Frederick J. Woodbury was one of the early settlers of the Altadena area in the 1880's. The Woodbury ranch occupied the land north of present-day Woodbury Road, and in 1882, Woodbury laid out the stretch of Santa Rosa Avenue known today as Christmas Tree Lane, extending north to the property of his brother John, located on what is now Altadena Drive. John Woodbury had been impressed by the beauty of Himalayan deodar cedar trees, which he had seen during his travels in Italy. Over a hundred deodar seedlings were planted along the shoulders of the road by the ranch foreman, Tom Hoag.
Because of the mile-long straightaway and average grade of seven percent, the road attracted motorists and stunt men, wanting to test the mettle of their machines. Renowned race driver Barney Oldfield participated in one of the hill climb events there in 1909, driving his chain-driven Duesenberg. Over the years, the trees grew tall and stately, and in 1920 they were first lit for the Christmas holidays, the brainchild of Pasadena merchant Fred Nash. Visitation increased year by year, and by the 50th anniversary of the trees' planting, more than 50,000 cars annually drove through the corridor of colorful lights.
In 1956, organization of the festivities and volunteer maintenance work was taken over by the Christmas Tree Lane Association (http://www.christmastreelane.net). CTLA is a non-profit group of volunteers that has preserved the Lane without corporate sponsors or government funding, relying only on community support. CTLA members put up the lights between October and early December, then work on taking them down from February to April. In the spring and fall, volunteers rebuild the lines, replace faulty bulbs, and clear the brush growing under the deodars. All this hard work culminates on the second Saturday in December, when the festive lighting ceremony brings out thousands of revelers from all around the area. Christmas Tree Lane is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A memorial on the northeast corner of Santa Rosa and Woodbury dates to 1928; a nearby dedicatory plaque reads: "THIS PARK IS GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC BY THE PROPERTY OWNERS ON SANTA ROSA AVENUE IN GRATEFUL APPRECIATION OF THE PLANTING OF THESE CEDRUS DEODARA TREES IN 1885 BY FREDERICK J. AND JOHN P. WOODBURY".