Rancho Paso de Bartolo facts for kids

Don Pío Pico, who was the last Governor of Alta California, bought Rancho Paso de Bartolo in 1847. His old home on the rancho is now a park called Pío Pico State Historic Park.

Rancho Paso de Bartolo, also known as Rancho Paso de Bartolo Viejo, was a large piece of land in what is now Los Angeles County, California. It covered about 10,075 acres (40.77 km2). This land was given out as a Mexican land grant in 1835 by Governor Jose Figueroa to Juan Crispin Perez. The name "Paso de Bartolo Viejo" means "Old Bartolo's Crossing." This refers to a place where people could cross the San Gabriel River. Today, cities like Montebello, Whittier, and Pico Rivera are on what used to be this rancho.

History of Rancho Paso de Bartolo

This land first belonged to the San Gabriel Mission. Later, it became part of a huge land grant called Rancho Los Nietos, which was about 300,000 acres (1,214 km2). But the mission leaders asked for some land back. So, Rancho Los Nietos was made smaller, and Rancho Paso de Bartolo went back to the mission.

After the missions were no longer controlled by the church, Rancho Paso de Bartolo was given to Juan Crispin Perez in 1835. He used to manage things at the mission.

In 1843, a worker named Bernardo Guirado bought 876 acres (3.55 km2) of the rancho from Perez. Later, Joaquina Ana Sepulveda, a widow, bought another 208 acres (0.84 km2). Juan Crispin Perez passed away in 1847, leaving the rancho to his family.

After the Mexican–American War, a former governor named Pío Pico started buying parts of the rancho from Perez's family. By 1852, he owned 8,991 acres (36.38 km2) of the rancho.

When California became part of the United States after the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 said that old land grants would still be valid. So, a claim for Rancho Paso de Bartolo was made in 1852 to the Public Land Commission. This was required by a law called the Land Act of 1851.

The land was officially given out in parts:

• 876 acres (3.55 km2) went to Bernardo Guirado in 1867.
• 208 acres (0.84 km2) went to Joaquína Sepulveda in 1881.
• 8,991 acres (36.38 km2) went to Pio Pico and Juan C. Perez's family in 1881.

There were some disagreements about the land owned by Guirado and Sepulveda. There were also questions about whether it overlapped with the Rancho Santa Gertrudes land to the south.

Historic Places on the Rancho

• Pio Pico State Historic Park: Pío Pico lived at a place called "El Ranchito" from 1852 to 1892. His first adobe home was destroyed by floods in 1883-1884. His second adobe house, now known as Pío Pico Mansion, shows a mix of Mexican and American building styles.
• Battle of Rio San Gabriel: This was one of the last battles of the Mexican-American War. It happened on Rancho Paso de Bartolo on January 8, 1847.