The Altadena Historical Society began collecting oral histories back in the days of audio tapes to record the personal recollections of longtime Altadenans for future generations. Our collection includes fascinating first-person written accounts of Altadena life, including those of Richard Bale, author of Growing Up in Altadena in the 1940’s and Mary Agnes Crank, who told of ranch life here in the 1870’s.

We have put many of these online, and for those that are not hyperlinked below, you may come in to listen to them when we reopen. Click any name for a description of that person’s story.

Do you have a story to tell?

We continue to look for people with interesting experiences of life in Altadena as we add to our collection. If you know someone who would be willing to tell us their stories, please send us an email.