Introduced in 1911 on “Subway Tract No. 1250”, sold by realtor Guy M. Rush (1882-1962). Rush was born in Vanderbilt, MI, which is about 25 miles from a Guthrie Lake, so one might presume that’s how this street got its name. However, Rush came to Pomona in early childhood, so his memories of Guthrie Lake would have been few – and I found no proof that the lake even went by that name before 1925! So here’s a second theory: “Guthrie” refers to Venice financier William J. Guthrie (1871-1915), whose sixteen acre property lay about 3.5 miles west of the Subway tract. Guthrie’s showcase mansion was visible from the Venice Short Line railway, as was Rush’s tract, but I found no link between the two men. A third potential namesake is realtor Charles B. Guthrie (1876-1949), whom Rush likely knew. All that said, it could be that some civil engineer simply pulled “Guthrie” out of a hat when naming this street. P.S. Regarding that so-called “Subway”: in 1911, there were indeed dreams of moving a portion of the Venice Short Line underground, but they never came to fruition and Subway Tract No. 1250 was renamed West Pico Terrace in a 1912 publicity contest.
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