[Mackerm]

The 2016 movie The Founder mentioned that Dick and Maurice McDonald ran a snack stand in Arcadia, which I took to be a mistake, since I knew they had one in Monrovia. That is, until I saw this article (Los Angeles Almanac):

This inspired them to enter the food business, so, in 1937, they sold the theater and first opened an orange juice stand named “the Wigwam” on Foothill Boulevard in Arcadia

The Wigwam, and its predecessor the Orange Inn, were discussed in this thread in 2015, on page 1479:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This is a fun one!!


The Orange Inn, Foothill Blvd., 1924.


eBay

This makes me want to go back in time.




eBay

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Originally Posted by oldstuff

Probably not this actual one, but there is still a big orange stand located on Foothill Blvd in Fontana. It is on the property of Bono's Italian Restaurant and Wikipedia indicates that it was originally 3 miles to the east along Foothill. Bono's originally had its own orange but it was torn down. The owner then bought this one and moved it.

There is some indication that the Orange Inn was located at what is now Foothill and Wigwam. The corner of Foothill and Wigwam is in Arcadia. The property was owned by a man named Hal Slemons who had a lot of land north of Foothill in the 20's and 30's.

The Orange Inn was turned into the place called the Wigwam, which was apparently thatched with palm leaves according to a blog here:
https://tangentialmeanderings.wordpr...rhood-changes/

According to the blogger, the McDonald's located on the north side of Foothill is where the Orange Inn/ Wigwam was located

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

That's great information oldstuff.

And look what I found; a photograph of the Wig-Wam (with thatched roof like you said)


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1924-Origina...item43df516362

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So Arcadia is home to the Once and Future McDonalds!!

Here are some photos of the early McDonald's snack stands in Monrovia:

cityofmonrovia.pastperfectonline.com Airdrome c. 1937-1940. One of the McDonald brothers' snack stands at the Monrovia airport. The other was the "Giant Orange". The stands - which sold orange juice, hot dogs, hamburgers and one sold beer - were on opposite sides of Route 66 to attract traffic going both directions. The Airdrome was eventually cut in half and moved to San Bernardino, which the first McDonalds-named stand was created.


cityofmonrovia.pastperfectonline.com You can see the giant orange between the wings of the biplane on the left) I don't think it's the same orange which was at the Orange Inn. It does resemble the one in Fontana which oldstuff mentioned.


cityofmonrovia.pastperfectonline.com Aerial View of Monrovia Airport. McDonald's Airdrome is bottom center. You can tell the McDonald's were smart (as if there was any doubt) by the way they placed the stand at a zigzag on Route 66, so that people driving toward Los Angeles would see it looming in front of them from miles away.

(Finally figured out how to embed photos)