Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit facts for kids

Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit was a huge piece of land, about 13,316 acres (which is about 54 square kilometers), given out as a Spanish land grant in 1804. This land was located in what is now Los Angeles County, California, covering parts of the Santa Monica Mountains and the coast. Spanish Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga gave this land to José Bartolomé Tapia. Today, the areas of Malibu and western Topanga are on parts of this old rancho.

History of the Rancho

José Bartolomé Tapia was the oldest of nine children. His father, Felipe Santiago Tapia, was a soldier who traveled with the De Anza Expedition in 1775. In 1800, José Bartolomé Tapia asked for this land as a reward for his own time serving in the Army. He had seen the land when he was younger.

Early Owners

The land grant was officially given to him in 1804. Tapia then moved to the land. He used it to graze his cattle and raise his family.

In 1848, after Tapia's death, his wife, Maria Francisca Mauricia Villalobo, sold the rancho. She sold it to her grandson-in-law, Leon Victor Prudhomme. He was married to a daughter of Tiburcio Tapia, who owned another large land grant called Rancho Cucamonga.

Changes After the Mexican-American War

After the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The peace agreement, called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, promised that the existing land grants would still be valid.

A new law in 1851 required people to prove their land claims. Prudhomme tried to claim Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit, but he couldn't show the original documents for the Tapia family's ownership. So, his claim was turned down.

In 1857, Prudhomme sold his rights to the land to an Irishman named Matthew (Mateo) Keller. Keller was able to successfully prove his claim to the land. He received an official patent (a document proving ownership) in 1872.

Later Owners

Eleven years after Keller passed away, the rancho was sold again in 1891. It was bought by Frederick Hastings Rindge, a businessman and generous person from Boston and Los Angeles.

Historic Sites of the Rancho

• Adamson House: This is a historic home designed by Stiles O. Clements. It was finished in 1929 for Frederick Rindge's daughter, Rhoda Agatha Rindge, and her husband, Merritt Huntley Adamson.

The Tapia Family

• Felipe Santiago Tapia (1745–1811): He was a soldier in the de Anza Expedition.
• Jose Bartolome Tapia (1766–1824): He was the son of Felipe Santiago Tapia and the oldest of nine children. He was the person who received the grant for Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit.
• Tiburcio Tapia (1789–1845): He was the son of Jose Bartolome Tapia. He was granted Rancho Cucamonga and served as the Mayor of Los Angeles three times (in 1830, 1839, and 1840). He was married to María Tomasa Valdéz.
• Maria Merced Tapia de Prudhomme: She was the daughter of Tiburcio Tapia and married Leon Victor Prudhomme.