Labor Day Equestrian Events at the Rose Bowl, 1933-1934

In their silver parade regalia:
Thunder, Merle Hartley Little, and Patch, early 1930s

The photo collection from the estate of Monrovia/Duarte horse rancher Merle Little is a gift that never stops giving. Many photos in the collection show us the importance of equestrian activities as a "draw" to get people to attend large public events.

Merle was part of an Orange County riding group called the El Rodeo Club, and a member of the Los Angeles and Monrovia Sheriff's Posses; he headed up equestrian activities for local festivals in Monrovia and Duarte for many years. 

Since I'm writing this on Labor Day, I thought it would be interesting to share a couple of images of equestrian Labor Day events at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena during the Great Depression. It almost goes without saying that many people were out of work during the Depression, and employment and workers' rights were on many people's minds back then. 

The 1933 event, billed as an "Oklahoma Stampede and Wild West Rodeo" combined with "Thrills of the Air." It must have been something to see. Motion picture flying stunt men and National Guard airmen above, and horses and riders below. The event was staged in cooperation with the Los Angeles Central Labor Council and Pasadena Labor Council; it benefited the Mt. Sinai Home for Chronic Invalids in Boyle Heights. 35,000 people attended.

Los Angeles Times, 5 September 1933

 

Edna May and Merle Little rode their Pinto horses at the 1933 Stampede and Rodeo. In this photo, Merle, on the right, is carrying the banner of the El Rodeo Club. Edna May appears to be riding Thunder, and Merle, Patch.

The 1934 Labor Day rodeo and wild west show at the Rose Bowl was sponsored by the California State Federation of Labor. It featured some of the top rodeo riders in the country.  Proceeds from the 1934 rodeo benefitted the annual convention of the Federation, held later the same month. 

Los Angeles Daily News, 6 August 1934

Los Angeles Evening News-Record, 29 August 1934

It was attended by several members of Hollywood's elite, according to the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record:

Los Angeles Evening News-Record, 29 August 1934

Edna May and Merle, fourth and fifth from left, posed along with other riders at the 1934 event. Merle is riding the tall Pinto Thunder; Edna May appears to be riding another Pinto, called Lightning, whose markings are different than Patch's (above).

A reported 7,000 people marched in a parade alongside several floats at this event.

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Here's a link to information on the Mt. Sinai Home for Chronic Invalids, at USC's invaluable Scalar site: https://scalar.usc.edu/hc/jewish-histories-boyle-heights/mt-sinai-hospital-and-clinic-bikur-cholim-society

Images from El Rancho Poco

El Rancho Poco sign

When the Monrovia-Duarte, California Community Book was published in 1957, the portraits of the featured, notable local citizens were taken in professional portrait studios. Head shots of humans.

All except for one: horse rancher Merle H. Little (1906-1975) had posed in front of  a hay barn with his chestnut Morgan stallion, Lippitt Morman.  Merle autographed his own copy of the book for both of them.

Lippitt Morman and Merle Little

Merle Little passed away far too early, in 1975, leaving behind a treasure trove of photographs and memorabilia of a horseman's life in Southern California between World War I and the end of the Vietnam War.  His wife, Edna May, died in 2004.  I never had the chance to meet either of them.

But during the course of my equine history and model horse history research over the past few years, I have had the honor of meeting, and becoming friends with, Merle's children. And when his older daughter died earlier this year, she left me "Daddy's horse stuff" with the understanding that she wanted it to have a permanent home at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library's Special Collections unit, which includes the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library. WKKAHL already holds some of Merle's other papers, given (through me) by his younger daughter. 

I am grateful to the Little family for the opportunity to be the temporary custodian of this treasure trove of local and equine history. It's an honor to have the opportunity to organize the photographs, correspondence, and ephemera, making it easier for other researchers to use the archive once it's in a public collection. And I can write about what's in the collection as I work my way through it.

Merle Little on his Morgan stallion Kandy King

To summarize: Horses were an integral part of Merle Little's life. His papers include materials dating back to the 1920s from a wide variety of regional equestrian activities: the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona. The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. 1930s Rancheros Visitadores trail rides in Santa Barbara County. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Posse activities over several decades, including horseback search and rescue. The Monrovia Mounted Police. The post-World War II activities of the Morgan Horse Association of the West, of which Merle was a co-founder. The Kellogg Ranch property in Pomona. Horse shows for children and adults. Duarte 4-H club activities. The Monrovia Day parade. 

Merle Little's Pinto stallion Tesoro (right)

And there are photographs of Merle and his family and their horses at home: El Rancho Poco, which used to occupy several acres near what is now the busy intersection of the 210 freeway and Mountain Avenue -- retail stores, car dealerships, restaurants.  Their horses were well-known participants at horse shows and parades: Pintos like Thunder and Lightning, Apatche, and Tesoro. Morgans like Sun Down Morgan, Senor Morgan, Senorita Morgan, Betty Joaquin, Lippitt Morman, and Kandy King. And so many more. Merle's donkeys and hinnies (a cross between a male horse and a female donkey) afforded his family and the neighborhood much joy. El Rancho Poco itself was a gathering place for family, friends, and community groups. My model horse collector readers know that some of Merle's horses inspired ceramic horse figurines designed by artist Maureen Love and produced by the legendary California pottery Hagen-Renaker, Inc.

Hagen-Renaker "Lippet" designed by Maureen Love,
inspired by Lippitt Morman

These days of the horse may be in the past, but because Merle took so many pictures and saved so much paper ephemera, we can revisit them, appreciate them, and learn from them. I hope you'll have a chance to follow along with this blog over the next many weeks, as I share highlights from the collection.