An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 11

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > California > Los Angeles County > An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 11

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In 1838 Ignacio Coronel, the father of Don Antonio F. Coronel, of this city, aided by his wife and daughter, opened a primary school in Los Angeles.

The municipal officers of Los Angeles during the decade 1830-'40 were: 1831-Alcalde, Vi- cente Sanchez; First Regidor, Jnan B. Alvarado; Síndico, Gil Ibarra. 1832-Alcalde, Manuel Dominguez; Regidores, Juan N. Alvarado, José Manuel Cota, Felipe Lugo, Ignacio María Alva rado, Juan Ballesteros; Secretary, Vicente de la Ossa. 1833-Alcalde, José A. Carrillo; Regi- dores, Felipe Lugo, Ignacio M. Alvarado, Antonio Machado and José Sepúlveda; Síndico, Tiburcio Tapia ; Secretary, - Ossa. 1834-Alcalde, José Perez; Regidores, José Sepúlveda, Vicente de la Ossa, Jannario Ávila; Síndico, Vicente Moraga; Secretary, Moraga till May, and Manuel Arzaga from June. 1835-First Alcalde, Francisco Ja- vier Alvarado; Second, Domingo Romero; Reg- idores, Januario Ávila, Vicente de la Ossa, Ignacio Palomares, Rafael Guirado, Juan N. Alvarado, Juan de Dios Bravo; Síndico, Nar- ciso Botello; Secretary, Mannel Arzaga. 1836- First Alcalde, Manuel Requena, Second, Tiburcio, Tapia; Regidores, Rafael Guirado, Juan Alvarado Basilio Valdes, Felipe Lugo, and José M. Her- rera; Síndico, Abel Stearns to June, Antonio M. Osio from July; Secretary, Narciso Botello. 1837 First Alcalde, Gil Abarra; Second, José

Sepúlveda; Regidores, Valdes, Lugo, Herrera, Francisco Pantoja and Bernardino Lopez; Sínd- ico, Ignacio M. Alvarado; Secretary, N. Bo- tello. 1838-First Alcalde, Luis Arenas; Second, José Perez; Regidores, Ignacio Palomares, Ber- nardino Lopez, Juan Ballesteros, Antonio Mach- ado, Januario Ávila, José del Carmen Lugo; Síndico, Vicente de la Ossa; Secretary, N. Bo- tello. 1839-First Alcalde, Tiburcio Tapia; Sec- ond, Manuel Dominguez; Regidores, Antonio Machado, Januario Ávila. José del C. Lugo, F. M. Alvarado, José Sepúlveda, Crisostomo Ve- jar; Síndico, Vicente Sanchez; Secretaries in succession, Botello and Ignacio Coronel.

In 1840 the city of Los Angeles had a pop- nlation of 1,100. January 14, 1836, the town council complained of an epidemic of crows, and called for a contribution for a slaughter of the birds, else a proclamation would be issued. The same month there was a hydrophobia scare, and the council solemnly decreed that no man should keep more than two dogs, and these must be securely tied, and all the rest killed; and this work must be done on credit, as the treasury was empty. In February, 1837, some men con- victed of the crime of fornication were marched through the streets, for humiliation. In 1839 Francisco Limon was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for committing rape on a little Indian girl, which resulted in her death. This year also California was divided into two districts, each one to be governed by a prefect. Cosme Peña was appointed prefect of the second or Los Angeles district. He soon afterward turned his office over to Alcalde Tapia, who was snc- ceeded by Santiago Argüello. The prefect was an executive officer exercising a general an- thority over the town councils and all local officers in the district.

In 1840 occurred the arrest and exile to Mex- ico of Isaac Graham and about fifty of his fel- low Americans, under orders from Governor Alvarado. Graham possessed the usual charac- ter of a frontiersman, rough but honest, illiterate and largely given to sensuality, warm-hearted, and strong in his friendships and hates. Ile it

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

was who had befriended Alvarado and brought him up from the obscurity of a clerkship at Monterey to be Governor of California. It was Graham, at Alvarado's request, who raised a company of frontiersmen, consisting of hunters, trappers and settlers, all foreigners and mostly Americans and Englishmen, who had taken a leading part in deposing Gutierrez and making Alvarado Governor, when the latter in turn promised grants of land to the foreigners and other favors, which he immediately forgot as soon as he became Governor.

Alvarado's order was that all foreigners, from San Francisco to San Diego, who could not show papers or were not married to native women, or engaged in some well-known and honorable occupation, should be arrested. It is not known exactly how many were arrested at Los Angeles, but it is supposed there were about eleven, whose names are thus given by Ban- croft: James Door, William Lumsdel (or Lums- den), Gabriel Pryor (supposed to be Nathan), William Wald, Milton White, Jacques Dufra, Thomas Jones, William Green, Jeffrey Brown, John Auntroy and Albert Williams. Three or four more are reported whose names are not given. One, by name Johnson, a blacksmith, escaped. Not all of these, however, were ex- iled. Under an armed guard from Santa Bar- bara, in October, they were conducted in chains to Mexico, and imprisoned at Tepic, where they were subjected to the shameful and cruel treat- ment, such as bad quarters, ill-ventilated, and poor food. The Government of the United States of America, with its accustomed indiffer- ence, did nothing to relieve the distress of its citizens; but, fortunately for the Americans, there were some Englishmen among the exiles, and the English Government, with its customary celerity, promptly interfered in behalf of its subjects, and the result was that the exiles were freed, and the men who had taken them to Mexico in chains were themselves arrested. An investigation followed, and no evidence was found that the exiles had been engaged in any plot against the Government of California; and

they were furnished with some money and a passage back to their homes.

Not all those who were arrested at Los An- geles were sent to Mexico; and it is not posi- tively known whether all returned who were sent, the records being very obscure on that matter. About twenty of them returned in July, 1841, and others found their way back at different times subsequently, having been fur- nished money, clothes and arms by the English consul at Tepic on the authority of the Mexi- can Government, on signing a release for dant- ages on account of their exile.

In 1840 Abel Stearns, of Los Angeles, was arraigned for continuing his smuggling opera- tions at San Pedro. In October a strange ves- sel landed goods there at night in a mysterious manner. On searching Stearns's warehouse a lot of silks and liquors was found, and condemned. Stearns wrote violent letters, talked londly and appealed for justice, meanwhile exerting him- self to make false invoices and otherwise put his accounts in order. To what extent he snc- ceeded the records fail to show; but in Decem- ber contraband new hides were found by another search of his warehouse.

American immigration began to be extensive in the '40s. In 1841 a party, twenty-five in number, arrived at Los Angeles from Santa Fé, known as the Workman-Rowland Company, being headed by William Workman and John Rowland. The members of the company were -Fred. Bachelor, *Frank Bediby, *James Doke, Jacob Frankfort, Isaac Given, *William Gam- ble, William Gordon, *Frank Gwinn, *Wade Hampton, William Knight, Thomas Lindsay, *L. (or J. H.) Lyman, "John McClure, James D. Mead, William C. Moon, John Rowland, Daniel Sexton (now of Colton), Hiram Taylor, * Tibault, Albert G. Toombs, Michael White (who had previously been in California), B. D. Wilson and William Workman. Those marked with a star did not remain in California. Other accounts give also the name of a Mr. Pickman.

This number was organized at Santa Fé, where

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

inost of the members had for a time resided. Starting in September, they crossed the Colo- rado River, and came by the old Sante Fé trail (down the Colorado and across the Mojave Desert), and arrived at San Gabriel. Workman and Gordon brought their families on this trip, and there were three native families who came with them to remain. Gamble, Lyman and Mead were scientists and spent but a short time in California. David W. Alexander and Jean B. Rouelle arrived at Los Angeles this year from New Mexico.

In February, 1841, Joseph R. Walker, who gave his name to Walker's Pass, with a party of fourteen Americans, trappers and traders, ar- rived in Los Angeles on a trading expedition.

In 1842 General Mannel Micheltorena was appointed Governor of California, and in July of the same year arrived in San Diego with a bat- talion of troops recruited from the convicts and rnflians from Guadalajara. He stopped in Los Angeles during a portion of the months of Sep- tember and October with his soldiers, enjoying a round of fandangos, feasts and bull-fights. In October he started with his men for Monterey, and on the 24th camped at San Fernando, where he received the news that Commodore Thomas Ap Catesby Jones, of the United States Navy. had captured Monterey and taken possession of it in the name of lis Government. Michelto- rena, who had been the veteran of five battles, immediately fled to Los Angeles and commenced preparations for the defense of the city. His engineers marked the ontlines of a fort to be built on the hill, at a point near what is now the intersection of Reck and Fort streets, and where subsequently the United States did erect some field works. While his surveyors and soldiers were at work upon this fortification, they were personally visited by J. J. Warner, who was thus an eye-witness of their labors.

In the meantime news came that Jones had surrendered Monterey back to Alvarado, and operations npon the fort were immediately abandoned. Commodore Jones was cruising in the Pacific Ocean, and heard rumors of a war

between the United States and Mexico; and, fearing that the English might seize California, he sailed immediately for Monterey and capt- nred that fort October 19, 1842. Learning of his mistake two days later, he hanled down the American flag and saluted the Mexican colors, and sent word to Micheltorena that he would visit him personally at San Pedro. Commodore Jones sailed from Monterey on the war-ship Cyane, and arrived at San Pedro, Jannary 17, 1843, where he received an invitation to visit Governor Micheltorena at Los Angeles. The invitation was accepted, and the following morn-" ing the Commodore and his staff disembarked, and were received by an escort sent by the Gov- ernor and taken to Los Angeles, where they were honored by a ball, held in the only two- story adobe house in the place. (Some years afterward this building was partly torn down, and the remaining portion for a long time formed one of the principal buildings in Chinatown.)

While here, Micheltorena presented Jones with a written proposition for the payment of uniforms and loss of arms and ammunition oc- casioned by the Governor's flight from San Fer- nando during a rain-storm, when he heard of Jones's capture of Monterey. Jones returned the proposition without his signature or approval. Returning to San Pedro, he embarked with his officers. While in Los Angeles, Commodore Jones was the guest of Abel Stearns.

During the first half of 1843 Micheltorena remained at Los Angeles with his battalion of ex-convicts, who became daily more unpopular on account of their continned excesses, and in July he moved his battalion to Monterey, where his unpopularity on account of his soldiers con- tinned to increase, and signs of an impending revolution were growing daily.

March 29, 1843, Micheltorena issned a decree restoring to the priests their temporal manage- ment of the missions on the condition that one- eighth of the total products of every mission should be paid into the treasury. San Gabriel and San Fernando, the two missions in this county, were named in the decree, and the

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

changes were effected in April, but practically amounted to nothing.

The disaffection which had been manifested from the first appearance of Michieltorena's soldiers in California grew stronger in 1844. There were rumors of revolt in Monterey, which resulted in the arrest of ex-Governor J. B. Alvarado. The revolt finally came, which resulted in driving Micheltorena and his ex- convicts from the country. The revolution commenced about the middle of November, 1844, at Monterey, by a party of fifty Califor- nians, under Manuel Castro, stealing the Gov- ernment horses and seizing the ammunition stores at the mission of San Juan Bautista. The uprising was general throughont all California. In his extremity Micheltorena applied to John A. Sutter for aid, and he consented to espouse the Governor's cause provided the latter should assure to him and his friends certain grants of land which they desired. This agreed to, Sutter, with about seventy other foreigners, principally Americans, placed himself under Micheltorena's orders, and the latter marched toward Los Angeles. At this place the sympa- thies of the Americans were all for the South as against Micheltorena; and while they did not expect to fight their countrymen under his command they organized a company for their own protection, under James McKinley. In this organization William Workman was a Cap- tain and John Rowland a lieutenant, and among the private soldiers were Abel Stearns, B. D. Wilson, Alexander Bell, Richard Langhlin, Nathaniel Pryor, Alexander Sales, Michael White, P. Mace, James Beckwourth, James Barton, William Fallon, John Reed, Louis Vignes, William Garner, Samuel Carpenter, Henry Dalton, Daniel Sexton, - Callaghan, Cornelius Perry and William Smith.

Governor Micheltorena and his army had left Monterey for the South about the middle of January, and on February 19 entered the San Fernando Valley somewhere in the neighbor- hood of Encino Ranch. On the previous day Castro and Alvarado had advanced through the 5

Cahuenga Pass from Los Angeles with 284 men, and camped on the southern edge of the San Fernando Valley, seven or eight miles from the Encino Ranch. On the 19th Pico also came from Los Angeles with re-enforcements, so that the Californians had about 400 men, while Micheltorena had about an equal force.

On Friday morning, February 20, 1845, the rival armies being only a few miles apart, ad- vanced toward each other, Micheltorena starting from the Encino Ranch and moving eastward down the San Fernando Valley, and Castro from Cahuenga westward up the valley, both armies marching along the Los Angeles River toward each other until they approached within very long cannon range. The revolutionists had two small cannon, and Micheltorena three. It was probably noon before the firing began, but it was kept up all the afternoon, on both sides. Micheltorena's gunners used grape and fired over 100 shots, while Castro's men used balls, and in some cases small stones, but fired fewer shots. The " tide of battle" raged with vary- ing success throughout that eventful afternoon. Many trees had their limbs broken, and the mountain rabbits were frightened almost to death by the sudden explosion of gunpowder! The engagement was quite as noisy as an Amer- ican Fourth of July! The result of the day's fighting was that a horse on Castro's side had his head blown off. Some say that two horses fell, and it was rumored that Micheltorena was slightly injured. The battle-field was at a well- known place called Alamo. Just before night Micheltorena moved his army eastward across the plain, with the apparent intention of ex- ecuting a flank movement, and, striking the river at its bend, followed it down to the city. Accordingly a large part of the Californian army withdrew from the Cahnenga Pass, and, proceeding to the left until they reached the river, ascended its course for a few miles and encamped for the night.

On the morning of the 21st the two armies were again facing each other, on the Verdugo Ranch, some teu or twelve miles from the action

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

of the preceding day. There seems to have been more cannon firing for an hour or two, when Micheltorena raised the white flag and proposed a capitulation. This sudden action on his part was occasioned by the desertion of Sut- ter and his men to the other side. They left him without firing a shot, being persuaded so to do by their fellow-countrymen of Los An- geles, against whom they would not fight, many of them being personal friends. They had been wavering before, and were not sorry for an ex- ense to withdraw from a bad canse.

During the battle they were visited by Mc- Kinley and Wilson, who argued that it was neither the duty nor the interest of the Ameri- cans to fight for the purpose of keeping Michel- torena's convict army in California. Captain Gantt and other members of his company ad- mitted the force of Wilson's reasoning, but replied that their men were afraid of losing the lands which Micheltorena had granted or promised to them. To remove this difficulty Pio Pico was sent for, and came in person, ex- plaining to the Americans that Micheltorena's grants and promises were worthless, because lands could not be granted legally to any but Mexicans; and assured them that they would in no way be oppressed; that their present occu- pation of land would not be disturbed; aud that as soon as tlicy chose to be citizens he would give them legal titles. This being satisfactory, the Americans immediately withdrew from the field and left the Mexicans to fight it out for themselves.

Sutter was not in the ravine with the rifle- men, but came there while negotiations were in progress to learn why they were not obeying orders. On his way back to Micheltorena's position lie and Bidwell, his aide, were captured, and after a brief detention were sent under a parole to Los Angeles. "There is room for suspicion," says Bancroft, "though there is no proof of it, that Sutter's capture was not alto- gether against his will, it being a pre-arranged method for honorably deserting Micheltorena's cause. It was evident from which quarter the

winds were seen to blow, and it was high time for the wily Swiss to trim his sails accordingly."

As soon as Micheltorena realized that the Americans under him had gone over to the other side, lie surrendered. A treaty was made the next day by which Micheltorena agreed to return to Mexico, turn over the Government to Pio Pico, and for such of his troops to go with him as wished to, and those who did not might remain. Pico at once assumed command, and on the 23d issned a proclamation as Governor, congratulating the people on the return of peace.

Micheltorena embarked with 200 of his troops at San Pedro for Monterey, where they were not allowed to land, except the General himself. There they were joined by his wife, and on the last of March sailed away to Mexico.

With Pio Pico as Governor, and a majority of the legislature Sonthern men, the old ques- tion of the capital was at last settled, and Los Angeles for the first time obtained hier rights, and during the remainder of the period of Mexi- can rule, about a year and a half, was the capi- tal of California. Pico made Bandini his Sec- retary of State at first, and a little later José M. Covarrubias.

The Legislature met at Los Angeles in regu- lar session on March 2. There was a notable absence of Northern members. The only im- portant action of this Legislature was the preparation of an extensive report of the late proceedings against Micheltorena.

But the new Government did not find every- thing easy. In March Simplicio Valves was arrested on a charge of conspiring to seize the public funds, and proclaim Micheltorena Gov- ernor. At the same time Matias Moreno was convicted of libel committed against the Gov- ernment, and banished across the frontier, but a few months later was pardoned. On the night of April 8 some twenty criminals overpow- ered their guards and escaped from the jail, seized their arms, and stationed themselves before the church, kindled a bonfire, and cleared the streets with a volley of their muskets and

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

the church cannon, shouting, "Down with Pico, Carrillo and Sanchez!" As the citizens began to assemble in arms the enthusiasm of the rebels cooled, and most of them surrendered to the authorities. The ringleaders were sen- tenced to six years' imprisonment at Acapulco.

In May Carrillo was superseded in command by Andrés Pico. The news came this month of the war between the United States and Mexico, and a vessel was sent from Monterey to Acapulco to learn whether it were true.

The population of Los Angeles City in 1845 was 1,250. In the same year the town conncil presented the church with a new cemetery, on the condition that there should be no church tax on the burials, which the bishop declined. A prosperous school was taught by Lieutenant Medina. This year the town council also ap- pointed a committee to name the streets and number the houses.

In 1841 there arrived at Los Angeles the annual New Mexican caravan, under the com- inand of E. Vigil. There was also a party of fifty-five Americans, under the command of "Peg-leg " Smith. This year, January 18, was committed the murder of Nicholas Fink, a German shoemaker, who had lived in California five years. His shop was closed for five days, when an investigation showed that he had been murdered and the place robbed on the night of the 14th. The body was found in the shop, the skull having been broken by a blow from a gun-barrel. Three Mexicans, named Ascencion Valencia, Santiago Lenares and José Duarte, were convicted of the crime, and shot by a de- tachment of eleven soldiers from Santa Bar- bara. The execution took place between ten and eleven o'clock on the 6th of April.

In March, 1842, occurred a discovery of gold at the San Francisquito Ranch, thirty-five miles west of Los Angeles. The cireninstances of the discovery by Francisco Lopez, a native of Cali- fornia, as related by him, are as follows: Lopez, with a companion, was out in search of some stray horses, and about midday they stopped under some trees and tied their horses out to

feed, they resting under the shade, when Lopez with his sheath knife dug up some wild onions, and in the dirt discovered a piece of gold, and searching further found some more. He brought these to town, and showed them to his friends, who at once declared there must be a placer of gold. This news being circulated, numbers of the citizens went to the place and commenced prospecting in the neighborhood, and found it to be a fact that there was a placer of gold. After being satisfied most persons returned, some remained, particularly Sonori- ans, who were accustomed to work in placers. They met with good success. From this time the placers were worked with more or less suc- cess, and principally by Sonorians, until the latter part of 1846, when most of them left, with Captain Flores, for Sonora. While worked there was some $6,000 or $3,000 taken out per annnın.

In 1846 the provincial Legislature met in Los Angeles. Only the Southern members were present. Pio Pico communicated to the Legislature the news of his appointment by President Herrera as the constitutional Gov- ernor of the Californias, and on April 18, be- fore that body and in the presence of a large concourse of citizens and officials, he took the oath of office and delivered his inaugural address.

This closes the annals of the city prior to the Mexican war; but this is the most appropriate place for a list of the municipal officers for the period, 1840-'48.

As has been before stated, the Government of Los Angeles was placed under a prefecture in 1840, when Santiago Arguella was appointed prefect, which office he held until 1843: Manuel Dominguez had the office during the last seven months of 1843. In 1844 there was no prefect, the system being abolished by Governor Mich- eltorena, after whose fall it was restored by Pico, in July, with Los Angeles as the First District, and José Sepúlveda as sub-prefect, the Governor's presence removing in theory the necessity of a prefect.

In 1841-'43 municipal affairs were managed by

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

two justices of the peace, the first judge being successively Ignacio Palomares, Manuel Domin- gnez and Antonio F. Coronel. In 1844 the ayuntamiento was restored, and the chief alcaldes this year were Manuel Requena and Vincente Sanchez. The rural guards (jneces del campo) were appointed each year to watch over the enforcement of law in the suburbs and at the ranchos. The full list of officers is :-

1841 .- Prefect, Santiago Arguello; Secretary, Narciso Botello; Justices, Ignacio Palomares, Ignacio M. Alvarado; Tax Collector, etc., Basilio Valdes.

1842 .- Prefect, Santiago Arguello; Secretary, José Ramon Arguello from February 1; Jus- tices, Manuel Dominguez and José L. Sepúlveda y Avila; Rural Guards, Antonio I. Avila, Mace- donio Aguilar, Ramon M. Lopez; Recaudador, Valdes.

1843 .- Prefect, Argnello till May 16, when he resigned, then Manuel Domingnez; Secretary, Botello; Justices, Manuel Dominguez and An- tonio F. Coronel till May, then Coronel and Rafael Gallardo; Recaudador, Tomas Sanchez.

1844 .- No prefect. Alcaldes, Manuel Re- quena and Tiburcio Tapia; Regidores, Luis Arenas, William Wolfskill, Felipe Lugo, Cristo- bel Aguilar; Síndico, Juan Bandini; Secretary, Ignacio Coronel; Rural Guards, José Carmen Lugo, Ramon Ibarra, Tomas Talamantes, Pedro

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Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092