Rancho San Pedro
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Pedro was one of the first California land grants, and the first to win a patent from the United States. The land grant was validated by the Mexican government at 48000 acres (194.2 km²) in 1828, and a US patent validating 43119 acres (174.5 km²) was issued in 1858. The original Spanish land grant included what today consists of the Pacific coast cities of Los Angeles
harbor, San Pedro, the Palos Verdes
peninsula, Torrance
, Redondo Beach
, Hermosa Beach
, and Manhattan Beach
, and east to the Los Angeles River
including; the cities of Lomita
, Gardena
, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson
, Compton
, and western portions of Long Beach
and Paramount
.
soldier, arrived in San Diego, California
in 1769 with Fernando Rivera y Moncada
and served with the Gaspar de Portolà
expedition, and along with Juniperro Serra, traveled to San Juan Capistrano, San Gabriel
and Monterey
. In 1784, Dominguez was granted a concession of seventeen Spanish leagues or 75000 acres (303.5 km²) from the Spanish Empire
.
Dominguez’s original grazing permission stretched from present-day Compton to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, but did not become a title to land until it was “re-granted” in 1822 in the Mexican era to Juan Jose’s nephew and heir, Cristobal Dominguez. Cristobal died soon afterward, but his three sons settled on the ranch, building adobe homes. The following year Manuel Dominguez
, eldest son of Cristobal Dominguez, married Engracia Cota and commenced a successful career raising cattle and serving in a variety of elected and appointed offices in Los Angeles.
For many years, a portion of the Rancho San Pedro land grant was contested between the Dominguez and Sepulveda families through various appeals to Spanish Governors and law suits from 1817 - 1882, and was eventually partitioned into seventeen parcels in 1882. The Sepulveda family was awarded 31629 acres (128 km²) known as Rancho de los Palos Verdes
, that later became the cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, as well as portions of Torrance and San Pedro.
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 San Pedro was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and a patent
for 43119 acres (174.5 km²) was granted to Manuel Dominguez and signed by President James Buchanan
on December 18, 1858.
In 1869, Union Army Major General William Starke Rosecrans
bought 16000 acres (64.7 km²). The "Rosecrans Rancho" was bordered by what later was Florence Avenue on the north, Redondo Beach Boulevard on the south, Central Avenue on the east, and Arlington Avenue on the west.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
harbor, San Pedro, the Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes is a name often used to refer to a group of coastal cities in the Palos Verdes Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S...
peninsula, Torrance
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
, Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
, Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,506 at the 2010 census, up from 18,566 at the 2000 census....
, and Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...
, and east to the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
including; the cities of Lomita
Lomita, California
Lomita is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 20,256 at the 2010 census, up from 20,046 at the 2000 census...
, Gardena
Gardena, California
Gardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gardena is located at ....
, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
, Compton
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
, and western portions of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
and Paramount
Paramount, California
Paramount is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 54,098 down from 55,266 at the 2000 census...
.
History
Juan Jose Dominguez (1736 - 1809), a SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
soldier, arrived in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1769 with Fernando Rivera y Moncada
Fernando Rivera y Moncada
Fernando Javier Rivera y Moncada was a soldier from New Spain who served in the Baja California peninsula and upper Las Californias, participating in several early overland explorations. Fernando Rivera y Moncada served as a Spanish Miilitary Governor from 1774-1777. -Biography:Rivera was born...
and served with the Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
expedition, and along with Juniperro Serra, traveled to San Juan Capistrano, San Gabriel
San Gabriel
San Gabriel may mean:Ecuador*San Gabriel, EcuadorGuatemala*San Gabriel, SuchitepéquezMexico*San Gabriel, Durango*San Gabriel, Guanajuato*San Gabriel, Jalisco*San Gabriel Chilac, Puebla*San Gabriel Mixtepec, OaxacaPhilippines*San Gabriel, La Union...
and Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
. In 1784, Dominguez was granted a concession of seventeen Spanish leagues or 75000 acres (303.5 km²) from the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
.
Dominguez’s original grazing permission stretched from present-day Compton to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, but did not become a title to land until it was “re-granted” in 1822 in the Mexican era to Juan Jose’s nephew and heir, Cristobal Dominguez. Cristobal died soon afterward, but his three sons settled on the ranch, building adobe homes. The following year Manuel Dominguez
Manuel Dominguez
Manuel Dominguez , born at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in Alta California, Viceroyalty of New Spain, and was the heir to the vast Rancho San Pedro land grant.-Juan Jose Dominguez:...
, eldest son of Cristobal Dominguez, married Engracia Cota and commenced a successful career raising cattle and serving in a variety of elected and appointed offices in Los Angeles.
For many years, a portion of the Rancho San Pedro land grant was contested between the Dominguez and Sepulveda families through various appeals to Spanish Governors and law suits from 1817 - 1882, and was eventually partitioned into seventeen parcels in 1882. The Sepulveda family was awarded 31629 acres (128 km²) known as Rancho de los Palos Verdes
Rancho de los Palos Verdes
Rancho de los Palos Verdes was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to José Loreto and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda. The name means "range of green trees"...
, that later became the cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, as well as portions of Torrance and San Pedro.
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 San Pedro was 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 a patent
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...
for 43119 acres (174.5 km²) was granted to Manuel Dominguez and signed by President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
on December 18, 1858.
In 1869, Union Army Major General William Starke Rosecrans
William Rosecrans
William Starke Rosecrans was an inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and United States Army officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union general during the American Civil War...
bought 16000 acres (64.7 km²). The "Rosecrans Rancho" was bordered by what later was Florence Avenue on the north, Redondo Beach Boulevard on the south, Central Avenue on the east, and Arlington Avenue on the west.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Dominguez Rancho AdobeDominguez Rancho AdobeThe Dominguez Rancho Adobe is California Historical Landmark Number 152, and in 1976 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior....
. The adobe of Manuel Dominguez, completed in 1826, is a national historic site. - Battle of Dominguez RanchoBattle of Dominguez RanchoThe Battle of Dominguez Rancho or The Battle of the Old Woman's Gun was a military engagement of the Mexican-American War...
. The Mexican-American war battle was fought on the rancho site. - The ClaretiansClaretiansThe Claretians, a community of Roman Catholic priests and brothers, were founded by Saint Anthony Claret in 1849. They strive to follow their founder's “on fire” example and help wherever they are needed. Their ministries are highly diverse and vary depending on the needs of the area. They focus...
have been based, and gardened, adjacent to the Dominguez Rancho Adobe since circa 1900.