Editing Glendora, California (section)

== History ==

===Early inhabitants===
The first archaeological evidence of human settlement in Glendora dates from {{circa|6000 BCE}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Glendora Community Archive and Local History |url=https://www.cityofglendora.org/services/library/archive-history |website=City of Glendora |access-date=25 June 2024}}.</ref> Around 3500 BCE, the [[Takic languages|Takic]] people moved into the area.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sutton |first1=Mark Q. |title=People and Language: Defining the Takic Expansion into Southern California |journal=Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly |date=2009 |volume=41 |issue=2&3 |pages=31–93 |url=https://cheviothillshistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Takic.pdf |access-date=21 November 2024}}</ref> By the time Europeans arrived in present-day Los Angeles County, the [[Tongva]], also known as the [[Kizh]] or the Gabrieleños, were the dominant group.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=M. E. |editor1-last=Harkin |editor1-link=Michael E. Harkin |title=Reassessing revitalization movements: Perspectives from North America and the Pacific Island |last1=Lepowsky |first1=M. |chapter=Indian revolts and cargo cults: Ritual violence and revitalization in California and New Guinea |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygqnKla4-wIC&pg=PA51 |year=2004 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln, NE |isbn=978-0-8032-2406-3 |page=51, note 1 |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103114039/http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9780803203884 |archive-date=3 November 2013}}</ref> 

In the foothills and inland areas (such as present-day Glendora), Tongva settlement patterns included both permanent village sites and seasonal camps, usually located near reliable water sources like streams or springs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/historyculture/tongva.htm|title=The Tongva|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=March 18, 2025}}</ref> The nearest villages to modern Glendora were [[Asuksa-nga, California|Asuksa-nga]] (meaning "Skunk-place") along the [[San Gabriel River (California)|San Gabriel River]] in present-day [[Azusa, California|Azusa]] and [[Duarte, California|Duarte]], and Momwamomutn-gna (meaning "Place of many springs") in present-day San Dimas.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|year=1996|publisher=Malki Museum Press|location=Banning, CA|page=44}}</ref> What is now Glendora was the site of seasonal camps and hunting grounds, particularly near the [[Intermittent river|intermittent streams]] around Dalton Canyon.

[[File:Tongva woman acorns.jpg|thumb|left|Tongva woman grinding acorns (1900), location unknown]] Tongva daily life was closely tied to the land’s resources. They were primarily hunters and gatherers rather than farmers.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|publisher=Malki Museum Press|year=1996|pages=45–48}}</ref> The abundant oak woodlands of the San Gabriel foothills provided acorns as a dietary staple; acorns were shelled, ground on stone mortars, and leached to make a nourishing acorn mush.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=Bernice Eastman|title=California's Gabrielino Indians|publisher=Southwest Museum|year=1962|pages=21–23}}</ref> Along rivers and marshes, Tongva people gathered wild seeds such as [[Salvia columbariae|chia sage]], berries, and herbs. In inland communities like the Glendora area, protein came from hunting and trapping local game like deer, rabbits, and birds. Trade with neighboring tribes was well-developed; the Tongva were notable as one of the wealthiest and most influential indigenous groups in Southern California, exchanging goods like steatite (soapstone) bowls, shells, and other items in a far-reaching trade network.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|publisher=Malki Museum Press|year=1996|pages=98–102}}</ref> This network connected them with peoples as far away as the [[Yokuts]] of the Central Valley and the tribes of the Colorado River, illustrating how Tongva economic and cultural influence extended beyond their immediate homeland.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=Bernice Eastman|title=California's Gabrielino Indians|publisher=Southwest Museum|year=1962|pages=30–31}}</ref>

Daily life in a Tongva village was structured around communal and familial activities. Tongva dwellings (called ''kich'' or ''kiiğa'') were dome-shaped structures made of willow branches and thatched with tule or other grasses.<ref>{{cite book|last=Heizer|first=Robert F.|title=Handbook of North American Indians: California|volume=8|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|year=1978|pages=623–625}}</ref> These homes had a central fire pit and a smoke hole at the top for ventilation. Villages typically ranged from a few dozen to a hundred people, and early Spanish observers noted that each village was politically autonomous under its own chief, yet linked to others by kinship and language. Men and women both had important economic roles: men often did most of the hunting and fishing, while women were expert foragers and skilled in processing plant foods and weaving baskets. Both sexes wore their hair long and adorned their bodies with tattoos and paint.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=Bernice Eastman|title=California's Gabrielino Indians|publisher=Southwest Museum|year=1962|pages=38–39}}</ref> Clothing was minimal in the warm Southern California climate—men often wore little more than a breechcloth, and women wore skirts made of deer hide or woven fiber. In cooler weather, they draped themselves in capes or cloaks made from animal skins, and sandals woven from yucca fiber or hide protected their feet.<ref>{{cite book|last=Heizer|first=Robert F.|title=Handbook of North American Indians: California|volume=8|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|year=1978|pages=624}}</ref> Tongva spiritual life was rich, with ceremonies marking events like the summer solstice and communal mourning rituals for the dead. They had deep knowledge of local plants for food, medicine, and materials, reflecting a relationship with the land that was both practical and spiritual.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|publisher=Malki Museum Press|year=1996|pages=120–123}}</ref>

When the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] arrived in the 1770s, the Tongva population in the entire Los Angeles Basin, including the San Gabriel Valley, is estimated to have been between 5,000 and 10,000 people.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|year=1996|publisher=Malki Museum Press|location=Banning, California|pages=23–25}}</ref><ref>
{{cite book|last=Hackel|first=Steven W.|title=Children of Coyote, Missionaries of Saint Francis: Indian-Spanish Relations in Colonial California, 1769–1850|year=2005|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina|pages=42–43}}</ref>

===Spanish period (1769–1821)===
Following the discovery of islands in what we now call the Caribbean by [[Christopher Columbus]] in 1492, a dispute arose between [[Crown of Castile|Castille (Spain)]] and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] about which kingdom would own new lands discovered to the west of the Atlantic Ocean. This was resolved by the [[Inter caetera|''Inter caetera'']] [[Papal bull]] from [[Pope Alexander VI]], which divided all newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile, along a meridian 100 [[League (unit)|leagues]] (370 miles/600 kilometers) west of the Cape Verde islands. This gave Portugal most of Africa and Asia, and most of the [[Americas]] to Castille (Spain). Although theoretically already granted this land by the Pope, California's Spanish colonial era began in 1542 when [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]], commissioned by Viceroy [[Antonio de Mendoza]], became the first European to explore and claim the entire California coast for Spain. Thereafter, Spain took no action to solidify its claims over [[Alta California]] (the present-day U.S. states of California, Nevada, and neighboring areas) for over two centuries. By the late 1760s, concerned about Russian and French colonial ambitions, Spain began efforts to establish permanent settlements and fortifications in Alta California. In 1769, an expedition under [[Gaspar de Portolá]], appointed "Governor of the Californias," commenced the founding of a network of [[Spanish missions in California|missions]], [[Spanish colonial pueblos and villas in North America|pueblos]] (civilian settlements), and [[Presidio|presidios]] (military outposts). [[Junípero Serra]], leader of the Franciscan missionaries, managed the religious conversion and daily activities at these missions. To strengthen the sparse colonial population, Spanish authorities allowed and encouraged non-Spanish settlers to establish themselves in California.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hackel |first=Steven W. |title=Junípero Serra: California's Founding Father |publisher=Hill and Wang |year=2013 |pages=126–130}}</ref>

Spain’s colonial system in California, including land grants (ranchos), missions, and presidios, followed a pattern of indirect governance and religious conversion inspired by the [[Iqta']] system used by Muslim conquerors during their [[Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula|rule in Spain (711–1492)]]. The area of modern Glendora fell under the jurisdiction of [[Mission San Gabriel Arcángel]], founded in 1771, which had direct ecclesiastical and administrative oversight, including managing local affairs, overseeing agricultural production, and compelling local Tongva peoples into labor under harsh, slave-like conditions. The indigenous population had no natural immunity to [[Old World]] [[Native American disease and epidemics|diseases introduced by settlers]], in particular [[small pox]], or by their [[livestock]] (which brought [[influenza]], [[anthrax]], [[leptospirosis]], and [[bovine tuberculosis]]), resulting in major population declines. 

The nearest colonial civilian settlement to present-day Glendora was [[Pueblo de Los Ángeles|El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles]] (present-day Los Angeles), founded in 1781. Beyond the relatively small contingents of soldiers at the pueblo and at the mission, military protection for the region was provided by presidios at [[Presidio of San Diego|San Diego]] (founded in 1769) and [[Presidio of Santa Barbara|Santa Barbara]] (founded in 1782).<ref>{{cite book|last=Engstrand|first=Iris H.W.|title=San Diego: California's Cornerstone|publisher=Sunbelt Publications|year=2005|pages=45–49}}</ref> Glendora during this period was sparsely-populated except for free-roaming cattle and seasonal use by the dwindling population of Tongva who had not been forcibly brought to live near, and put in service of, the San Gabriel Mission.

By the end of the Spanish period (circa 1820–1821), the Tongva population of the Los Angeles Basin, including the San Gabriel Valley, had dramatically declined from an estimated 5,000–10,000 in pre-contact times to approximately 1,500 individuals, largely due to the introduction of Old World diseases, the disruption of traditional ways of life, and harsh conditions under missionization.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|year=1996|publisher=Malki Museum Press|location=Banning, California|pages=197–198}}</ref>

===Mexican period (1821–1848)===

After 11 years of struggle, Mexico gained [[Mexican War of Independence|independence from Spain]] on September 27, 1821. California remained a remote frontier territory with minimal oversight from the newly established Mexican government. Due to political instability and administrative difficulties, Mexico did not formally appoint a fully recognized governor for California until 1824, when [[Luis Antonio Argüello]] took office; however, his authority was initially limited by poor communication, political uncertainty across Mexico, and California’s geographic isolation, leaving local communities largely responsible for their own governance. The management of land and settlement remained informal, with boundaries defined loosely by natural landmarks, and taxation often fulfilled through contributions of livestock or goods rather than uniform cash payments. This informal governance set the stage for significant challenges when California later transitioned to American rule.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pitt|first=Leonard|title=The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846–1890|publisher=University of California Press|year=1999|pages=3–40}}</ref> [[File:Photos 2881 large WPA Federal Writers' Project map of ranchos of Los Angeles County California.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Map of ranchos in Los Angeles County (WPA Federal Writers' Project)]]

The lack of oversight and clear governance proved ominous for the prosperity of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, which presided over present-day Glendora. Controlling approximately 1.5 million acres of some of the richest land with the best water supplies in the region, it was one of the wealthiest of the California missions. Between 1829 and 1833, due to inadequate supervision, corruption among local authorities, and widespread cattle rustling, the Mission’s livestock declined dramatically from over 25,000 head of cattle to fewer than 15,000. Soldiers, ranchers, and settlers took advantage of the weakening authority of the Franciscan priests, who had few means to protect Mission resources without effective military support from the Mexican troops, many of whom participated in or overlooked the theft.<ref>{{cite book|last=Engelhardt|first=Zephyrin|title=San Gabriel Mission and the Beginnings of Los Angeles|publisher=Franciscan Herald Press|year=1927|pages=243–244}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/san-gabriel-arcangel.htm|title=Mission San Gabriel Arcángel|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=March 18, 2025}}</ref>

In August 1833, this deteriorating situation culminated in the [[Mexican Secularization Act of 1833|Decree for the Secularization of the Missions of California]]. Motivated by concerns that the missions, still operated by Spanish-born Franciscan clergy presumably loyal to Spain and the Catholic Church, could perpetuate Spanish influence and undermine independence, the Mexican government transferred control of Church land holdings to the territorial government in [[Monterey]]. The decree officially intended to emancipate Indigenous peoples from conditions resembling slavery and redistribute mission lands to them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/secularization.htm|title=Secularization of the Missions|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=March 18, 2025}}{{cite book|last=Beebe|first=Rose Marie|author2=Robert M. Senkewicz|title=Testimonios: Early California Through the Eyes of Women, 1815–1848|publisher=Heyday Books|year=2006|pages=28–30}}</ref> However, in practice, very few Indigenous Californians received any land anywhere in the Alta California territory.<ref>{{cite book|last=Engelhardt|first=Zephyrin|title=San Gabriel Mission and the Beginnings of Los Angeles|publisher=Franciscan Herald Press|year=1927|pages=243–244}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/san-gabriel-arcangel.htm|title=Mission San Gabriel Arcángel|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=March 18, 2025}}</ref> The Mexican government allowed the padres to keep only the church, priests' quarters, and priests' garden. The army troops guarding the Mission were dismissed.

With the Franciscans' oversight removed, Mission San Gabriel’s remaining herds of cattle rapidly disappeared, taken by local rancheros, settlers, soldiers, and even former mission administrators. The few remaining priests were powerless to stop them as they now lacked both the authority and manpower to enforce control.<ref>{{cite book|last=Engelhardt|first=Zephyrin|title=San Gabriel Mission and the Beginnings of Los Angeles|publisher=Franciscan Herald Press|year=1927|pages=200–211}}</ref> This chaotic transition facilitated the ambitions of influential settlers, soldiers, and rancheros with connections to the Mexican authorities in Monterey, resulting in large ranchos owned by a few powerful families.<ref>{{cite book|last=Beebe|first=Rose Marie|author2=Robert M. Senkewicz|title=Testimonios: Early California Through the Eyes of Women, 1815–1848|year=2006|publisher=Heyday Books|location=Berkeley, California|pages=28–30}}</ref>

In 1837, Governor [[Juan Bautista Alvarado]] granted the [[Rancho San Jose (Palomares)|Rancho San José]] (approximately 22,000 acres) to Ygnacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar, encompassing southern portions of present-day Glendora as well as areas now known as Pomona and San Dimas. In 1841, another tract including the western parts of present-day Glendora, [[Rancho Azusa de Dalton|Rancho El Susa]], was granted to Luis Arenas. In 1844, English immigrant Henry Dalton purchased Rancho El Susa from Arenas and acquired a one-third stake in Rancho San José. Dalton renamed his property Rancho Azusa de Dalton, establishing vineyards, orchards, and livestock herds. Central and northern Glendora remained public land for [[open range]] cattle grazing.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=W.W.|title=Land in California|publisher=University of California Press|year=1948|pages=119–123}}</ref>

By the end of the Mexican period in 1848, the Tongva population in the entire Los Angeles Basin, including the San Gabriel Valley, had further declined to approximately 800 individuals, reflecting continued displacement, harsh labor conditions on ranchos, epidemics, and marginalization under Mexican governance.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|year=1996|publisher=Malki Museum Press|location=Banning, California|pages=198–199}}{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=George Harwood|title=Chiefs and Challengers: Indian Resistance and Cooperation in Southern California, 1769–1906|year=2014|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|pages=109–111}}</ref>

=== American Period (1848–present) ===

===End of the Rancho era and land disputes (1848–1870)===

The conclusion of the [[Mexican–American War]] in 1848 and the cession of California to the United States brought severe challenges for ranchero landowners, including the [[Californio]] families in the Glendora area. The 1848 [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] pledged that Mexican-era land grants would be respected, but a significant challenge soon arose because Spanish and Mexican authorities in California had used informal systems to define land boundaries, relying on personal relationships and natural landmarks such as hills, streams, and trees. Formal [[cadastral surveying]] techniques were viewed as unnecessary in the sparsely populated region. When California became part of the United States, American authorities required precise land surveys and uniform taxation, creating substantial legal and financial burdens for Californio rancheros, who were accustomed to the earlier informal methods. Many rancheros, including local landowner Henry Dalton, faced protracted legal disputes as they struggled to prove ownership of lands previously informally documented.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleland|first=Robert Glass|title=The Cattle on a Thousand Hills: Southern California, 1850–1880|publisher=Huntington Library Press|year=1941|pages=43–47}}{{cite book |last=Gates |first=Paul W. |title=Land and Law in California: Essays on Land, Water, and Housing in the Nineteenth Century |year=1991 |publisher=Iowa State University Press |page=71}}{{cite web |title=Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) |url=https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo |publisher=U.S. National Archives |date=August 15, 2016 |access-date=March 17, 2025}}</ref>

The federal [[Land Act of 1851]] required all holders of Spanish or Mexican land grants to file claims and prove their titles before a special [[Public Land Commission]] and U.S. courts, or else forfeit their lands. This process proved lengthy and costly, often lasting over a decade and involving significant expenses for attorneys, translators, and surveyors.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pitt |first=Leonard |title=The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846–1890 |year=1999 |publisher=University of California Press |pages=83–85}}{{cite journal |last=Robinson |first=W. W. |title=Land in California |journal=Southern California Quarterly |volume=50 |issue=4 |year=1968 |pages=317–319}}</ref> Moreover, California's new state government imposed property taxes on large landholdings, a sharp departure from Mexican rule, which had not taxed land ownership. Many Californio rancheros, being land-rich but cash-poor, struggled to pay these taxes and mounting legal fees, leading them to mortgage, sell, or cede large portions of their ranchos.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greaser Act and Land Taxation After the U.S. Conquest |url=https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=3&psid=568 |website=Digital History |publisher=University of Houston |access-date=March 17, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Pitt |first=Leonard |title=The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846–1890 |year=1999 |publisher=University of California Press |pages=89–90}}{{cite journal |last=Hurtado |first=Albert L. |title=Land, Labor, and Production on the California Frontier: The Ranchos of Santa Clara Valley |journal=California Historical Quarterly |volume=55 |issue=4 |year=1976 |pages=364–366}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Beebe |first=Rose Marie |author2=Robert M. Senkewicz |title=Testimonios: Early California Through the Eyes of Women, 1815–1848 |year=2006 |publisher=Heyday |location=Berkeley, CA |page=29}}</ref>

In the Glendora area, by the time of American rule, British-born ranchero Henry Dalton owned a 4,431-acre land grant encompassing parts of present-day Azusa, Glendora, and surrounding communities, and had also purchased adjacent ranchos including [[Rancho San Francisquito (Dalton)|San Francisquito]] and [[Rancho Santa Anita]], creating a vast land holding stretching from San Dimas to the eastern boundary of present-day Pasadena.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Sheldon G. |title=A British Ranchero in Old California: The Life and Times of Henry Dalton and the Rancho Azusa |year=1977 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark Co. |location=Glendale, CA |pages=37–40}}{{cite journal |last=Baker |first=C. C. |title=Don Enrique Dalton of the Azusa |journal=Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California |volume=10 |issue=3 |year=1917 |pages=18–19}}</ref> After U.S. annexation, Dalton filed his land claim with the Land Commission in 1852 and eventually received a federal patent in 1876. Despite this legal victory, the cost was significant. Dalton disputed an 1860 federal survey that substantially reduced the size of his rancho, opening it to homesteaders. Dalton's efforts to challenge this survey involved decades of costly litigation and required loans from creditors such as Los Angeles banker [[J. S. Slauson|Jonathan S. Slauson]]. Ultimately, Dalton was forced to relinquish nearly all his land to settle debts, retaining only a 55-acre homestead near the modern boundary between Azusa and Glendora. Dalton died nearly penniless in 1884, exemplifying the challenges Californio rancheros faced as legal disputes and financial burdens reshaped land ownership across Southern California.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Sheldon G. |title=A British Ranchero in Old California: The Life and Times of Henry Dalton and the Rancho Azusa |year=1977 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark Co. |pages=85–87, 112–113, 167}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=City of Azusa History – Dalton’s Loss is Slauson’s Gain |url=https://www.azusaca.gov/569/Azusa-History |publisher=City of Azusa |access-date=March 17, 2025}}{{cite journal |last=Baker |first=C. C. |title=Don Enrique Dalton of the Azusa |journal=Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California |volume=10 |issue=3 |year=1917 |pages=32–33}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cleland |first=Robert Glass |title=The Trials of a Rancho Owner in Southern California |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 21, 1979 |page=OC_A4}}</ref>

=== Founding and modern development (1887–present) ===

Like many cities in the San Gabriel Valley, Glendora was established on previously remote agricultural land during the [[Southern California real estate boom of the 1880s]]. Real estate values rose especially quickly in areas connected to the outside world upon the completion of the [[Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad]] in May 1887, later purchased by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe Railway]], connecting Los Angeles to Chicago. Located at the foot of the [[San Gabriel Mountains]], Glendora was started on approximately {{convert|300| acres}} that were subdivided for sale by [[George Dexter Whitcomb|George D. Whitcomb]] in late March 1887. On the first day of sale, April 1, 1887,<ref>{{cite book|last1= Glendora Historic Preservation Committee |title=Glendora's Historic Core: A Walking Tour|date=|publisher=City of Glendora|location=Glendora, California|page=8|url=https://www.glendorahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Glendora-WalkingTour.pdf|access-date=September 7, 2024}}</ref> 300 lots were sold.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Guinn|first1=James Miller|title=A History of California and an Extended History of Its Southern Coast Counties: Also Containing Biographies of Well-known Citizens of the Past and Present, Volume 1|date=1907|publisher=Historic Record Company|location=Los Angeles, California|page=392|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMxQAQAAIAAJ&q=glendora+santa+fe+railroad+1887&pg=PA392|access-date=December 4, 2017}}</ref> Later that month, the Suydam family built the first building erected after Glendora officially became a town – a barn at 645 N Vista Bonita Avenue, which served as their home until their house was completed in October.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bohem |first1=Hilda |date= December 1984 |title= Nellie Suydam of Glendora: Diary of an Ordinary Woman |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41171121 |journal=Southern California Quarterly. |volume=66 |issue=4 |pages=335–344 |doi=10.2307/41171121 |jstor=41171121 |access-date=September 7, 2024 }}</ref>

Whitcomb was the founder of the [[Whitcomb Locomotive Works]] in [[Chicago]] and [[Rochelle, Illinois]] and had moved to California in the early 1880s. He devised the name ''Glendora'' by combining the name of his wife, Leadora Bennett Whitcomb (1839–1929), with the location of his home in a [[glen]] of the San Gabriel Mountains. In December 1907, the development of Glendora got a boost when passenger service opened on a new extension of the [[Pacific Electric|Pacific Electric Railway's]] [[Monrovia–Glendora Line]] which provided hourly, direct service from downtown Glendora to the [[Pacific Electric Building]] at Sixth and Main in [[Downtown Los Angeles]]. Prior to its 1911 incorporation, Glendora's administrator officially occupied the office of President of Glendora.

Glendora experienced significant growth during Southern California’s citrus boom in the early 20th century, becoming a thriving hub for citrus production. At its peak in 1947, the local citrus industry encompassed over 5,000 acres of orange and lemon orchards, supported by six [[packing house|packing houses]] processing approximately 78,000 tons of fruit annually, valued between $4 million and $8 million (roughly $60-120 million in 2025 dollars).<ref>{{cite news|last=Van Derbeken|first=Jaxon|title=Petitioners Seek to Save Glendora’s Orange Trees|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 4, 1987|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-19-ga-4251-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318081142/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-19-ga-4251-story.html|archive-date=March 18, 2025|access-date=March 18, 2025}}</ref>

The downtown area as it appears now is the product of years of renovation and maintenance by the city. The former opera house, movie theatre, Pacific Electric station, banks, hotels, grocery and department stores were converted for modern uses. The original layout can be read about on the Downtown Glendora Historical Walk, by reading placards placed along Glendora Avenue (previously called Michigan Avenue). The original townsite was bounded by Sierra Madre Avenue on the north, Minnesota Avenue on the east, Ada Avenue and the railroad on the south, and Pennsylvania Avenue on the west.

Glendora used to be home to several military academies, which have since been converted into either churches or private school facilities. These academies included Brown Military Academy,<ref>{{cite web |title=Brown Military Academy – John Brown University |url=http://www.brownmilitaryacademy.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114221128/https://www.jbu.edu/brown-military-academy/ |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |website=John Brown University |publisher=brownmilitaryacademy.com}}</ref> now St. Lucy's Priory High School and Church of the Open Door on Sierra Madre, and Harding Military Academy,<ref>{{cite web |last=Lodevico-To'o |first=Hazel |date=July 6, 2011 |title=July 6, 1972: Harding Military Academy Closes its Doors |url=http://glendora.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/july-6-1972-harding-military-academy-closes-its-doors |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409070536/http://patch.com/california/glendora/july-6-1972-harding-military-academy-closes-its-doors |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |work=Glendora, California Patch}}</ref> whose property is now home to North Glendora Private, a prestigious private community adjacent to Easley Canyon atop Glendora Avenue.

From 1960 to 1978, Glendora was home to [[Clokey Productions]] which produced 85 episodes of [[Gumby]] and 65 episodes of [[Davey and Goliath]] in town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gumby's Studio, Clokey Productions |url=http://www.gumbyworld.com/gumbys-studio/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129141100/https://www.gumbyworld.com/gumbys-studio/ |archive-date=November 29, 2022 |website=Gumby World}}</ref> In celebration of this history, Glendora hosted the first Gumby Fest in 2014 which brought thousands of people from around the country and Canada. In 2015 the 2nd GumbyFest<ref>{{cite web |title=Gumby Fest 2015: Citrus College, Glendora, CA USA |url=http://gumbyfest.net/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901194228/http://www.gumbyfest.net/ |archive-date=September 1, 2015 |work=gumbyfest.net}}</ref> was held at [[Citrus College]] over an entire weekend.

Several wildfires have affected the city in recent years, the most notable being the campfire triggered [[Colby Fire]], which displaced hundreds of Glendora residents. A relief concert titled "Glendora Band Aid"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rotaryofglendora.org/bandaid.html|title=Colby Fire Relief Music Festival: March 22, 2014|work=rotaryofglendora.org}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> was held shortly after the fire to help raise funds to assist the homeowners who lost their homes in the fire.

Glendora has an active Chamber of Commerce,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://glendora-chamber.org|title=Glendora Chamber of Commerce|work=glendora-chamber.org}}</ref> established in 1903. The mission of the Glendora Chamber is to provide tools and resources to assist the business community in prospering and adapting to the economic climate, while growing membership and promoting [[local purchasing]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glendora Chamber of Commerce |url=http://glendora-chamber.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413080142/https://www.glendora-chamber.org/ |archive-date=April 13, 2023 |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=Glendora Chamber of Commerce}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Glendora-1920.jpg|Glendora, 1920.
File:Early Alosta-Glendora Map.jpg|Early [[Alosta]]-Glendora Map 1888. View looking north from present-day South Hills Park Wilderness Area
File:Glendora_in_2017.jpg|Present day view from the South Hills
</gallery>