Rancho San Francisquito (Dalton) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rancho San Francisquito |
|
|---|---|
| Land grant of Mexico | |
| 1845–1873 | |
| • Type | Mexican land grant |
| History | |
|
• Established
|
1845 |
|
• Disestablished
|
1873 |
| Today part of | United States |
Rancho San Francisquito was a huge piece of land, about 8,894 acres (36 square kilometers). It was a Mexican land grant in what is now Los Angeles County, California. In 1845, the Mexican Governor Pio Pico gave this land to Henry Dalton.
This land grant included areas that are now the cities of El Monte, Irwindale, and Temple City.
Contents
History of Rancho San Francisquito
Henry Dalton's Land Holdings
Henry Dalton (1803-1884) was born in England. In 1820, he sailed to Lima, Peru, and became a merchant. He even commanded his own small fleet of trading ships. By 1841, he was a very important person in California's coastal trade.
Dalton received the Rancho San Francisquito land grant in 1845. He also owned other large areas. These included Rancho Azusa de Dalton, which he bought in 1844. He also bought Rancho Santa Anita in 1847. At one point, Dalton owned a continuous stretch of land. It went from today's San Dimas to the eastern edge of Pasadena.
Changes After the Mexican-American War
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This change was called the cession. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. This treaty said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid.
A claim for Rancho San Francisquito was filed in 1852. This was required by the Land Act of 1851. The Public Land Commission approved the claim in 1853. However, a US District Court rejected it in 1855. The court said Henry Dalton was not a Mexican citizen when he received the grant.
Legal Battles and Land Sales
The US Supreme Court later overturned this decision. The land grant was officially given to Henry Dalton in 1867. This process is called being patented.
Between 1867 and 1873, Dalton started selling parts of Rancho San Francisquito. He sold these in smaller pieces of land. In 1873, Dalton sold a large part of the rancho. This was the western two-thirds, about 5,929 acres (24 square kilometers). He sold it to the Wolfskill family. They then sold it to Elias Jackson (“Lucky”) Baldwin.
