“By Gads! This must be paradise,” is the expression famously attributed to Lucky Baldwin in 1875 upon first seeing the land that would, years later, become the City of Arcadia. Arcadia’s founding father, Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, will be honored for his pioneering and visionary contributions to Arcadia and the San Gabriel Valley with a bronze statue entitled “A Dawn in the West” that will be unveiled and dedicated on Tuesday, … [Read more...]

With the upcoming dedication of a statue of the founder of Arcadia, Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, and a related History Lives Here historical marker on April 16, the Arcadia Historical Society's Sandy Snider and Carol Libby have prepared a fascinating exhibit of historical photos and memorabilia about Baldwin's life and times, primarily at his homeplace on the property that is now the Arboretum. The display can be viewed a few feet inside the … [Read more...]

A grand life-sized statue of Lucky Baldwin will be unveiled and dedicated at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the Rose Garden west of the Community Center parking lot between Campus Drive and Huntington Drive at Holly Avenue. The statue, A Dawn in the West, was commissioned and is being donated by great-great-great granddaughters Margaux Viera and Heather Gibson. (Click here to see models and nearly-finished versions of the Baldwin statue in 2011 … [Read more...]