"The Arboretum is sited on a remaining portion of the Rancho Santa Anita, one of the Mexican land grants of Southern California. Rancho Santa Anita was unusual in that it was located above a large part of the Raymond Basin aquifer.
In 1839, the grant to Rancho Santa Anita was awarded to Hugo Reid (1809–1852) and his Tongva wife, Victoria. Reid built a adobe home by the lake in 1839, now a California Historic Landmark. Reid was an educated Scotsman known for a series of letters describing Tongva culture.
The site's modern history began in 1875 when Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin purchased Rancho Santa Anita and constructed its buildings and grounds. Baldwin's influence was a strong presence on the site. A certain flamboyance was evident in the creation of a showcase at Santa Anita.
The arboretum itself began in 1947 with California and Los Angeles jointly purchasing 111 acres to create an arboretum around the Baldwin site. The arboretum's plants are grouped by geography with gardens for South American, Mediterranean, South African, Australian and Asiatic-North Americanplants. Other displays include the Aquatic Garden, Meadowbrook, Demonstration Home Gardens, Garden for All Seasons, Prehistoric and Jungle Garden, Native Oaks, Herb Garden, and the Palm and Bamboo collection."
The cookbook includes photos of the arboretum alongside recipes. Several references to the property's famous peacocks are made, including recipes "How To Roast A Peacock" and "Peacock Potpourri.
