Rancho de los Palos Verdes facts for kids
- This article refers to the land grant. For the cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, see Palos Verdes
Rancho de los Palos Verdes was a huge piece of land, about 31,629 acres (128 square kilometers), in what is now Los Angeles County, California. It was a Mexican land grant, meaning the Mexican government gave it away. In 1846, Governor Pío Pico gave this land to José Loreto Sepulveda and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda.
The name "Palos Verdes" means "range of green trees" in Spanish. This land grant covered the area where the cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula are today. It also included parts of San Pedro and Torrance.
History of the Rancho
The land that became Rancho de los Palos Verdes was first part of an even larger Spanish land grant called Rancho San Pedro. This bigger rancho belonged to Manuel Dominguez.
Around 1810, a man named Manuel Guttierez was managing Dominguez's land. He allowed 17-year-old Jose Dolores Sepulveda to bring his animals to graze in the southwestern part of Rancho San Pedro. This is how the Sepulveda family started to claim this land as their own.
Jose Dolores Sepulveda had trouble getting official ownership of the land. He traveled to Monterey to try and sort out the problem. Sadly, on his way back in 1824, he died during a conflict known as the Chumash revolt at Mission La Purísima Concepción.
In 1834, Governor Jose Figueroa made a decision to try and settle the land dispute between the Dominguez and Sepulveda families.
Land Ownership Changes
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo said that the US government would respect the existing land grants.
So, in 1852, a claim for Rancho de los Palos Verdes was filed with the Public Land Commission. This was required by a new law called the Land Act of 1851. Finally, in 1880, the land was officially granted to José Loreto Sepulveda and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda.
By 1882, the Sepulveda family no longer owned the land. It had passed through several owners who held mortgages on it. Eventually, Jotham Bixby, who owned Rancho Los Cerritos, took over the land. He leased it to Japanese farmers.
After 1900, most of Bixby's land was sold. A group of investors from New York, led by Frank A. Vanderlip, bought it. They started "The Palos Verdes Project." Their goal was to sell parts of the peninsula for small horse ranches and new neighborhoods.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
- The original adobe home of Jose Dolores Sepulveda was built in 1818. This historic building, known as the Dolores Sepulveda's adobe, was recognized as a California Historic Landmark (No. 383) on January 3, 1944.
