By Bill Pumford, Image by Bill Pumford

TITLE: HI-LOWE FARM AND FERN ROCK RANCH IN TWIN PEAKS: A rather forgotten historical area in Twin Peaks is the Hi-Lowe Farm and the Fern Rock Ranch, both connected by family and location. Thaddeus Lowe,Jr. married Florence Dobbins in 1895 and Florence was the daughter of Richard and Caroline Dobbins, who were prominent citizens in Pasadena. Thaddeus Lowe’s father was Thaddeus Lowe Sr. who was considered the father of military aerial reconnaissance through the use of balloons during the Civil War. The father and son built a railway up a mountain that was later named Mt. Lowe, part of the San Gabriel Mountains range. Caroline began spending time in the San Bernardino Mountains and had a cabin built at Squirrel Inn. About 1913 she acquired property in what is now Twin Peaks and built a ranch. She named the ranch Fern Rock, most probably after an area in Philadelphia (her hometown) that was similarly named. This was a fruit ranch with apples the primary fruit raised and then sold locally. In 1914 Thaddeus bought a 5-acre plot across the street from Fern Rock where he eventually built a house for him and his wife. Thad also raised apples in addition to goats, rabbits, and chickens. Florence Lowe died in 1923 and in 1925 Thaddeus married Ruth Ruel, a woman considerably younger than himself. During the Great Depression the Lowe family lost much of its fortune, including the estate in San Marino, California. Thaddeus and Ruth came to the mountains to live full-time in the house in Twin Peaks. Thaddeus and Ruth were both well-liked in the community and they enjoyed living at their farm. Thaddeus died in 1955 and Ruth married Frank Plummer in 1958 and continued to live at Hi-Lowe Farm. Fern Rock Ranch was located off Highway 189 where the current Fern Rock Estates exists, and the Hi-Lowe Farm was located across the street near the Edison maintenance area.