Although Los Angeles County’s real estate and population “Boom of the Eighties” had come to an end, and a prolonged drought and extended economic depression were on the horizon, enthusiastic community boosters in Pasadena hit on a grand idea.
To promote the mild winter climate of the San Gabriel Valley, members of the exclusive Valley Hunt Club created a “Tournament of Roses.” The inaugural event was held on January 1, 1890, at what became Tournament Park (now part of the California Institute of Technology or Caltech) and featured races and athletic events, as well as a parade of rose-decorated carriages and buggies—extremely modest in comparison to their massive descendants of today. The use of the word “tournament” was influenced by the medieval aspect of some of the activities organized by the Club.
By 1895, the Club was no longer able to handle the growing event and the Tournament of Roses Association was formed. Three years later, East Coast newspapers picked up on the event, giving it significant public relations benefit.
The Association decided to add to its program by sponsoring its first football game in 1902. The University of Michigan squared off against Stanford University, but the 1,000-person field capacity was not nearly enough for the 8,500 spectators who appeared. A stampede broke out; fortunately, injuries were few and not serious. A trampling of a different sort occurred during the game, as Michigan (ecstatic to be away from the bitter winter cold of Ann Arbor, perhaps?) steamrolled their opponents, 49-0. The lopsided score and the uncontrollable crowd led organizers to put off another football contest until 1916.
In 1905, the first Rose Queen was crowned (there was actually a Rose King in 1913-14!) and, three years later, the tradition of building large, elaborate floats was introduced. Crowds continued to grow dramatically and, in 1918 when the temperature hit a hot 86 degrees, a quarter of a million people crowded along the route to watch the parade.
The Twenties brought many advancements and improvements. In 1920, horse-drawn vehicles were completely replaced by motor transport. Three years later, the Rose Bowl hosted its first football game, in which USC defeated Penn State, 14-3. In 1926, the first local radio broadcast of the parade was held, with coverage going national the following year. The final year of the 1920s brought even more excitement to the event, when flowers were glued onto the floats for the first time. The football game that year featured a famous (or infamous) play when University of California center Roy Riegels inadvertently ran the wrong direction with the ball, scoring a touchdown for the opponent and allowing Georgia Tech to prevail, 8-7.
The first four decades of the Tournament of Roses went from modest beginnings to a national pastime still beloved today.
Included here are some artifacts and photographs from the Homestead Museum Collection related to the Tournament of Roses from the 1890s through the 1920s.
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