Duarte

Description

Mexican Army veteran Andres Duarte was granted 6,595 acres along the southern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in 1841 by the governor of Alta California. Rancho Azusa de Duarte eventually was carved into 40-acre parcels, and arriving families from the East and Midwest built schools, installed water lines, and grew crops. By 1900, two major rail lines served the area’s thriving citrus industry. Duarte’s beneficial climate led to the establishment in 1913 of a tuberculosis sanitarium, which became City of Hope, the world-class cancer treatment center. Bandleader Glenn Miller settled in Duarte. The city’s location along old U.S. Route 66 brought many visitors to and through town. A strongly independent civic spirit led to a momentous 1987 U. S. Supreme Court decision to disallow the expulsion of the Duarte Rotary from Rotary International for admitting three women. As for Andres Duarte, he is commemorated by a 2007 bronze equestrian statue, located across Huntington Drive from the city hall that bears his name. Title: New book on Duarte to be released Tues., Sept. 15
Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Duarte View
Date: July/August 2009
The Duarte Historical Society is proud to announce the upcoming release of Images of America: Duarte, by Arcadia Press. A banquet launching the book and honoring authors Irwin Margiloff and Neil Earle is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, 5:30 p.m. at the Old Spaghetti Factory.
Arcadia Press’ popular series contains the history of communities from Bangor, Maine to Manhattan Beach, California, with an aim toward bringing to life the people, places and events that define a community. Duarte’s book will, of course, be special because of it uniqueness.
“The Duarte book is the kind we love to do,” says Jerry Roberts, Acquisitions Editor for Arcadia Publishing. “It is a solid project on a city with a real ‘community feel’ to it and a completely interesting history with evocative
photographs to portray it.” He credits the authors with being “very astute and showing great fidelity to the existing record illuminating local bench marks such as the great flood of 1938 and such hometown sons as bandleader Glenn Miller and playwright Sam Shepard.”
A treasure of historic photos and research is stored at the Duarte Historical Museum, and as the museum’s current curator, Margiloff, together with Earle, has spent countless hours studying thousands of images and files, culling together information appropriate to accurately tell Duarte’s story.
Books will be for sale at the banquet and the authors will be signing them. Checks or cash only for book purchase.
Reservations for the banquet may be made by mailing a check
payable to the Duarte Historical Society in the amount of $25 per person to DHS, c/o Claudia Heller, 277 Opal Canyon Rd., Duarte, CA 91010. For more information call (626) 358-0329.

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