Santa Anita Park
Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin bought Rancho Santa Anita in 1875 and built the first Santa Anita Park there in 1907. In February 1909, California outlawed racetrack betting; Baldwin died two months later. The grandstand burned down in 1912. His daughter, Anita, launched a project to build a new park in 1932. After parimutuel gambling was legalized in 1933, Dr. Charles Strub and Hal Roach bought her out and completed the project, making it the first formally-established racetrack in California. Besides horse racing, the park hosted the equestrian events for the 1984 Olympic Games and can been seen in films from the Marx Brother’s 1937 classic “A Day at the Races” to the 2003 “Seabiscuit,” winner of the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Arcadia, Los Angeles County
Images by John Bare