Established 1953
The Dalton Hotshot crew was founded in
1953. Since the crew's inception, Dalton has had a long history
and progressive tradition of employing people from various ethnic and
cultural backgrounds. the first crews were primarily composed
entirely of Native Americans from New Mexico. Today, the crew
consists of people from the many different cultural backgrounds that
make up the surrounding Southern California area, along with others from
throughout the United States.
Originally, it was based in the San Dimas
Experimental Forest at the Tanbark Work Center. In 1969, ground
was broken at the site of the crew's present barracks at the base of the
San Gabriel Mountains in Glendora, California. Today, these
barracks that once sat on an empty plain, now lie at the base of
Glendora's urban interface. From this position, the Dalton
Hotshots have easy access to freeway systems, major airports and two
nearby National Forests.
The contract for the Dalton Barracks was
awarded March 13, 1969 at a cost of $182,000. at 7,000 square
feet, it can comfortably accommodate up to twenty people. It
contains a crew lounge, training facility, hotshot office and an engine
office. Our facility also affords crew members an opportunity to
enhance their physical conditioning through the use of our volleyball
and basketball courts, along with an extensive weight training room.
Dalton Canyon, named after Henry Dalton
who was born in England in 1803 and later came to southern California in
1843, became an ambitious rancher and landowner. The station now
sits at the junction of Little and Big Dalton Canyons. The crews'
emblem depicts a Nelson Desert Bighorn. The Bighorn roams freely
in the Sheep Mountain Wilderness on the Angeles National Forest.
After serving a short time as Dalton
Hotshot Superintendent in 1953, Chuck Culver was succeeded by Jay
Shoemaker, Robert Caffey, Jim Clark, Arnold Alum, Chuck Hartley, John
Chackerian, Lewis P. Yazzie and Robert J. Serrato.
Throughout Dalton's rich history of pride
and tradition, there is a positive value that has been passed on from
crew to crew. Passed on is a great tradition of self worth,
integrity and the endeavor for excellence. It is this reward that
is Dalton's most valued piece of history and it is those individuals who
have had the responsibility to lead, that have carried on this valuable
tradition.
