Theodore Payne

He arrived in New York, traveled to Chicago where he visited the World's Columbian Exhibition, then set out for Southern California.

Upon arriving in 1893, he worked for a week picking apricots, then in July found a job as head gardener for Madame Helena Modjeska at "Arden."

It was there that he began his lifelong interest in California native plants, exploring the extensive natural areas surrounding the Ranch.

[1] Even in the early years of the 20th century, native habitats were being lost to agriculture and housing at an alarming rate in California.

[1] In 1915 he laid out and planted 262 species in a 5-acre (20,000 m2) wild garden in Exposition Park, in central Los Angeles.

The Foundation hold Payne's business and personal papers, an archive that provides insight to the horticultural history of California.