avenue became a beauti-
full driveway. My father planted thou
sands of trees. mostly peppers, acacias
and eucalypts. When the railway
came through here it was a single line
and did mot particular harm. Then
came the trolley with it's unsightly
overhead poles and wires Then fol-
lowed. in time, the demand for a dou-
BILE track and the trees were doomed"
Acreage Is Sold
But the second line, the acacias,
why were they planted?" was asked.
1--WE planted that second line when
the railroad came through. We real
lied then that the time would come
Il
1.-The acacias were planted forty feet
back of the eucalypts in order to give
sufficient space for a driveway 1t
was our intention that the curb should
be laid just outside those acacia trees
and the tract subdiWided in that man
ner-that is, with the front line of the
lots facing on Santa Monica avenue.
ten feet back off. We sold the land
to a Los Angeles real estate firm and
the track was surveyed and subdivided
in such a manner that the front of the
lots came right up to the eucalyptus
line. The result is that the trees must
now be sacrificed"
Realty Man Makes Statement
Charles S. Mann, who represents the
Los Angeles Realty syndicate, said
when we bought the acreage which
now cmoprises the El Centre tract
from Mr.. Cole we paid for the land to
the center of Santa Monica avenue, the
center of Cover, Melrose and Vine
streets. This was a matter of several
acres more land than was actually
turned over to us for subdivision pur-
poses.
THE tract was surveyed and subdi-
vided according to our original inten-
ton. No mention is made in our deed
as to where the Santa Monica line
shall run.
I'VE have had nothing to do with
the cutting down of those trees. We
have signed no petitions or other docu-
ments regarding the trees or widening
of the street.
personally l regret that the trees
are being removed and l deplore the
fact that the acacias have been dam
aged by the workmen. L think it could
have been avoided"
Commuter Grows Indignant
A Colegrove commuter who doesn't
care to have his name used said last
night:
"Colegrove's crime? 1 am not in on
it other than that L have suffered much
mental anguish to see those magniH-
cent trees uprooted and the acacias
mutilated.
1.-The responsibility? Well the resi-
dents signed petition of some sort L
didn't sign it, as my lots are not on
that street. 1 believe one man first got
permission to remove the trees in front
of his lot with the understanding that
he should plant other ornamental trees
and keep them alive.
HAS he planted them? Well, not so
that you would notice it. Others must
have signed the petition. | don't know
how many. [ believe some of the sign
erS are HOW Suu6tillllS lllc iOuuSol' w eVit
a few days and the yells will be louder.
The acacia trees have been destroyed
because the men in charge of the work
have a horror of incurring the dis
pleasure of those who run Mr.. Harri-
mans electric line
"When it comes to a question OF
smashing the top out of beautiful
acacia tree whcih has been growing
twenty years, or Throwing tree dam
serously near the car tracks the tree
gets the worst of it. The trolley wire
Is sacred.
G. w. Kennedy, proprietor of the
principal store in Colegrove, said:
Il was not willing for the county to
grub out the gum trees. That seemed
to me like a crime. but when they
ruin our acacias which have been grow
ing for twenty years. it seems to me
to be time for someone to do some
thing.
I'VE need the acacias to beautify our
places and I know that the property
owners of this village feel about alike
in this matter. 1t is outrageous that
One or two out of the entire popula-
ton should be instrumental in having
this done. / understand that a petit