Rancho Paso de Bartolo
Encyclopedia
Rancho Paso de Bartolo also called Rancho Paso de Bartolo Viejo was a 10075 acres (40.8 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Los Angeles County, California
given in 1835 by Governor Jose Figueroa
to Juan Crispin Perez. The name refers to a San Gabriel River
ford called Paso de Bartolo Viejo (Old Bartolo's Crossing). The rancho includes present day Montebello
, Whittier
, and Pico Rivera
.
, the Rancho Paso de Bartolo land became a part of the original 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²) Rancho Los Nietos
grant. After an appeal by the mission padres, Rancho Los Nietos was later reduced to 167000 acres (675.8 km²), and Rancho Paso de Bartolo was once again a possession of the mission. Following secularization of the missions, Rancho Paso de Bartolo was granted in 1835 to Juan Crispin Perez, a manager at the mission.
In 1843, Bernardo Guirado, a worker at the mission, acquired 876 acres (4 km²) of Paso de Bartolo from Perez. Later, Joaquina Ana Sepulveda, widow of Juan de Jesus Poyorena acquired another 208 acre (0.84174688 km²). In 1847, Juan Crispin Perez died leaving the rancho to his family. After the Mexican-American War, former Governor Pío Pico
began purchasing pieces of the estate from the heirs of Perez, and by 1852, he acquired 8991 acres (36 km²) of the rancho.
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. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Paso de Bartolo was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852. The grant was patented
with 876 acres (4 km²) to Bernardo Guirado in 1867, 208 acre (0.84174688 km²) to Joaquína Sepulveda in 1881, and 8991 acres (36 km²) to Pio Pico and Juan C. Perez in 1881.
There was some legal dispute over the Guirado and Sepulveda land, and with the possible encroachment on the Rancho Santa Gertrudes
grant to the south.
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 1835 by Governor Jose Figueroa
José Figueroa
General José Figueroa , was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials.This also involved the issuing of...
to Juan Crispin Perez. The name refers to a 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...
ford called Paso de Bartolo Viejo (Old Bartolo's Crossing). The rancho includes present day Montebello
Montebello, California
Montebello is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the southwestern part of the San Gabriel Valley. It is located on of land just east of downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities, and the city is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of...
, Whittier
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
, and Pico Rivera
Pico Rivera, California
Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is situated approximately 11 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles basin, and on the southern edge of the area known as the San Gabriel Valley...
.
History
Initially property of the San Gabriel MissionMission San Gabriel Arcángel
The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a fully functioning Roman Catholic mission and a historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. The settlement was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become 21 Spanish...
, the Rancho Paso de Bartolo land became a part of the original 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²) Rancho Los Nietos
Rancho Los Nietos
Rancho Los Nietos was one of the first, and the largest, Spanish land concession in Alta California. Located in present day Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Rancho Los Nietos was awarded to Manuel Nieto in 1784...
grant. After an appeal by the mission padres, Rancho Los Nietos was later reduced to 167000 acres (675.8 km²), and Rancho Paso de Bartolo was once again a possession of the mission. Following secularization of the missions, Rancho Paso de Bartolo was granted in 1835 to Juan Crispin Perez, a manager at the mission.
In 1843, Bernardo Guirado, a worker at the mission, acquired 876 acres (4 km²) of Paso de Bartolo from Perez. Later, Joaquina Ana Sepulveda, widow of Juan de Jesus Poyorena acquired another 208 acre (0.84174688 km²). In 1847, Juan Crispin Perez died leaving the rancho to his family. After the Mexican-American War, former Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
began purchasing pieces of the estate from the heirs of Perez, and by 1852, he acquired 8991 acres (36 km²) of the rancho.
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. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Paso de Bartolo was filed 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...
in 1852. The grant was patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
with 876 acres (4 km²) to Bernardo Guirado in 1867, 208 acre (0.84174688 km²) to Joaquína Sepulveda in 1881, and 8991 acres (36 km²) to Pio Pico and Juan C. Perez in 1881.
There was some legal dispute over the Guirado and Sepulveda land, and with the possible encroachment on the Rancho Santa Gertrudes
Rancho Santa Gertrudes
Rancho Santa Gertrudes was a 1834 Mexican land grant, in present day Los Angeles County, California resulting from a partition of Rancho Los Nietos...
grant to the south.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Pio Pico State Historic ParkPio Pico State Historic ParkPío Pico State Historic Park is the site of "El Ranchito," also known as the Pío Pico Adobe or Pío Pico Mansion, the final home of Pío Pico, the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule and a pivotal figure in early California history. Located in Whittier, California, at 6003 Pioneer...
. Pío Pico lived at "El Ranchito" from 1852 to 1892. An adobe home was destroyed by the floods of 1883-1884. His second adobe casa, now known as Pío Pico Mansion, represents a compromise between Mexican and American cultures. - The Battle of Rio San GabrielBattle of Rio San GabrielThe Battle of Rio San Gabriel fought on January 8, 1847 was a decisive action of the California campaign of the Mexican-American War and occurred at a ford of the San Gabriel River, at what are today parts of the cities of Whittier, Pico Rivera and Montebello, about ten miles south-east of downtown...
, one of the last battles of the Mexican-American War, was fought on Rancho Paso de Bartolo on January 8, 1847.