José del Carmen Lugo facts for kids

José del Carmen Lugo (born 1813, died around 1870) was an important landowner in Southern California during the 1800s. He was part of a group called the Californios, who were early settlers in California.

History

José del Carmen Lugo was born in 1813 in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles, which was then part of Spanish colonial Alta California. This area was a province of New Spain. He was the oldest son of Antonio Maria Lugo, a well-known figure in the region.

Mexican Period

José del Carmen Lugo and his brothers, José María and Vicente Lugo, along with their cousin Diego Sepúlveda, started settling the San Bernardino Valley and nearby Yucaipa Valley. This large area covered more than 250,000 square kilometers (about 96,500 square miles) in what is now known as the Inland Empire.

The Mexican government approved their plan to settle the land in 1839. However, the valley faced problems with robberies and attacks from California Indians. These groups were trying to protect their homelands. Because of these dangers, many people who tried to settle there did not stay long. The Lugo families became strong friends with the Mountain Band of Cahuilla Indians, led by Chief Juan Antonio.

In 1842, the Lugo family bought the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia, which was once a small outpost of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The buildings were old and needed fixing. Lugo repaired them, and soon he, his wife, and their two daughters moved into the Estancia.

By 1842, the government in California was changing. To keep their land safe, the Lugo family asked for and received the Rancho San Bernardino land grant from the Mexican government. This grant gave them control over 35,509 acres (about 144 square kilometers).

Mexican–American War

During the Mexican–American War, Lugo led a group of Californios who acted like a local army. In December 1846, he was told to deal with a group of Luiseño Indians. This was in response to an earlier event called the Pauma massacre. Lugo's group, along with their Cahuilla allies, fought the Luiseño. About 33 to 40 Luiseño people died in what became known as the Temecula massacre. This was to get revenge for 11 Californio soldiers who had been killed.

José del Carmen Lugo was also a leader for the Californio forces during the Battle of Chino. In January 1847, General José María Flores put Lugo in charge of the prisoners taken at Chino. Lugo took the prisoners to the Rancho Santa Ana del Chino and set them free.

In March 1847, Lugo met with the American John C. Frémont in Los Angeles. Fremont asked Lugo to gather as many of Flores's abandoned horses as he could find. Lugo found about 60 horses between Los Angeles and San Bernardino.

U.S. Period

The United States won the Mexican–American War, and California became part of the U.S. in 1848. In May 1849, the U.S. military Governor, Richard Barnes Mason, chose Lugo to be the first mayor of Los Angeles after the U.S. took control. He served after American Stephen Clark Foster and before Alpheus P. Hodges.

In August 1849, he was also elected as a Justice of the Peace for Los Angeles. He held this position until January 1850.

In 1852, Lugo sold Rancho San Bernardino to Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich. These men were leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lugo's financial situation became difficult in later years. In 1854, he borrowed money and put up all his property, including his home in Los Angeles, as a guarantee. He ended up losing his house and land in Los Angeles to pay off his debt.

José del Carmen Lugo died in poverty around 1870.

Other Lugo Family Members

The Lugo family was very important in early California during the times of Spanish and Mexican rule. They were among the first settlers known as Californios. José del Carmen Lugo was the son of Antonio Maria Lugo, and Antonio was the son of the first family member to arrive, Francisco Salvador Lugo.

Francisco Salvador Lugo

Francisco Salvador Lugo (1740–1805) was born in Sinaloa, Mexico. He came to California in 1774. He was a soldier and was stationed in northern California until 1781. After that, he was assigned to help found the Pueblo de Los Ángeles. Francisco Lugo was one of the soldiers who guided the Los Angeles Pobladores (farming families and settlers) from northern Mexico to California in 1781. His name is on a plaque honoring those who were present at the founding of Los Angeles on September 4, 1781. Lugo married Juana Maria Martinez y Vianazul. They had nine children together.

Antonio Maria Lugo

Antonio Maria Lugo (1778–1860) was born at Mission San Antonio de Padua in what is now Jolon, California. He was the seventh son of Francisco Salvador Lugo. After serving as a soldier for 17 years at the Presidio of Santa Barbara, Corporal Lugo left the military in 1810. He then settled with his family in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles.

Antonio Lugo was given the Spanish land grant Rancho San Antonio in 1810. This was later confirmed by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado in 1838. In 1816, he served as the alcalde (mayor) of Los Angeles. In 1841, Governor Alvarado also granted Lugo Rancho Santa Ana del Chino. On Rancho San Antonio, he built Casa de Rancho San Antonio, which is the oldest home in Los Angeles County, California.

Antonio and his wife Dolores Lugo had five sons: José del Carmen (the subject of this article), José Maria, Felipe, José Antonio, and Vicente Lugo. They also had three daughters: Vicenta Perez, Maria Antonia Yorba, and María Merced Lugo. Maria Merced Lugo married Stephen Clark Foster, who became the first American mayor of Los Angeles after the Mexican–American War.

See also

In Spanish: José del Carmen Lugo para niños