Rancho Huerta de Cuati
Encyclopedia
Rancho Huerta de Cuati was a 127 acre (0.51395122 km²) Mexican land grant
in the San Rafael Hills
area of present day Los Angeles County, California
given in 1838 by governor Juan Alvarado to Victoria Reid. The name means "Garden of the Cuati" in Spanish. The rancho included present day Alhambra, San Marino
, South Pasadena
, and Pasadena
-- and Lake Wilson (now San Marino's Lacey Park).
land. It was one of the few Mexican grants given to an Indian. With the assistance of the influential Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné
, Tongvan Victoria Reid received the rancho for her past service to the mission. Her husband, Hugo Reid
was not listed on the title because he was not yet a Mexican citizen. He was naturalized in 1839.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Huerta de Cuatiwas filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Victoria Reid in 1859.
Hugo Reid died in 1852, and in 1854 Victoria Reid sold Rancho Huerta de Cuati to Benjamin Davis Wilson, who renamed it "Lake Vineyard Ranch". It consisted of a ranch with a 40 acre (0.1618744 km²) shallow pond fed by streams of Old Mill El Molino Viejo
Canyon and Wilson Canyon (Wilson-Woodbury Creek of Washington Park).
Later, Wilson deeded the main portion of the rancho to his son-in-law, James de Barth Shorb, who named his Rancho after his grandfather's plantation in Maryland, which in turn had received its name from the Republic of San Marino
, in Italy.
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
in the San Rafael Hills
San Rafael Hills
The San Rafael Hills are a mountain range in Los Angeles County, California. They are one of the lower Transverse Ranges, and are parallel to and below the San Gabriel Mountains to the south, adjacent to the San Gabriel Valley overlooking the Los Angeles Basin.-Geography:The Hills contain all or...
area of present day Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
given in 1838 by governor Juan Alvarado to Victoria Reid. The name means "Garden of the Cuati" in Spanish. The rancho included present day Alhambra, San Marino
San Marino, California
San Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
, South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, and Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
-- and Lake Wilson (now San Marino's Lacey Park).
History
Rancho Huerta de Cuati had been Mission San GabrielMission San Gabriel Arcángel
The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a fully functioning Roman Catholic mission and a historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. The settlement was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become 21 Spanish...
land. It was one of the few Mexican grants given to an Indian. With the assistance of the influential Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné
Eulalia Perez de Guillén Mariné
Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné was a Californio who was mayordoma of Missión San Gabriel Arcángel and grantee of Rancho del Rincón de San Pascual in the San Rafael Hills, in present day Los Angeles County, California...
, Tongvan Victoria Reid received the rancho for her past service to the mission. Her husband, Hugo Reid
Hugo Reid
Hugo Reid was a resident of Los Angeles, California who wrote a series of newspaper letters that described the culture, language, and modern circumstances of the local Gabrieliño Indians and criticized their treatment under the Franciscan mission system.-Life:Born in 1809 or 1810 in Cardross,...
was not listed on the title because he was not yet a Mexican citizen. He was naturalized in 1839.
With the cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Huerta de Cuatiwas filed with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1852, and the grant was patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
to Victoria Reid in 1859.
Hugo Reid died in 1852, and in 1854 Victoria Reid sold Rancho Huerta de Cuati to Benjamin Davis Wilson, who renamed it "Lake Vineyard Ranch". It consisted of a ranch with a 40 acre (0.1618744 km²) shallow pond fed by streams of Old Mill El Molino Viejo
El Molino Viejo
El Molino Viejo, also known as The Old Mill, is a former grist mill in the San Rafael Hills of present day San Marino, California, USA, and was built in 1816 by Father José Maria de Zalvidea from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel...
Canyon and Wilson Canyon (Wilson-Woodbury Creek of Washington Park).
Later, Wilson deeded the main portion of the rancho to his son-in-law, James de Barth Shorb, who named his Rancho after his grandfather's plantation in Maryland, which in turn had received its name from the Republic of San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
, in Italy.
See also
- Ranchos of CaliforniaRanchos of CaliforniaThe Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
- List of Ranchos of California