Rancho Cahuenga facts for kids
Rancho Cahuenga was a large piece of land, about 388 acres (1.6 square kilometers), in what is now Los Angeles County, California. It was a special type of land grant given by the Mexican government. In 1843, Governor Manuel Micheltorena gave this land to a person named José Miguel Triunfo. Today, Rancho Cahuenga is part of the city of Burbank. The Los Angeles River flows right through it. People sometimes confuse Rancho Cahuenga with a nearby place called Campo de Cahuenga. That's where an important agreement was signed in 1847. This agreement, called the Articles of Capitulation, officially ended the Mexican–American War in Alta California.
History of Rancho Cahuenga
Early Owners and Land Grants
José Miguel Triunfo was an interesting person. He was an ex-San Fernando Mission Indian, born around 1810. In 1843, the Mexican Governor Micheltorena gave him Rancho Cahuenga. This was a reward for his work at the Mission. José Miguel Triunfo was one of the few Native Americans who were able to get and keep land during that time. He and his wife, Maria Rafaela (Canedo) Arriola, were listed in the 1850 census for Los Angeles.
In 1845, José Miguel Triunfo traded his 388-acre Rancho Cahuenga. He exchanged it for a much larger piece of land, the 6,661-acre Rancho Tujunga. This larger ranch belonged to brothers Pedro Lopez and Francisco Lopez.
Changes After the Mexican-American War
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States. This change happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty promised that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored.
To make sure these land claims were official, the United States passed the Land Act of 1851. This law required people to file a claim for their land. A claim for Rancho Cahuenga was filed in 1852 with the Public Land Commission. Finally, in 1872, the Rancho Cahuenga land grant was officially given to David W. Alexander and Francis Mellus.
Rancho Cahuenga was located inside another large land grant called Rancho Providencia. In 1867, David W. Alexander sold Rancho Cahuenga to David Burbank. David Burbank had also bought Rancho Providencia, so he owned both areas.
