Duarte History
Duarte Historical Museum
Duarte in Bronze--The Statue Project
Activities and
Publications
San Gabriel Valley Museums
Contacts
The Duarte Historical Society
is celebrating the publication in the Arcadia Book Series:
IMAGES OF AMERICA: DUARTE
by authors
Irwin Margiloff & Neil Earle
To purchase a book mail check payable to
Duarte Historical Society c/o Claudia Heller
277 Opal Canyon Rd., Duarte, CA 91010
$22 per copy, tax included, plus $4 for packing and shipping.
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The Society was formed in 1951 to record and illustrate
the history
of Duarte and nearby areas as a California rancho, a settlement, and
most
recently as a city. It is entirely an unpaid, privately-funded, non-profit organization supported by membership dues, a small endowment, and
contributions.
The Society is governed by an executive board of volunteers.
Activities of the Society include operation of the Duarte
Historical Museum, craft and art fairs, educational interaction with
local schools and the library, and bird walks in the adjacent course of
the San Gabriel River. [Click here to see photos and statistical reports.] The Society publishes a newsletter, the
Branding Iron, participates in the work of the Foothill
Curators and publishes their brochure "Locations and Operating Hours of the Historical Museums of the San Gabriel Valley".
Bimonthly programs open to the public are held in the Museum.
The Duarte
Historical Museum
The main activity of the Society is the Duarte Historical
Museum,
located
at 777 Encanto Parkway, Duarte, California. [Mailing address: P.O.Box 263, Duarte, California 91009]. The museum is staffed
by docents who open for the public on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, from 1 to 3 pm, and from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays. The Museum is also open by appointment for
groups
and individuals. It is closed Saturdays on holiday weekends.
Duarte History
The City is named for Andres Duarte, a Mexican
soldier who obtained a land grant in the waning days of Mexican ownership of Alta California. Andres Duarte ranched his grant well into the period of
statehood for California but lost it in the 1860's. Duarte is now a
residential community with a business sector, and is a City established
in 1957. For more on Andres Duarte and his activities, see our separate
page on Duarte History.
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Andres
Duarte's Brand, registered
in 1843. It is used in the City’s seal and flag, and is reproduced on
the hills overlooking the City
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The Statue
Project: Duarte in Bronze
Our major recent project has been to erect a large bronze equestrian statue, with Andres Duarte riding. The sculpture is installed in a new plaza---"Plaza Duarte"---located just north of City Hall. This is the largest public-art project in the San Gabriel Valley, and we expect the statue to become an icon for the City of Duarte. The dedication ceremony for the statue took place on March 31, 2007 with many descendents of Andres Duarte attending.
Here are further links to information about this project:
The 2011 Annual Salute to Route 66 Parade
The City of Duarte salutes its main street every year in September, with a celebration of City incorporation and an antique car show. This year the parade was on September 24. Click
here for photos from the City of Duarte's 2011 Annual Salute to Route 66 Parade.
>P>
April 22 Bird Walk at the Museum
Armed with binoculars and cocked ears, an expedition will set out on April 22 in search of the endangered Bell’s Vireo. Led by Ornithologist Kimball Garrett, the walk will cover Encanto Park and nearby trails along the San Gabriel River, convening at the Duarte Historical Museum, 777 Encanto Parkway, Duarte, at 8 a.m. The Museum will serve coffee and donuts at 7:30 a.m. before the walk.
“The Bell’s Vireo usually arrives by the first week or so of April, so our walk is scheduled for a good time to find them,” says Garrett. “We are also likely to spot Yellow-breasted Chats, and other nesting birds which should be in full song,” he adds.
In previous local searches for the Vireo, the song of the elusive bird has been heard from the Puente Largo Bridge. However, none of the small arboreal songbirds were actually seen. The Vireo song is distinct, inflecting upward and then downward as if asking then answering a question. As described in “Birds of the Los Angeles Region,” a book co-authored by Garrett, the Vireo may be found in “larger flood control basins and along unchannelized creeks and rivers.” Although endangered, their habitats are showing some recovery due to management of quality riparian habitat and localized cowbird trapping.
According to Garrett, because the walk will take place close to the peak of spring migration, “we might see a variety of warblers, swallows, flycatchers and other migrants. There ought to be Western Tanagers, Bullock’s and Hooded Orioles and other colorful birds.”
Garrett is Collections Manager at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. “We are fortunate to have Garrett, an expert in his field, lead this birding expedition. It promises to be fun, exciting and educational. The participants will learn a lot about our local natural history,” says Claudia Heller, president of the Duarte Historical Society, which is sponsoring the event in celebration of Earth Day.
The walk is free to the public. It will take place rain or shine. For more information, call (626) 358-0329.
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