Rancho Santa Anita facts for kids

Rancho Santa Anita was a huge piece of land, about 13,319 acres, given out in California a long time ago. It was a special type of land called a land grant. This rancho was located in what is now Los Angeles County, California.

The land was given to Hugo Reid, who was from Scotland but became a Mexican citizen. His wife was from the Kizh people, a Native American group. Hugo Reid built an adobe house on the land in 1839. The land grant was officially approved by Governor Pío Pico in 1845.

Rancho Santa Anita covered parts of many cities you might know today. These include Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena, and San Marino. A small part of the original rancho is now the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

The Story of Rancho Santa Anita

From Mission Land to Ranchos

Before it was Rancho Santa Anita, this land belonged to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The San Gabriel Mission was started in 1771. It was one of many Spanish missions built in California.

The mission used this land to grow lots of crops. They planted wheat, barley, corn, beans, peas, and lentils. They also had many fruit trees and vineyards. Plus, about 20,000 cattle grazed on the land.

After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, things changed. In 1833, a law called the Mexican secularization act of 1833 was passed. This law meant that much of the Catholic Church's mission land was taken away. The Mexican government then sold these lands as large private properties called Ranchos.

Hugo Reid and the First Owners

Hugo Reid was a Scottish man who became a Mexican citizen. This was important because only Mexican citizens could own these new land grants. He built an adobe house on his 13,319 acres and lived there with his wife, Victoria.

In 1847, Hugo Reid sold Rancho Santa Anita. He sold it to his neighbor, Henry Dalton, for $2,700. Henry Dalton owned the nearby Rancho Azusa de Dalton.

California Becomes Part of the U.S.

After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States. This happened in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty promised that the existing Mexican land grants would be respected.

A new law, the Land Act of 1851, required landowners to prove their claims. Henry Dalton filed his claim in 1852. The land grant was officially given to him in 1866. This process is called being patented.

New Owners and New Towns

Over the years, Rancho Santa Anita had several owners.

• In 1854, Joseph Andrew Rowe bought the rancho for $33,000. He lived there for several years.
• In 1858, Albert Dibblee and William Corbett bought the rancho. They owned it until 1864.
• In 1865, William Wolfskills bought 11,319 acres of the rancho for $20,000.
• Later, William's son, Luis Wolfskill, sold 8,500 acres to Harris Newmark for $85,000. Harris Newmark was a merchant from Los Angeles.

Alfred Chapman's Contribution

In 1869, Alfred Beck Chapman bought 1,786 acres of Rancho Santa Anita. He was a real estate lawyer. He built a home near where California Boulevard is today. On his land, he planted many different crops. These included citrus fruits, walnuts, avocados, pecans, peas, lentils, and wheat.

The neighborhood of Chapman Woods in Pasadena is named after Alfred Chapman. He also owned land in another town called Duarte. Chapman Avenue is also named after him. His law partner was Andrew Glassell, and the Glassell Park neighborhood in Los Angeles is named for him.

It's interesting to note that Chapman University is named after a different person, Charles Chapman. Charles was famous for growing oranges and was called the "Orange King." He was not related to Alfred Beck Chapman.

Lucky Baldwin's Vision

In 1875, Harris Newmark sold Rancho Santa Anita to Elias Jackson ("Lucky") Baldwin for $200,000. Lucky Baldwin was a very famous and wealthy businessman. He moved into Hugo Reid's old adobe house, which was near a natural lake.

Lucky Baldwin loved horses. In 1881, he built a beautiful white Queen Anne style house near the lake. He also built a Queen Anne style coach barn for his special horses.

• Horse Racing History: Lucky Baldwin started a racetrack on Rancho Santa Anita in 1904. This first track closed in 1909 and burned down in 1912. But in 1934, the famous Santa Anita Park opened. It is still a popular place for thoroughbred horse racing today.
• Creating New Towns: In the late 1880s, Lucky Baldwin divided up parts of the rancho. He did this to create the town of Arcadia. In 1881, Nathaniel Carter bought 845 acres of the rancho. He combined it with other land to form the new town of Sierra Madre, California.

In 1875, Lucky Baldwin's company started selling smaller pieces of his ranchos. In 1883, 240 acres of Rancho Santa Anita were sold to William Norton Monroe for $30,000. Other parts of the rancho were sold to people like Edward F. Spence, John Dustin Bicknell, and James F. Crank.

Historic Places of the Rancho

You can still visit some historic places from Rancho Santa Anita today:

• Hugo Reid Adobe: This is the original adobe house that Hugo Reid built in 1839.
• Santa Anita Depot: This train station was built in 1890 for the Santa Fe Railway.

Images for kids

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  The home of Elias J. ("Lucky") Baldwin, the former Hugo Reid Adobe, at Rancho Santa Anita, around 1903.

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  Hugo Reid at Rancho Santa Anita.

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  Lucky Baldwin in 1905.

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  Lucky Baldwin statue in Arcadia, California. It's across from Santa Anita Racetrack.

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  The cool Art Deco entrance to Santa Anita's grandstands.

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  The track at Santa Anita Park.

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  The beautiful Queen Anne Cottage and Coach Barn.

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  Harris Newmark.