Dr. Francis F. Rowland sits on a horse at the first Tournament of Roses. He was the very first Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade, which was first held in the winter of 1890. What began as a promotional event to encourage travel to the West Coast in the colder months has since become a New Year's Day tradition filled with flowers, floats and football. Before the over-the-top designs we've come to know, the parade consisted of horse-drawn carriages decorated with flowers.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
The carriage that won first prize in 1891 stands outside the Raymond Hotel. Pasadena, California, has always been the home of the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
A group of men known as the Woodmen Quartet ride their bicycles together in the 1893 parade.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
According to the Tournament of Roses website, by 1895 the parade had become too big for the Valley Hunt Club to handle alone. At a public meeting, the Tournament of Roses Association was formed to produce the annual festival.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
Firefighters pose with their department's entry in the 1896 parade.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
Parade riders sit in their carriage in 1897.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
Women sit in their carriage in 1899.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
A carriage entry in 1900.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
The first Rose Bowl Game was held at Tournament Park in 1902. University of Michigan competed against Stanford and defeated them 49-0. Here, the Michigan team rides in the 1902 parade.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
A photograph marked as "Navajo Blanket Makers" shows Native Americans riding aboard a wagon at the 1903 parade.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
A float in the shape of an airplane is seen in 1911. With the Wright brothers having successfully achieved their first flight in 1903, the enthusiasm for aviation was beginning to take off.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
The entry from the city of Alhambra is seen in 1913. It reads: "ALHAMBRA: The Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley."
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
The king and queen, Dr. Fitch C. E. Mattison, fourth from left, and Miss Mabel Seibert, third from left, ride with the other members of the Rose Court in 1914.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
The year 1920 saw the end of horse-drawn carriages in the parade. The first-prize entry that year was awarded to the car in the photo above. While horses no longer pulled carriages and floats, they continued to be a mainstay of the parade and its events.
Courtesy of Pasadena Museum of History
A mass of spectators are seen along the parade route in 1925.
