Rancho Azusa de Dalton
Encyclopedia
Rancho Azusa de Dalton was a 4431 acres (17.9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Los Angeles County, California
given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Luis Arenas. Arenas sold his holdings three years later to Henry Dalton (1803 - 1884), a wealthy merchant from Los Angeles
. Dalton named his holding Rancho Azusa de Dalton. Cities that have been established on the Rancho lands originally granted to Henry Dalton include Azusa
, Arcadia
, Monrovia
, Irwindale
and Baldwin Park
.
Henry Dalton was born in England, and in 1820 sailed to Lima Peru and became a merchant eventually commanding a small fleet of merchant vessels. By 1841 he had become a prominent figure in California coastal trade. Dalton chose Rancho El Susa as his home renaming it Azusa de Dalton. Dalton built a house here on a place known as Dalton Hill, near 6th Street and Cerritos Avenue in Azusa. The Rancho Azusa Dalton lay east across San Gabriel River
from the Rancho Azusa de Duarte
. The first was often called El Susa, and the latter Susita. Dalton further increased his holdings to include the Rancho San Francisquito
and Rancho Santa Anita
. In the end Dalton owned an unbroken expanse of land from the present day San Dimas
to the eastern edge of Pasadena
.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that the land grants would be honored. After filing his claim for Rancho Azusa de Dalton with the Public Land Commission
, as required by the Land Act of 1851, Dalton disagreed with the 1860 US survey by Henry Hancock
, and borrowed money from J. S. Slauson
to fight the case through the courts. The courts decided against him after 24 years of litigation. Consequently in 1885, Dalton turned Rancho Azusa over to Slauson, who deeded a 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) homestead to Dalton. Henry Dalton received a US patent for Rancho Azusa in 1876. When he died in 1884, Dalton had lost most of his property and was living in poverty.
In 1885 Slauson acquired Henry Dalton
's Rancho Azusa de Dalton, organized the Azusa Land and Water Company, and developed the town of Azusa. Rancho Azusa, with the exception of some 500 acres (2 km²), was sold to John Dustin Bicknell
. I. W. Hellman and others. The lots in the town of Azusa were put on the market in 1887, and the following year the Santa Fe Railroad was completed. On December 29, 1898, Azusa was incorporated as a city of the sixth class.
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
in present day Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Luis Arenas. Arenas sold his holdings three years later to Henry Dalton (1803 - 1884), a wealthy merchant from Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Dalton named his holding Rancho Azusa de Dalton. Cities that have been established on the Rancho lands originally granted to Henry Dalton include Azusa
Azusa, California
Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 46,361 at the 2010 census, up from 44,712 at the 2000 census. Though sometimes assumed to be a compaction of the phrase "everything from A to Z in the USA" from an old Jack Benny joke, the place name "Azusa"...
, Arcadia
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
, Monrovia
Monrovia, California
Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
, Irwindale
Irwindale, California
Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census....
and Baldwin Park
Baldwin Park, California
Baldwin Park is a city located in the central San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,390, down from 75,837 at the 2000 census.- History :...
.
History
Luis Arenas received the Rancho El Susa land grant from Governor (pro-tem) Manuel Jimeno in 1841. In 1844 Henry Dalton purchased El Susa from Arenas, and also Arenas one third interest in Rancho San Jose.Henry Dalton was born in England, and in 1820 sailed to Lima Peru and became a merchant eventually commanding a small fleet of merchant vessels. By 1841 he had become a prominent figure in California coastal trade. Dalton chose Rancho El Susa as his home renaming it Azusa de Dalton. Dalton built a house here on a place known as Dalton Hill, near 6th Street and Cerritos Avenue in Azusa. The Rancho Azusa Dalton lay east across San Gabriel River
San Gabriel River (California)
The San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California in the United States. Its main stem is about long, while its farthest tributaries extend almost altogether...
from the Rancho Azusa de Duarte
Rancho Azusa de Duarte
Rancho Azusa de Duarte was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Andres Duarte, a former Mexican corporal...
. The first was often called El Susa, and the latter Susita. Dalton further increased his holdings to include the Rancho San Francisquito
Rancho San Francisquito (Dalton)
Rancho San Francisquito was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pio Pico to Henry Dalton...
and Rancho Santa Anita
Rancho Santa Anita
Rancho Santa Anita was a land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given to Perfecto Hugo Reid. The land grant was formally recognized by Governor Pio Pico in 1845. The land grant covered all or portions of the present day cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena and San...
. In the end Dalton owned an unbroken expanse of land from the present day San Dimas
San Dimas, California
San Dimas is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 33,371. The city historically took its name from San Dismas Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above the northern section of present day San Dimas...
to the eastern edge of Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
With the cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
provided that the land grants would be honored. After filing his claim for Rancho Azusa de Dalton with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
, as required by the Land Act of 1851, Dalton disagreed with the 1860 US survey by Henry Hancock
Henry Hancock
Henry Hancock was a Harvard trained lawyer and a land surveyor working in California in the 1850s. He was the owner of Rancho La Brea, which included the La Brea Tar Pits.-Early life:...
, and borrowed money from J. S. Slauson
J. S. Slauson
Jonathan Sayre Slauson was a land developer who founded the town of Azusa, California in 1887. He was elected to the Los Angeles Board of Education on December 5, 1904 for a two year term. However, Slauson resigned on September 23, 1905. His resignation was accepted a week later when Wilson...
to fight the case through the courts. The courts decided against him after 24 years of litigation. Consequently in 1885, Dalton turned Rancho Azusa over to Slauson, who deeded a 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) homestead to Dalton. Henry Dalton received a US patent for Rancho Azusa in 1876. When he died in 1884, Dalton had lost most of his property and was living in poverty.
In 1885 Slauson acquired Henry Dalton
Henry Dalton
Henry C. Dalton was superintendent of the St. Louis City Hospital from 1886 to 1892, and later a professor of abdominal and clinical surgery at Marion Sims College of Medicine . He is noted for performing the first suturing of the pericardium on record...
's Rancho Azusa de Dalton, organized the Azusa Land and Water Company, and developed the town of Azusa. Rancho Azusa, with the exception of some 500 acres (2 km²), was sold to John Dustin Bicknell
John Dustin Bicknell
John D. Bicknell was an American real estate attorney and investor. From 1872 to 1907 he participated in the Los Angeles real estate boom, and founded the law firm that is presently known as Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher....
. I. W. Hellman and others. The lots in the town of Azusa were put on the market in 1887, and the following year the Santa Fe Railroad was completed. On December 29, 1898, Azusa was incorporated as a city of the sixth class.