Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542-1908, Part 11

Author: Ingersoll, Luther A., 1851- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Los Angeles, L. A. Ingersoll
Number of Pages: 634


USA > California > Los Angeles County > Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542-1908 > Part 11


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54


The San Francisco Herald, edited by John Nugent, then the leading paper of the city, came out with a scathing editorial denouncing the vigilance commit- tee. The merchants at once withdrew advertising patronage. The next morn- ing the paper appeared reduced from forty columns to a single page, but still hostile to the committee. It finally died from lack of patronage. Sunday, May


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BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


18th, 1856, the military division was ready to storm the jail if necessary to obtain possession of the prisoners, Casey and Cora. The different companies, 1500 strong and with two pieces of artillery marched from their headquarters and completely invested the jail. One of these guns was planted to command the door of the jail, and a demand was made on Sheriff Scannell for the pris- oners. The prison guards made no resistance ; the prisoners were surrendered at once and taken to the headquarters of the vigilantes. On May 20th, while the murderers were on trial the death of King was announced. Both men were convicted and sentenced to be hanged. King's funeral, the largest and most imposing ever seen in San Francisco, took place on the 23rd. While the funeral cortege was passing through the streets, Casey and Cora were hanged in front of the windows of the vigilantes' headquarters. About an hour before his execution Cora was married to a notorious courtesan, Arabella Ryane, better known as Bell Cora.


Governor J. Neely Johnson at first seemed inclined not to interfere with the vigilance committee ; but afterward, acting under the advice of Volney E. Howard, David S. Terry and others of the dominant pro-slavery faction, he issued a proclamation commanding the committee to disband-to which no attention was paid. The governor then appointed William T. Sherman, major- general. Sherman called for recruits to suppress the uprising. Seventy-five or a hundred-mostly gamblers-responded. Gen. Wool, in command of the troops in the Department of the Pacific, refused to loan Gov. Johnson arms to equip his "Law and Order " recruits and Gen. Sherman resigned. Volney E. Howard was then appointed major-general. A squad of the vigilance commit- tee was appointed to arrest a man named Maloney who was at the time in the company of David S. Terrey (then chief justice of the state) and several other members of the "Law and Order " party. They resisted the police and in the melee Terrey stabbed the sergeant of the party, Sterling A. Hopkins, and then he and his associates made their escape to the armory of the San Francisco Blues, one of their strongholds. When the report of the stabbing reached headquarters the great bell sounded the alarm and the vigilantes, in a very short space of time, surrounded the armory and had their cannon planted to batter it down; Terrey, Maloney and the others of their party in the building, considering discretion the better part of valor, surrendered and were at once taken to Fort "Gunnybags," so known on account of a breastwork made of gunnybags filled with sand which the vigilantes had placed about the building used as headquarters. The arms of the "Law and Order " party at their various rendezvous were surrenderd to the vigilantes and the companies disbanded.


Terrey was closely confined in a cell at the headquarters of the committee. He was tried for assault upon Hopkins, who finally recovered, and upon sev-


85


BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


eral other parties and was found guilty; but after he had been held a prisoner for some time, he was released. He was forced to resign his office as chief justice, however, and joined Johnson and Howard in Sacramento, where he felt safer than in San Francisco.


On July 29th, Hethrington and Brace were hanged from a gallows erected on Davis street between Sacramento and Commercial. Both of these men had committed murder. The committee transported from the state some thirty dis- reputable characters and a number of others deported themselves. A few, among them the notorious Ned McGowan, managed to keep concealed until the storm was over. A few of the exiles returned after the committee was dis- banded and began suit for damages, but failed to secure anything. The com- mittee finished its labors and dissolved with a grand parade, August 18th, 1856, after doing a most valuable work. For several years afterwards San Francisco was one of the best governed cities in the United States. It is a noticeable fact that the vigilance committee was largely made up of men from the northern and western states, while the so-called "Law and order " party was composed mostly of the pro-slavery, office-holding faction which then ruled the state. The rush of gold-seekers to California in the early fifties had brought to the state a certain class of adventurers-many of whom were too lazy or too proud to work. They were ready to engage in almost any lawless undertaking that promised plunder and adventure. The defeat of the pro-slavery politicians in their attempt to fasten their "peculiar institution " upon any part of the terri- tory acquired from Mexico made them very bitter. The more unscrupulous among them began to look about for new fields over which slavery might be spread. As slavery could only be made profitable in southern lands, Cuba, Mexico and Central America became the arena for enacting that form of piracy known as " filibustering." Although the armed invasion of countries with which the United States was at peace was in direct violation of international laws. yet the federal office-holders in the southern states and in California, all of whom belonged to the pro-slavery element, made no attempt to prevent these invasions, but instead secretly aided them, or at least sympathized with them to the extent of allowing them to recruit men and depart without molestation. One of the leading filibusters from California was a Tennesseean by the name of Walker. His first attempt was against Lower California. He captured La Paz and established what he called the Republic of Lower California and pro- claimed it slave territory. He and his army plundered and robbed wherever there was anything to be obtained. The country was so poor and his army so mutinous that he was compelled to abandon his so-called republic, after shoot- ing several of his dupes for desertion. After this he had a varied career as a filibuster in Central America. He was captured in Honduras in 1860, court- martialed and shot.


86


BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


STATE CAPITALS.


As has been previously stated, the constitutional convention of 1849 met in Colton Hall in Monterey. During its sessions the question of locating the capital came up. San José offered to donate a square of thirty-two acres val- ued at $60,000 for capitol grounds and give the free use of a building for meet- ings of the Legislature. The offer was accepted and the first Legislature con- vened there, December 15th, 1849. The first capitol of the state was a two- story adobe building, 40 by 60 feet, which had been built for a hotel. This building was destroyed by fire April 29th, 1853. The accommodations at San José were not satisfac- tory. The Legislature next accepted a proposi- tion from Gen. M. G. Val- lejo to locate the capita! at his new town of Val- lejo. He offered to do- nate 156 acres of land for 1 ** a site and within two years to give $370,000 in money to be expended in the erection of public buildings. When the members of the Legisla- ture met at the new cap- STATE CAPITOL, BENICIA. ital January 2nd, 1852, they found a large, un- furnished and partly unfinished wooden building for their reception. Accommo- dations were very poor and even food was wanting for the hungry law- makers. Sacramento then offered its new court house as a meeting place and on the 16th the Legislature convened in that city. The great flood of 1852 inundated the town and the lawmakers were forced to reach the halls of legis- lation in boats-again there was dissatisfaction.


Benicia now came to the front with the offer of her new city hall which was assuredly above high water mark. Gen. Vallejo had become financially embarrassed and could not carry out his contract, so it was annulled. The offer of Benicia was accepted and on May 18th. 1853, that town was declared the permanent capital.


In the Legislature of 1854 the capitol question again came to the front. Proposals were received from several aspiring cities, but Sacramento won with the offer of her new court house and a block of land between I and J, Ninth


87


BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


and Tenth streets. Then the question of locating the capital got into the courts. The supreme court decided in favor of Sacramento. Before the Legislature met again the court house burned down. A more commodious one was at once erected and rented to the state at $12,000 a year. Then Oakland made an unsuccessful attempt to secure the capital. Finally a bill was passed author- izing the erection of a capitol building in Sacramento at a cost not to exceed $500,000. Work was begun on the foundation in October, 1860. The great flood of 1861-62 inundated the town and ruined the foundations of the capitol. San Francisco made a vigorous effort to secure the seat of government, but was not successful. Work was resumed on the building, the plans were changed, the edifice enlarged and finally after many delays it was ready for occu- pancy in December, 1869. From the original limit of half a million dollars, its cost when completed had reached a million and a half. The amount cx- pended on the building and the grounds to date is $2,972,925.


State Senator E. C. Seymour, representing Orange and San Bernar- dino counties in the Thir- STATE CAPITOL, SACRAMENTTO. tieth and Thirty-first ses- sions, introduced a bill to remove the capital to San José. The bill passed, but the scheme was defeated in the courts.


CIVIL WAR.


The Civil War (1861-65) did not seriously affect the prosperity of Cali- fornia. During its progress about 16,000 volunteers enlisted in the Union Army. Much to their disappointment these men were retained on the Pacific coast to fight Indians and keep the disloyal element in check. One battalion of five companies paid its own passage to the east and joined the Second Mass. Cavalry in which it did splendid service in Virginia and Maryland. Quite a number of Confederate sympathizers from California joined the Southern armies during the war. Those who remained in the state were closely watched by the federal authorities and were not able to render much assistance to their friends of the South.


88


BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


MINING.


Previous to 1860 the chief industry of the state was mining .. During the decade between 1850 and 1860 a number of rushes were made to new diggings reputed to be rich in the precious metals. The most famous of these were the Kern river in 1855 and the Frazer river in 1857-both ended in disaster to those engaged in them. In 1859 the silver mines of Washoe were discovered and a great rush made to these. The Comstock lodes were very rich and many fortunes were made. Stock gambling became a mania in San Francisco in which fortunes were lost.


CATTLE RAISING.


The southern part of the state was devoted to cattle raising which in the early sixties was immensely profitable. The land was held in large ranchos and at the time of the discovery of gold was mostly owned by native Califor- nians. The sudden influx of population consequent on the discovery of gold greatly increased the value of the cattle and made the stock owners rich. With wealth came extravagant habits and when the decline began they borrowed money at usurious rates and the high interest ruined them. The terrible dry years of 1863-64, when thousands of cattle starved to death, put an end to cattle raising as the distinctive industry of the south. The decadence of cattle growing brought about the subdivision of the large ranchos and the develop- ment of grain growing and fruit culture. In the southern part of the state the culture of citrus fruits-the orange and lemon-has become the leading industry. In favorable localities in the central and northern sections of the state the production of deciduous fruits-the apple, peach, prune, pear, etc., takes precedence ; while the great valleys of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin are vast wheat fields.


RAILROAD BUILDING.


Several schemes for the building of a trans-continental railroad were promulgated in California during the fifties. The first railroad built in the state was the Sacramento Valley road, which was completed to Folsom in Feb- ruary, 1856, and was twenty-two miles in length. The next was the road from San Francisco to San José, fifty-one miles long, completed January 16th, 1864. On June 28th, 1861, at Sacramento the Central Railroad of California was organized, with Leland Stanford, president; C. P. Huntington, vice-president ; Mark Hopkins, treasurer; James Baily, secretary; and T. D. Judah, chief engi- neer. The capital stock of the company was fixed at $8,500,000. The whole amount of stock subscribed by its promoters would not have built five miles of road ; none of the men at that time connected with the road were rich and the whole affair was regarded in the nature of a joke. On July Ist, 1862, the


89


BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


Pacific railroad bill was passed by Congress, authorizing the issuance of gov- ernment bonds to the amount of $16,000 per mile to the foot of the mountains and of $48,000 per mile through the mountains. Forty miles had to be built and equipped before any bonds were issued. In addition to this there was a government land subsidy of 12,800 acres per mile. Ground was broken for the road at Sacramento, February 22nd, 1863. The Union Pacific was built west- ward from Omaha. On May 10th, 1869, the two roads met at Promontory, near Salt Lake, and were united.


The first road built in the southern part of the state was the Los Angeles and San Pedro, completed to Wilmington, in October, 1869. This connected Los Angeles with a sea-port and greatly facilitated commerce. The Southern Pacific Railroad was completed to Los Angeles, September 5th, 1877. It had, in 1872, obtained a subsidy from Los Angeles county of about $600,000 ; $225,000 being the Los Angeles and San Pedro Railroad. For this it was to build twenty-five miles of road north of Los Angeles and the same distance to the east. The northern end met the extension of the road south from Lathrop on the Central Pacific in the Soledad canyon on September 5th, 1876, when the last tie was laid and the golden spike driven. The eastern end was completed in 1883 to El Paso, where it met the Texas Pacific and thus gave California a second trans- continental line.


The Atlantic and Pacific uniting with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, built jointly their main line from Albuquerque to the Colorado at the Needles. From there the Atlantic & Pacific built to Barstow about eighty miles north- east of San Bernardino; thence the California Southern continued the line to San Diego. The road was completed to Colton in August, 1882, and opened from San Diego to San Bernardino September 13th, 1883. In 1887 the road was built westward from San Bernardino until it met the San Gabriel Valley line-which was built eastward from Los Angeles to Mud Springs. The dif- ferent divisions of the road were united under one management with its west- ern terminus at Los Angeles, thus giving California its third transcontinental line. The growth of the state and particularly of the southern part of the state since the advent of the railroads has been phenomenal.


EDUCATION.


The first public school in California was opened at San José in December. 1794, seventeen years after the founding of that pueblo. The pioneer teacher was Manuel de Vargas, a retired sergeant of infantry. José Manuel Toca, a ship boy, opened the first school in Santa Barbara, in 1795. Maximo Piña, an invalid soldier, was the first schoolmaster of Los Angeles, teaching in 1817 and 1818. During the Spanish era the schoolmasters were mostly invalid soldiers -men of little learning-about all they could teach was reading and writing


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BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


and the doctrina Christiana. They were brutal tyrants and their school gov- ernments military despotisms. The people were indifferent to education and as the schoolmasters were paid by rate bills the terms were short and the vacations long. Mexico did somewhat better for public education than Spain. The school terms were a little longer and the vacations proportionately shorter, but it was not uncommon then for a vacation to last two or three years.


During the war of American conquest the schools were all closed. After the cessation of hostilities in 1847, a school under army regulations was estab- lished in Los Angeles-or rather it was under the superintendency of Col. J. D. Stevenson, the military commander of the Department of the South. Dr. William B. Osburn was appointed teacher. This was the first English com- mon school established in California. After peace was declared and the munic- ipal governments organized, schools were opened in the large towns. These were subscription schools, although in some cases the town council appropri- ated public funds for the education of a certain number of poor children who were entitled to attend some private school.


The first act to establish a common school system in California was approved May 3rd, 1852. Great advance was made in perfecting and building up this system from 1863 to 1869 under the administration of State School Superintendent John Swett, who has been called the "Horace Mann of Cali- fornia." The first state Normal School for "the training of teachers " was established in San Francisco in 1863. It was afterwards removed to San José. There are now five Normal Schools in the state. The public school system and the public schools of California rank among the best in the United States.


Governors of California.


UNDER SPANISH RULE.


Gaspar de Portala 1767-1771


José Joaquin de Arrillaga. . 1792-1794


Felipe de Barri. 1771-1774


Diego de Borica. 1794-1800


Felipe de Neve.


1774-1782 José Joaquin de Arrillaga. . 1800-1814


Pedro Fages 1782-1790


José Dario Arguello. 1814-1815


José Antonio Romeu


1790-1792


Pablo Vicente de Sola. 1815-1822


UNDER MEXICAN RULE.


Luis Antonio Arguello. 1822-1825


José Castro 1835-1836


José Maria de Echandia 1825-1831


Nicolas Guiterrez 1836


Manuel Victoria


1831-1832


Juan Bautista Alvarado 1836-1842


Pio Pico. 1832-1833


Manuel Micheltorena 1842-1845


José Figueroa 1833-1835


Pio Pico 1845-1846


UNDER AMERICAN MILITARY RULE.


Commodore Robert F. Stockton. Aug. 17, 1846-Jan. 16, 1847


Captain John C. Fremont . Jan. 16-March 1, 1847


General Stephen W. Kearney March 1-May 31, 1847


Colonel Richard B. Mason May 31, 1847-April 13, 1849


General Bennett Riley


April 13, 1849-Nov. 13, 1849


GOVERNORS OF STATE.


Pether H. Burnett. 1849-1851


John McDougal 1851-1852


John Bigler 1852-1855


J. Neely Johnson 1855-1858


George Stoneman 1883-1887


John B. Weller 1858-1860


Washington Bartlett 1887


Milton S. Latham 1860


John G. Downey 1860-1862


Robert W. Waterman 1887-1891 Henry H. Markham 1891-1895


Leland Stanford 1862-1863


James H. Budd. 1895-1899


Frederick F. Low


1863-1867


Henry T. Gage. 1899-1903


Henry H. Haight


1867-1871


George C. Pardee 1903-1907


Newton Booth


J. N. Gillett . 1907


1871-1875


Romualdo Pacheco 1875


William Irwin 1875-1880


George C. Perkins 1880-1883


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BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


SPANISH AND MEXICAN LAND GRANTS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY.


GRANT.


CONFIRMEE. ACRES.


DATĘ.


Aguaje de la Centinela . B. Abila


2,219


Aug. 23, 1872


Loa Alamitos


A. Stearns


28,027


Aug. 29, 1874


Azusa


A. Duarte


6,505


June 6, 1878


Azusa


Henry Dalton


4,431 May 29, 1876


La Ballona


A. Machado et al


13,919


Dec. 8, 1873


Boca de Santa Monica


Ysidro Reyes et al.


6,656 July 21, 1882


Boca de la Playa.


E. Vejar


6,607


Mar. 1, 1879


La Brea


A. Rocha et al.


4,439


April 15, 1873


Las Bolsas


R. Yorba and M. C. Nieto.


33.460


June 19, 1874


Cahuenga


D. W. Alexander et al.


388


Aug. 2, 1872


La Cañada


J. R. Scott et al


5.862


Aug. 1, 1866


Cañada de los Alisos


J. Serrano


10,668


June 27, 1871


Cañada de los Nogales


J. M. Aguilar


1,199


May 4, 1882


Los Cerritos


. Juan Temple


27.054


Dec. 7, 1867


Paso de la Tijera


T. Sanchez et al.


4,219


May 22, 1873


Las Cienegas


J. Abila et al.


4,439


June 15, 1871


El Conejo


J. de la G. y Noriega.


48,57I


Jan. 8, 1873


Los Coyotes


Andreas Pico et al.


48,806


Mar. 9, 1875


El Encino


V. de la Osa et al.


4,460


Jan. 8, 1876


El Escorpion


. Urbano et al.


1,109


Dec. 11, 1883


Los Feliz


M. Y. Verdugo.


6,647


April 18, 1871


Lomas de Santiago


T. Yorba


47,226


Feb. 1, 1868


La Habra


Andreas Pico et al.


6,698


Dec. 4, 1882


Huerta de Cuati.


V. Reid


128


June 30, 1859


Island de S. Catalina


J. M. Covarrubias


45,820 April 20, 1867


La Liebre


J. M. Flores


48,799 June 21, 1879


Los Angeles City lands


City of Los Angeles


17,172


Aug. 4, 1875


La Merced


F. P. F. Temple.


2.363


Feb. 13, 1872


Mission San Gabriel, lot .... J. S. Alemany


55


Dec. 4, 1875


Mission San Fernando, lot ... Bp. J. S. Alemany


79 May 31, 1864


Mission San Gabriel, lot.


Bp. J. S. Alemany .


I90 Nov. 19, 1859


Mission Vieja


Juan Foster


46,432 Aug. 6, 1866


Ex-mission San Fernando


F. de Celis.


116,858


Jan. 8, 1873


Los Nogales


Maria de J. Garcia et al


1,003


June 29, 1882


El Niguil


Juan Abila


13,316


April 5. 1873


Los Palos Verdes.


J. L. Sepulveda et al 31,629


June 23, 1880


Paso de Bartolo, part.


B. Guirado


876


Sept. 27, 1867


Paso de Bartolo, part.


Joaquin Sepulveda 207


Mar. 17, 1881


Aug. 9, 1866


93


BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA


Paso de Bartolo, part. Pio Pico


8,991


Aug. 6, 1881


Potrero de Felipe Lugo


Morilla & Romero


2,042


June 15, 1871


Potrero Grande


J. M. Sanchez. 4,431


July 19, 1859


Prospero tract


R. Valenzuela et al .


23 Dec. 4, 1875


Providentia


,D. W. Alexander et al.


4,064


Aug. 6, 1872


La Puente


Workman & Roland


48,790


April 19, 1867


Rincon de la Brea


G. Ybarra


4,452


Nov. 14, 1864


Rincon de los Bueyes


F. Higuera et al


3,127


Aug. 27, 1872


San Antonio


A. M. Lugo


29,513


July 20, 1866


Rodeo de las Aguas


M. R. Valdez.


4,419


June 27, 1871


San Francisco


Jacobo Feliz et al.


48,61 I


Feb. 12, 1875


Juan Silva


50


H. P. Dorsey.


50


Michael White


78


Aug. 26, 1871


José Ledesma


22


June 17, 1871


Tracts near San Gabriel ...


Daniel Sexton


227


May 16, 1871


J. P. de Courtney


49


Jan. 20, 1871


Francisco Sales


19


June 20, 1871


José Domingo


22


Aug. 23, 1871


San Francisquito


.Henry Dalton


8,893


May 30, 1867


San Joaquin


José Sepulveda


48,893


Sept. 19, 1867


San José


Dalton, Palomares & Vejar.


22,340


Jan. 20, 1875


San José de Buenos Ayres. . . B. D. Wilson


4,438


July 5, 1866


San Juan Cajon de Sta. Ana. J. P. Ontiveras.


35,970


May 21, 1877


San José, addition to.


Dalton, Palomares & Vejar .


4,430


Dec. 4, 1875


San Pasqual


B. D. Wilson.


708


Feb. 12, 1881


San Pasqual


Manuel Garfias


13,693


April 3, 1863


San Pasqual


Juan Gallardo


700


San Pedro


M. Dominguez et al


43,119


Dec. 18, 1858


San Rafael


Julio Verdugo et al


36,403


Jan. 28, 1882


San Vicente y Santa Monica. . R. Sepulveda


30,259


July 23, 1881


Santa Anita


Henry Dalton


13.319


Aug. 9, 1866


Santa Gertrudes


.T. S. Colima


3,696


July 17, 1877


Santa Gertrudes


Mcfarland & Downey


17,602


Aug. 19, 1870


Santiago de Santa Ana.


B. Yorba et al


78,941


Dec. 21, 1883


Sausal Redondo


A. L. Abila.


22.458


Mar. 22, 1875


Simi


.J. de la G. y Noriega


13,009


June 29, 1865


Tajauta


.E. Abila


3.559


Jan. 8, 1873


Temescal


E. de la Cuesta


13,339


Sept. 13, 1871


Topanga Malibu Sequit.


M. Keller


13.315


Aug. 29, 1872


Tejunga


„D. W. Alexander et al


16,609


Oct. 19, 1874


Las Virgenes


M. A. Machado.


8,885


Sept. 5. 1883


.....



-


Los Angeles County Court House.


Condensed History of Los Angeles County.


CHAPTER I.


ORGANIZATION.


T HE history of "el pueblo de Los Angeles ", as the central point of the southern district of the territory of Alta California, has already been given in the state history. We have followed the growth of the town from its founding, in 1781, to its final conquest and occupation by the United States troops in 1847. We have seen the rise and the fall of the mission establishments of


ORIGINAL CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS. 1822.


San Gabriel, San Fernando and San Juan Capistrano, and the occupation of the fertile valleys and mesas by the great ranchos granted to settlers of Spanish, Mexican and Californian birth and to a few Americans. At the time of the state organization, the territory included in Los Angeles county was distributed in large tracts ranging from a few thousand to more than a hundred thousand


96


CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY


acres. The oldest of these grants was occupied as early as 1784, that being the date assigned for San Rafael rancho, granted to the Verdugos. Santa Ana was granted to the Yorbas and Simi to the Noriegas among the carliest allotments.


The government of the United States early appointed commissioners to examine into land titles in California and for a number of years investigations were made and patents issued or refused to the claimants. There was much confusion and no little fraud connected with the final allotment of titles, although there were not so many disputed claims in this district as in the north. About seventy-five patents were issued to lands in the county.




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