Pearle Pardee Russell with pug and donkey, Topsy and Jerry. We don't know which is which, but that is the order in which they appear in an early photo caption.

Pearle Blanche Pardee (sometimes misspelled Pearl) was born in Pennsylvania on March 30, 1882, to Edwin "Ed" Pardee and Catherine (aka Katherine) Gartner Pardee. Soon after her birth, Ed came west to work in the Pico oil field. Catherine and Pearle joined him in 1884. By 1887 Ed was operating a livery stable in Newhall where he was elected constable (lawman) in 1890. In 1893 he moved the Good Templars Lodge from Pine Street to the triangle formed by Newhall Avenue, Market and Walnut streets where he enlarged it and used it as the family home.

The house in the background at left is probably the Pardee family home, aka Pardee House, in which case the location would be the triangle that in 2006 became the City of Santa Clarita's Veterans Historical Plaza.

The photographer is probably standing on Newhall Avenue at the corner of Walnut Street.

Ed Pardee died in a 1914 car crash and Catherine followed him in death in 1918. Pearle inherited her parents' estate. By that time she was married to Harry Burton Russell. The couple sold the Pardee House to the telephone company around 1942 and moved to 24933 Walnut Street, where they were living at the time of Pearle's death on June 10, 1958. Pearle was heavily involved in the Newhall community as described in her death notice in The Newhall Signal.

Further reading: Ed Pardee: Keeper of Peace, Maker of News.

This 3.25x3.25-inch print is one of a grouping of six Pardee family photos that we suspect were assembled by A.B Perkins in the 1950s and which are badly faded (see below).