Rancho Azusa de Duarte facts for kids

Rancho Azusa de Duarte was a huge piece of land in what is now Los Angeles County, California. It was about 6,596 acres (26.7 square kilometers) big! This land was given out by the Mexican government in 1841. The person who received it was Andres Duarte, a former soldier. Today, many cities stand on this old rancho land. These include Arcadia, Monrovia, Bradbury, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, and Baldwin Park.

History of Rancho Azusa de Duarte

Andres Duarte's Early Life

Andres Avelino Duarte was born in 1805 at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. When he was 16, he decided to join the Mexican army, just like his father. He was sent to work at Mission San Gabriel. Around 1827, he married Maria Gertrudes Florentina Valenzuela.

Receiving the Land Grant

After serving in the army for 20 years, Andres Duarte retired in 1841. He asked Governor Juan Alvarado for some empty land. This land was in the upper San Gabriel Valley. The Governor agreed, and Andres named his new land Rancho Azusa de Duarte.

His rancho was located west of the San Gabriel River. Across the river was another rancho called Rancho Azusa de Dalton. Rancho Azusa de Dalton was first called Rancho El Susa. Because of this, Andres Duarte's rancho was often called Susita.

One rule for getting the land was that Andres Duarte had to build a home there. So, he built an adobe house for his family. He, his wife Gertrudes, and their son Santiago lived in a small adobe called "The Homestead." This home was located where Tocino Drive is today.

Challenges and Sales of the Rancho

After the Mexican-American War, the United States took control of California. A special group called the Public Land Commission was set up. This group checked who truly owned land that was given out by Mexico.

Andres Duarte had to prove he owned his rancho. This process cost him a lot of money in legal fees and other bills. To pay these debts, he started selling parts of his land. His first sale was a 225-acre (0.9 square kilometer) piece at the southern end of the rancho. He sold it to Michael Whistler.

Later, Michael Whistler sold this land to Dr. Nehemiah Beardslee. Dr. Beardslee did important things for the area. He started the very first school in Duarte. He also set up the first water lines for the community. Andres Duarte then divided most of the rest of his rancho into smaller 40-acre (16.2 hectare) lots. He sold these lots to different people.

In 1878, the Supreme Court finally ruled that Andres Duarte was the rightful owner of the land. However, by this time, he had already sold all of Rancho Azusa de Duarte.