Community Corner
Adams' Pack Station: 75 Years with Burros in the Forest
Locals will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Adams' Pack Station at 2 p.m. Sunday.
If you've never enjoyed a Sunday afternoon in the forest with live acoustic music and pulled pork sandwiches at Adams' Pack Station near Chantry Flat at the top of Santa Anita Canyon Road, this is the weekend to check it out.
Dignitaries ranging from Mayor Pro Tem Gary Kovacic and Arcadia Councilman , as well as representatives from state political offices and other local cities and organizations are expected to be on hand at 2 p.m. this Sunday, April 17, for the unveiling and dedication of the newest historical marker in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Adams’ Pack Station in the Angeles National Forest.
Deb and Sue Burgess are also celebrating their fifth anniversary of ownership of the last remaining mule pack station of its kind in the region.
The barn and two-room bunkhouse/store that are still being utilized at Adams’ Pack Station were built in 1936 by J.P. Steele, who was the first to obtain a special use permit for a pack station, outfitter store and parking lot at the end of a new road paved to Chantry Flat in 1935. Steele owned First Water Camp in the streambed directly below Chantry in the Angeles National Forest.
For the next three-quarters of a century, the station’s donkeys and mules would be the lifeline for supplies to three active resorts and about 200 cabins accessible only on foot in Big Santa Anita Canyon.
Sunday's “History Lives Here” marker showcases vintage and recent photographs and descriptions of the station’s history. The ceremony will take place between two live music acoustic music performances by John M from noon – 2 p.m., and Cross Town Cowboys from 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The station will offer pulled pork sandwiches cooked on the spot in a Dutch oven.
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A shuttle bus provided by the Arcadia Historical Society will be available to take riders up to the Pack Station. It will leave at 1 p.m. from the and return about 3 p.m. Passengers will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Read more by Scott Hettrick at ArcadiasBest.com