Sierra Madre Festival and the "World's Largest Wistaria Vine"

On March 29, 1937, Crowds flocked to see the lavender blossoms of the "world's largest wistaria vine" in Sierra Madre. The vine at Scenic Point had been planted in 1894, and had grown so big that in 1918 it became the star of its own annual festival. By 1937, it was said to cover more than an acre, and the fete to celebrate it lasted two weeks. By then, the vine had engulfed, and finally crushed the roof of the original house beside which it had first been planted — from a one-gallon can. A new owner of the property erected pergolas, lattices and metal supports to hold the vine. One of numerous Times articles about the festival called the vine "one of the five or six best-known Southland spectacles outside this state." The vine exists to this day, spread over two properties, and goes on public display one day a year.