Rancho La Puente facts for kids
Rancho La Puente was a very large ranch in the southern San Gabriel Valley in California. It covered almost 49,000 acres (about 198 square kilometers). This ranch stayed together from the late 1700s until around 1870. It started as an outpost of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel.
Today, this huge area includes many communities. These are Avocado Heights, Bassett, Baldwin Park, San Dimas, Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, City of Industry, La Puente, Walnut, Covina, West Covina, and parts of South El Monte and Irwindale. Most of the old ranch land is in Los Angeles County. Only a small part is in Orange County.
Contents
The Story of Rancho La Puente
How the Ranch Got Its Name
The name "La Puente" means "the bridge" in Spanish. It comes from the Portolá expedition in 1769-1770. This was the first time Europeans explored Alta California by land.
In July 1769, the group traveled through a pass in the Puente Hills. They then went into a valley, now called the San Gabriel Valley. They camped near a large stream, which is now the San Gabriel River. Father Juan Crespi, who was with the expedition, wrote in his diary that they had to build a bridge to cross the stream. The ground was very muddy. This first bridge gave the area its name. Later, more bridges were built there.
From Mission Land to Private Ranch
Rancho La Puente began as an outpost of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The Mission was founded in 1771. It used many ranchos like La Puente to raise animals and grow food.
In the 1830s, the Mexican government took control of the missions. This process was called secularization. After this, the mission ranchos became private land.
The Workman-Rowland Party Arrives
In late 1841, a group of travelers came to the Los Angeles area. They were from New Mexico and were led by John A. Rowland and William Workman. This group is known as the Workman-Rowland Party.
In early 1842, John Rowland traveled to Monterey, which was the capital. He asked Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado for the Rancho La Puente land. The governor officially gave him the land in March 1842. The grant said the ranch was about 17,740 acres (about 72 square kilometers).
William Workman was not officially part of the first grant. However, Governor Alvarado gave him permission to use the ranch too.
The Ranch Grows Bigger
In 1845, William Workman and John Rowland helped Pío Pico become the new governor. After this, Governor Pico gave a new grant for Rancho La Puente in July 1845. This new grant made the ranch much larger. It grew to the biggest size allowed by Mexican law, about 48,790 acres (about 197 square kilometers).
Rowland said that Workman was accidentally left off the first grant. So, Governor Pico officially added Workman as a co-owner of the ranch.
United States Takes Over California
After the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The treaty that ended the war, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, was supposed to protect land grants made by Spain and Mexico. But this part was removed by the U.S. President and Congress.
Many Americans came to California during the Gold rush. This led to disagreements over land ownership. So, in 1851, the U.S. government passed a law. It required all landowners to prove their claims to a special commission. If the commission approved a claim, the government could still appeal it in court.
Proving Ownership of Rancho La Puente
John Rowland and William Workman filed their claim for Rancho La Puente in 1852. The land commission approved their claim two years later. But the government appealed, saying the grant from Governor Pico was not valid.
Rowland and Workman won their case in federal court twice, in 1856 and 1862. It looked like the government might take the case to the highest court. But the American Civil War caused delays. Finally, in April 1867, the official ownership document, called a patent, was issued for Rancho La Puente.
Dividing the Ranch
In 1868, Rowland and Workman were getting older. They decided to divide the ranch between them. They made sure each man got a fair share of both hill and valley land. Rowland mostly had the northern and eastern parts. Workman had the western and central parts.
John Rowland built a brick house in 1855 for his second wife, Charlotte M. Gray. This house is now known as the John A. Rowland House. Rowland was a very successful cattle rancher and farmer. He died in 1873 and was buried at the El Campo Santo Cemetery. After his death, his family sold off parts of the land. This included land for the towns of Puente and Covina.
William Workman built his adobe house in 1842. He expanded it over the years, adding brick rooms. Workman was also a very successful rancher and farmer. He also got involved in other businesses like real estate and banking. He became one of the wealthiest people in Los Angeles County. However, his bank later failed. Workman had borrowed money from Lucky Baldwin and lost most of his land. He died in 1876.
In 1880, Baldwin sold Workman's house and 70 acres back to the Temple family. Today, the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum is a 6-acre part of this property. Baldwin kept thousands of acres of Workman's land until he died in 1909. Some land was sold, like for the town of Baldwin Park. In 1911, more land was sold for a new community called North Whittier Heights, which is now Hacienda Heights.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
Several historic places from the Rancho La Puente era still exist today:
- The Workman House: This house includes the original 1842 adobe and brick additions from 1870.
- El Campo Santo Cemetery: This cemetery dates back to the 1850s.
- A water tower: This tower was built around the 1880s.
All three of these sites are on the grounds of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum (www.homesteadmuseum.org).
- The John A. Rowland House: This house was built in 1855. It is currently being restored by the Historical Society of La Puente Valley.
- An 1880s adobe house: This house was built by John Rowland's son, William R. Rowland. It is now owned by the City of Walnut and is located at Lemon Creek Park.
