Rancho Santa Gertrudes facts for kids
Rancho Santa Gertrudes was a very large piece of land in what is now Los Angeles County, California. It was given out as a Mexican land grant in 1834. This rancho was created when an even bigger land grant, called Rancho Los Nietos, was split up. The land of Rancho Santa Gertrudes now includes the cities of Downey and Santa Fe Springs.
Contents
History of the Rancho
How the Rancho Was Created
Back in 1834, the governor of Mexico, José Figueroa, officially recognized a huge land grant called Rancho Los Nietos. This grant belonged to the family of Manuel Nieto. The Nieto family asked for the land to be divided. So, Governor Figueroa ordered it to be split into five smaller ranchos. These were Las Bolsas, Los Alamitos, Los Cerritos, Los Coyotes, and Santa Gertrudes.
The Rancho Santa Gertrudes land grant was given to Josefa Cota. She was the widow of Antonio Maria Nieto, who was Manuel Nieto's son.
New Owners and Changes
In 1843, a man named Lemuel Carpenter bought Rancho Santa Gertrudes. He was married to Maria de Los Angeles Dominguez, who was Josefa Cota's niece. So, Josefa Cota was his aunt by marriage.
After the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The peace agreement, called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored.
To make sure their land was officially recognized by the U.S. government, people had to file a claim. Lemuel Carpenter filed a claim for his part of Rancho Santa Gertrudes in 1852. This was required by a law called the Land Act of 1851.
When Lemuel Carpenter passed away in 1859, the rancho was sold at an auction. Two men, John G. Downey and James P. McFarland, bought it. In 1870, a large part of the rancho, about 17,602 acres, was officially given to McFarland and Downey.
Another person, Thomas Sanchez Colima, also filed a claim for a part of Rancho Santa Gertrudes in 1852. In 1877, about 3,696 acres of the rancho were officially given to him.
Rancho's Legacy Today
Even today, you can see parts of the old rancho's boundaries. For example, Leffingwell Road marks the southern border between what used to be Rancho Santa Gertrudes and Rancho Los Coyotes. Also, a street called Santa Gertrudes Avenue is named after the rancho. It runs from Los Angeles County Route N8 to California State Route 72.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
- Hathaway Ranch Museum
- Historical Railroad Exhibit
