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 5

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 5

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given a long hair and told to split it from end to end. This again made his courage fail; but his wife told him to do it and to have faith. He had faith in her word, and the hair split from end to end with ease. ' Welldone, our brother-in-law!' exclaimed the voices. IIe was told to make a map of the constellation of Ursa Major, and show the position of the north star. He felt great fear to attempt this, as he had seen the seers do this but had never learned it himself. H s wife again aided him and he came out tri- umphant. They then wanted him to test his hunting powers, and four of them were dis- patched to drive the deer into his range. He soon heard loud cries of ' Brother-in-law, there go the deer!' but no deer could he see. The spirits ridienled his hunting. Another trial was made, with the same result. At last his wife told him he would be given a third trial, and that he must kill this time. 'How can I kill deer if there be none?' he said. 'Did you not perceive black beetles?' said his wife. 'Yes.' " Well, those are deer; things are different here to what they are on earth; kill them.'

" They went on their third hunt, and hearing the cry of ' There they go!' he saw black beetles coming on the sands. He drew his bow, shot at and killed one. It was converted immediately into a fine fat buek. This encouraged him, and he slew right and left, until the spirits told lim to desist. The game was carried home. He saw the deer lifted from the ground and car- ried in the air, though he could not see the car- riers, although he could perceive their shadows. Great joy was manifested by all at his success. 'Sister,' said the other spirits to his wife, 'no one has ever been permitted to return to earth, as thon knowest; but as our brother-in-law is so good and he cannot participate in our company of those joys and pleasures we partake, and on account of the gross materials of which he is formed, ont of compassion to him, return again to earth.' And addressing him they said: ' Brother-in-law, return again to the earth with thy wife; but for three days thou art not per- mitted to cohabit with her; after that time thon

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

art free; but a non-compliance will be attended with disappointment.'

" They left the spirit realms and traveled on earth toward their home, the wife still invisi- ble. At night he built a large fire and lay down; on awakening before daylight he saw his wife lying at a short distance. They traveled the second day as before, and at night he again made a fire; on awakening he again behield her, and although he had rebellious thoughts, still he restrained himself, for he thought that only one day more and he should triumph. The third day also passed in travel, and on awakening that third night he saw his wife more distinctly than ever. Love for her this time was more powerful than reason. The three days are as- suredly expired by this time, and he crept

toward her. He laid hold of the figure and found an old rotten trunk of a tree in his arms. He remained a sorrowful wanderer on earth till his death.

" Whenever this legend is to be told, the hearers first bathed and washed themselves, then came to listen.

"The bird cuwot is still believed in. It is nocturnal in its habits, never seen, but some- times heard. Its cry was simply Cu. It is said that a man was once carried away by it from the lodge of Yang (Los Angeles).

"Some state that the return of the woman to life after the soul had fled could not have hap- pened, it being only a compassionate ruse to get the husband to earth, to return again at a proper time in the form of a celestial being."

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

EARLY VOYAGES AND SPANISH OCCUPATION.

CHAPTER III.

VOYAGE OF CABRILLO-1542.

HE first white man whoever looked upon, if he did not tread, the soil of Los Angeles County was a Portuguese navigator and explorer --- Don Juan. Rodriguez Cabrillo, who in the year 1542 sailed up along the coast of Cali- fornia as far north as latitude 40°, and, return- ing, died and was buried January 3, 1543, on the island of San Miguel, in the Santa Barbara Chan- nel. He was in the Spanish service on this voyage. He had arrived at San Diego Bay Sep- tember 28, 1542, from which place he continued his northern trip on the 3d of the next month. On October 6 he discovered the islands of San Clemente and Santa Catalina, which he named for his two vessels, the San Salvador and the Vitoria respectively. From Santa Catalina he sailed over to San Pedro, which he called Bahía de los Fumos or Fuegos (the Bay of Smokes or Fires), from the smokes and fires he saw there. He described it as a good port with good lands, valleys, plains and groves. On the 9th he anch- ored in the bay of Santa Monica, and the next day sailed onward to his fate. Bartolomé Fer- relo, who succeeded him in command of the expedition, after reaching latitude 42° north, returned to Mexico. As meager in details as is the account of this voyage about what is now tlie ocean shore of Los Angeles County, yet Cabrillo and his party were the first white men

known to have been here. It is probable that at Santa Monica Bay, where they anchored for a day, they went ashore; if so, that is the first point in the county trod by white men.

VIZCAYNO'S VOYAGE-1603.

The next voyager to sail along the coast was Sebastian Vizcayno, who commanded a Spanish exploring fleet of three vessels. Vizcayno was in search of a suitable harbor, where the Manilla galleons might repair and rest their crews after their long voyages across the Pacific Ocean. He had other objects, such as the discovery of the mythical Strait of Anian, which was supposed *to cross the American Continent, and would, if found, give direct passage-way between Europe and Asia. He had sailed from Acapulco in May, 1602. After staying ten days in San Diego Bay he continued his northern trip on November 20, 1603. A strong northwest wind was blowing, and it was not till the 28th that he anchored at the island of Santa Catalina, also sighting the same day the island of San Clem- ente. These names, given by Vizcayno, have ever since been retained. Before arriving at Santa Catalina, they had visited San Pedro Bay, where, like Cabrillo, they saw plenty of smoke and some green vegetation, but as the bay had no protection from the winds they sailed over under the lee of the island. Vizcayno gave San Pedro its name for the bishop of Alexandria.

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

Catalina Island then had a large Indian pop- ulation, who subsisted by fishing and trading. They had well-built canoes and honses, as well as a temple, wherein they sacrificed birds to an idol. They received the Spaniards in a friendly manner, and proved to be experts in the art of thievery. It does not appear that the Spaniards came again over to the mainland. About De- eember 1, Vizcayno continued on his northern trip, but after discovering Monterey Bay, he did not get much further north than did Ferrelo.

SPANISH OCCUPATION-1769-1822.

Whether Cabrillo in 1542 or Vizcayno in 1603 did set their feet on the soil of Los Angeles County is not positively known. If they did not, then to Governor Gaspar de Portolá and his party must be accorded the honor of being the first white men within the present bound- aries of Los Angeles County, the date of their arrival being July 30, 1769.

Fearing the encroachments of the Russians on the north, and the possible occupation of Alta California by the English, and, believing that the welfare of the church would be greatly advanced by the spiritual conquest of the na- tives, the Spanish Government finally decided to occupy the Upper California. Accordingly, in 1768, King Carlos III. gave orders to the Marqués de Croix, Viceroy of New Spain, to the effect that in connection with other precau- tions against the Russians on the northwest coast, San Diego and Monterey should be occu- pied. Croix turned over to Don José de Gal- vez, the Visitador General, the management of the whole matter, and, in July, Galvez arrived at Santa Ana on the peninsula of California. Hle arranged for two expeditions to Monterey- one by sea and one by land.

For the sea expedition there were three small vessels prepared-the San Carlos, the San An- tonio and the San José. The last-named vessel was lost at sea. The other two arrived at San Diego in April, 1769. The land expedition was divided into two parties. The first was com-

manded by Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada, while Portolá personally commanded the second party, and was accompanied by the famous Juni- pero Serra, President of the Franciscan missions. Their rendezvous was at the Indian village of Velicatá, in latitude 29° 30' north, on the pen- insula. Here Serra founded the last Franciscan mission on the peninsula while on his way to San Diego with Portolá. By July the sea and land expeditions were united at San Diego; and, while Serra stopped there to found a mission, Portolá pushed forward with a party by land to re-discover, if possible, the bay of Monterey described by Vizcayno one hundred and sixty- six years before. It was while he was on this trip that he passed through what is now Los Angeles County. He was accompanied by two Franciscan priests, Juan Crespí and Francisco Gomez. Crespí kept a diary, and to him be- longs the honor of having named Los Angeles. Portolá's party consisted of twenty-seven sol- diers wearing leather jackets, commanded by Rivera; six Catalan volunteers, commanded by Lieutenant Pedro Fages, afterward Governor of California; seven muleteers and fifteen Lower California Indians. With the party was also an engineer, Miguel Costansó, and two personal servants of Portolá, making sixty-four persons in all.

From San Diego their route was along the ocean shore to San Juan By-the-Sea, thence along about the line of the Santa Fe Railroad to Los Angeles.

On July 28 they were at the Santa Ana River, at which place they felt four sharp shocks of earthquake, and in consequence named the place El Rio Jesus de los Temblores. Because it was first intended to establish the mission of San Gabriel at this point, it being then men- tioned as the " Mission San Gabriel de los Tem- blores," and it was afterward established at another point near by, some confusion has arisen in the minds of several translators and authors whereby the San Gabriel River was called Los Temblores. But it is clear from the original records, according to Bancroft, that the

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

Santa Ana River was the one rightfully entitled to this earthquake name.

On the 29th they camped at some little springs abont six miles from the river, the identity of which is now lost. They came eighteen miles on the 30th, or twenty-four miles from the Santa Ana River, camping in the neighborhood of the Nadean Vineyard. They were now within what is now the present boundary of Los Angeles County.

Along here they feasted on antelope, which were numerous and easily hunted. On the 31st they were in the Los Angeles region. August 1 they reached the place where now stands the city of Los Angeles. They gave the river the name of Porciúncula, after the famous Francis- can convent of Assisi in Italy. The next day, August 2, is an important date in local history, for that was the day when the name of Los An- geles was conferred upon the place where the city was afterward bnilt. Governor Portolá and party were presumably camped on the bluff overlooking the river, about where is now "Sonoratown." This day being the feast of "Nuestra Señora, la Reyna de los Angeles" (Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels), it was solemnly celebrated, mass being said by the two priests, Crespí and Gomez. It was a custom of Spanish explorers to generally name places where they camped, or any important geograph- ical feature they discovered, after the saint in the church calendar of the day they were there. In this manner it is nearly possible, with maps and a Catholic calendar, to trace the exact course of the explorers up the coast. Thus were named San Quintin and Ensenada de los Todos Santos in Lower California, San Diego and Los An- geles, and scores of places in Upper California. Of course this custom was not adhered to rigidly, as Monterey Bay and Cape Mendocino were named for viceroys, and Pajaro River and Gaviota Pass, for local reasons; but it was in this manner that Los Angeles was named, and not, as has often been published by many emi- nent writers, for the "angelic" climate or ap- pearance of the locality, for it might have been

anything but angelic in August, when Portolá and Crespí were here, the very middle of the heated term, when the highest temperature of the season prevails; neither could it have pre- sented a very angelic appearance at that period of the year, when the grass was all brown and dried, and the only verdure was the foliage of a few cottonwoods and sycamores along the river bottom. The orange groves and blue-gum forests, vast vineyards, cool gardens and wide- spreading alfalfa fields that now give a peren- nial green, were not then in existence, and it is very doubtful if the Spanish priests and soldiers, fresh from the groves of the Alhambra and the bowers of Castile, then sweltering under an August sun, thought that this then undeveloped land was fit for the abode of angels. The place took its name from the fact that the feast of "Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels," was here celebrated on August 2, 1769, and not from any climatic advantage, of which it indeed has many, or from any appearance which it then presented. The queen of the angels, according to the Franciscans, being Mary, the mother of Christ, the words "Santa María" (Holy or Saint Mary) were frequently added to the already long title of the town, even in official documents, in later years, as appears in the records pertaining to the city; but even this was too long for the sentimental Latins. The brevity-loving Yankee has "boiled it down" to "Los Angeles;" bet- ter still would it have been translated "The Angels."

The next day. August 3, Portolá continued his journey, passing around the southern base of the western hills, whereon a considerable part of the city is now built, and camped at the asphaltum springs, which they called the spring of the sycamores of St. Stephen, and going through the Cahnenga Pass and the Encinos Ranch, passed out of the county over the Santa Susanna Mountains, on their way to Monterey. They failed to find the port of Monterey, and on their return to San Diego reported that it must have been filled up with sand! But they did better, they discovered San Francisco Bay.

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

On the return of the party the next January (1770) they came into the present county by way of the Simí Ranch, and, coming down the San Fernando Valley, crossed over directly into the San Gabriel Valley, and followed a river which they called the San Miguel,* through the Paso de Bartólo, and thence by the old Anaheim

stage ronte to the Santa Ana River, on their way to San Diego.

In April, 1770, Portolá again traversed the county, going north on a second search for Monterey Bay, with a party of nearly thirty persons. Nothing of any importance occurred here again till the founding of San Gabriel Mission.

* Afterward changed to San Gabriel.

THE OLD MISSION BUILDING AT SAN GABRIEL.

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

THE MISSIONS.

CHAPTER IV.

SAN GABRIEL.

HE news of the successful extension of Span- ish and Catholic dominion in Alta Cali- fornia was the occasion of an outburst of enthusiasm and great joy in Mexico, and gave no little impetus to the northern cause. It was im- mediately determined that five new missions, in addition to the three originally proposed, should be established. The first three missions deter- mined upon had been one each at San Diego and Monterey bays, and one midway between the two, to be named San Buenaventura. The missions at San Diego and Monterey had now been established, but for one cause and another the founding of San Buenaventura was delayed for several years. The College of San Fernando furnished ten new priests for the five additional missions, and May 21, 1771, they arrived at Monterey on board the ship San Antonio. The five proposed missions were: San Gabriel, San Luis Obispo, San Antonio, Santa Clara and San Francisco. For San Gabriel Mission President Junípero Serra appointed the friars Angel Somera and Pedro Benito Cambon, who sailed June 7 in the San Antonio for San Diego accompanied by Pedro Fages, the military commander. There was some delay at San Diego on account of sick- ness among the priests and desertions among the soldiers. Finally, on August 6, Somera and Cambon, with a guard of ten soldiers and a supply train of mules under four muleteers and

four soldiers -- there being twenty persons in all in the party-left San Diego for the purpose of founding the mission of San Gabriel. They followed the old route of Portolá, which in more recent times was exactly that of the stage line between San Diego and Los Angeles and is now that of the Santa Fe Railroad. It had been the intention to locate the mission on the Santa Ana River which Crespí had called El Rio Jesus de los Temblores, on account of the earthquakes felt there, but as no suitable place was found, they went about twenty-five miles further north on the river San Miguel, which was thencefortlı called the San Gabriel for the mission. Here they chose a site still known as the Old Mission, where some adobe ruins yet stand, near what was then the Indian village of Sibag-na, about eleven miles east of Los Angeles City, on land now owned by Richard Garvey. They were surrounded by a multitude of Indians, headed by two chiefs, shouting and making threatening signs. Just then a divine miracle was inter- posed, so the story goes, saving the lives of the Spaniards, favoring the establishment of the mission. One of the priests unfurled a banner on which was painted a picture of the Virgin Mary in sorrow for the death of her Son. The effect was instantaneous and wonderful. The hosts of Hell were routed horse, foot and dragoons. The evil spirits in the simple aborigines were immediately cast out and gave way to good ones

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

who prompted the Indians, beginning with their chiefs, to drop their arrows and lay their neck- laces at the feet of the beautiful queen, while the women brought pine-nuts and other seeds for her to eat !

Hugo Reid, who lived many years among the San Gabriel Indians, learned from them their first impressions of the Spaniards. He says :

" The Indians were sadly afraid when they saw the Spaniards coming on horseback. Think- ing them gods, the women ran to the brush, and hid themselves, while the men put out the fires in their huts. They remained still more im- pressed with this idea, when they saw one of their guests take a flint, strike fire and com- mence smoking, having never seen it produced in this simple manner before. An occurrence, however, soon convinced them that their strange visitors were, like themselves, mortals, for one of the Spaniards leveled his musket at a bird- and killed it. Although greatly terrified at the report of the piece, yet the effect it produced of taking life led them to reason, and deduced the impossibility of the ' Giver of Life' to murder animals, as they themselves did, with bows and arrows. They consequently put them down as human beings, 'of a nasty white color, and having ugly blue eyes!' This party was a small one, and soon left. Having offered no violence, they were in consequence not disliked. They gave them the name of Chicbinabros or reasonable beings. It is a fact worthy of notice that on becoming acquainted with the tools and instruments of steel used by the Spaniards, they were likewise named Chicbinabros, which shows the estimation in which they held their con- querors.

" Another event soon convinced them of their visitors mortality, for shortly afterward they received another visit from a larger party, who commenced tying the hands of the adult males behind their backs; and making signs of their wish to procure women- these having again fled to the thicket on the first appearance of their coming. Harsh measures obtained for them what they sought, but the women were consid-

ered contaminated, and were put through a long course of sweating, drinking of herbs, etc. The natives necessarily became accusto:ned to these things, but their disgust and abhorrence never left them till many years after. In fact every white child born among them for a long period was secretly strangled and buried !

" The whites made them a number of presents prior to using any means to convert them; the presents were never refused, but only those con - sisting of goods were put to any use whatever. All kinds and classes of foods and eatables were rejected and held in abhorrence. Instead, there- fore, of partaking of them, they were buried secretly in the woods. Two old Indians, not long since dead, related to me the circumstance of having once assisted when boys to inter a quantity of frijol and Indian corn just received from the whites. Some length of time after- ward, being out in the woods amnsing them - selves, they came where these articles had been deposited. Their surprise knew no bounds to now behold an infinity of stalks and plants un- known to them, protruding through the earth which covered the seed. They communicated the fact at home; their story was verified by others, and the wizards duly pronounced the whites ' witchcrafts!' Even panocha (coarse brown sugar), of which they are now so fond, was declared to be the excrement of their new neighbors."

On September 8, 1771, the cross was raised and the regular ceremonies were performed which constituted the founding of the mission of "San Gabriel Arcángel." The Indians helped in the construction of the mission buildings, which consisted of the usual square stockade, with tule-roofed wooden houses inside. Fear- ing an attack similar to the one on the San Diego Mission, Somera left, October 1, for San Diego, and returned on the 9th with two more soldiers. In the meantime one of the soldiers had outraged the wife of a chief, and the next day after Somera's return the chief undertook to get his revenge by shooting the guilty soldier. The latter stopped the arrow with his shield,

HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

and shot the chief dead with his musket. This was the signal for a general outbreak by the In- dians, but the alarm was sufficient to allow the soldiers to buckle on their leather jackets, and place themselves on the defensive. Frightened, however, by the report of the musket and the instant death of the chief, the Indians fled. The Christian soldiers then cut off the heathen's head, and stuck it up on top of a pole at the gate of the stockade. In a few days the Indians returned to beg for the head of their chief, but it was some time before friendly relations were resumed. . Thus ended their first lesson in the new religion.

Governor Fages arrived a few days later with two priests, sixteen soldiers and four muleteers in charge of a mule train, on his way to estab- lish the mission of San Bnenaventura. The recent Indian trouble decided him to postpone founding the new mission, and to add six soldiers to the force at San Gabriel. Antonio Paterna and Antonio Cruzado, the two priests, also remained, and they next succeeded Somera and Cambon as the regular mission ministers, who retired on account of their poor health. J. Albert Wilson, a historian who devoted con- siderable study to the mission work, says of this period:

"The priests brought with them a number of vagabonds in the various characters of soldiers, masons, carpenters, etc. Having 'converted' a few Indians by presents of cloth and ribbons, and taught them to say ' Amar a Dios' (Love to God), they baptized them, and set them to work under direction of their 'Christian' assistants. Once baptized, the poor natives lost caste with their people, and became to them as Pariahs. The ceremony was called by the natives 'soyna,' ' being bathed,' and was regarded as both igno- minious and degrading. Unable to revisit their tribe, they remained at the mission, and their hopeless submissiveness to their new masters was duly accredited to a miraculons change of heart, brought about by direct interposition of the blessed Virgin. Yet, in the ceremonies they were compelled to pass through, these poor

creatures 'had no more idea they were wor- shiping God than an unborn child has of astronomy!'

"The principal nses of the soldiers were, first, to capture new converts, and, second, to awe them into submission. Upon their expeditions of conversion, however, the priests themselves not infrequently assisted. There is a tradition extant concerning one worthy father who was an expert with the lasso, as well as a fearless horseman. Riding at full gallop into a village, he would select his man (as an old-time slaver selected his 'nigger' in the slave market, for his brawn), lasso him, drag him to the mission, tie him np and whip him into subjection, bap- tize him, Christianize hin, and set him to work all within the space of one hour; then away for another, without rest; ' such was his zeal for the conversion of infidels!'

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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