Abbot Kinney - Kinneloa

Kinneloa

Instead of returning home, Kinney took an extended vacation through Europe, India, Ceylon, New Guinea, Australia and Hawaii. After his arrival in San Francisco in January 1880, his train travel east was delayed by snow. So, Kinney, an asthmatic, improvised with side trip to a Southern California health resort, the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. After showing up without a reservation, he slept on a billiard table in the parlor, where he awoke in the morning free of asthma symptoms. This positive experience inspired him to purchase 550 acres (2.2 km2) of nearby property, which he named "Kinneloa".