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Rancho de los Palos Verdes

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Coordinates: 33°46′48″N 118°20′17″W / 33.780°N 118.3380°W / 33.780; -118.3380
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In 1846, Rancho de los Palos Verdes was separated from Rancho San Pedro and granted to José Loreto Sepúlveda (shown) and Juan Capistrano Sepúlveda.

Rancho de los Palos Verdes was a 31,629-acre (128.00 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to José Loreto and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda.[1] The name means "Ranch of the Green Trees". The grant encompassed the present-day cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, as well as portions of San Pedro, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Compton, Gardena, Lomita, Harbor City, Carson, Dominguez Hills, Wilmington, Los Angeles[2]

History

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Manuel Domínguez, a signer of the Californian Constitution and owner of Rancho San Pedro, which included all of Palos Verdes.

The grant was originally a part of Manuel Dominguez's Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant. Around 1810 Manuel Guttierez, executor of Dominguez's will and de facto owner of his rancho, granted permission to then 17-year-old Jose Dolores Sepulveda to herd livestock in the southwestern reaches of the Rancho San Pedro. This eventually became the basis for the Sepulveda family's contested claim to the Rancho de los Palos Verdes. Dolores had trouble getting his land title cleared, so he took a trip to Monterey to get the matter definitely settled and, on his return trip, he was killed in the Chumash revolt at Mission La Purísima Concepción in 1824. In 1834, a judicial decree was made by Governor Jose Figueroa which was intended to settle the dispute between the Dominquez and Sepulveda families.[3]

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 de los Palos Verdes was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852,[4][5] and the grant was patented to José Loreto and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda in 1880.[6]

The old roof tree which marks the site of the original Palos Verdes ranch house (1926)

By 1882 ownership of the land had passed from the Sepulveda through various mortgage holders to Jotham Bixby of Rancho Los Cerritos, who leased the land to Japanese farmers.[7] After the turn of the century most of Bixby's land was sold to a consortium of New York investors spearheaded by Frank A. Vanderlip that created The Palos Verdes Project and began marketing land on the peninsula for small horse ranches and residential communities.

Spanish era

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The first Spanish sailor and soldier to come into contact with the Indigenous population on the Palos verdes Peninsula was Juan Cabrillo. While Juan Cabrillo's journey took him the entire California and Oregon coast he is noted with having stopped near Catalina island and is known to have skirted along the coast of the Peninsula. Vizcaino was to be the Second Spanish soldier and Sailor to land near the peninsula. “The smoke from many fires and green vegetation on the hills of the Palos Verdes Peninsula attracted them, but as they approached the bay to its southeast end, Vizcaino evaluated the harbor as having insufficient protection from the wind.”[8] He would later land near Catalina and continue up the coast.

In 1781 the Spanish set out to build a community on the land that would later become known as Palos Verdes along with the families that joined a group of soldiers were supposed to join. One such soldier was Francisco Xavier Sepúlveda the soldiers came with their wives and children as well. Francisco brought his wife Maria Candelaria de Redondo. His grandson would later become the founder and owner of Rancho de los Palos Verdes.[citation needed]

Sepúlveda family and Ranch

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The Sepúlveda Family was granted a larger tract of land of which was the Rancho de los Palos Verdes. José Dolores was the first Sepúlveda to officially own the land as he had worked the land under his presumed relative Manual Gutiérrez. Manuel Gutiérrez had owned the Rancho San Pedro which would be broken up and a section given to Jose Dolores Sepúlveda. Jose Dolores was born to Juan Jose Sepúlveda and his wife Tomasa Gutiérrez in 1793 by the time he was 16 both of his parents had passed away. This is when he started to work the land he eventually settled there on the land that was to be his in the future. The family needed to fight for their right to own the land as the man who had awarded them the right to farm the land had a tenuous claim to the land which was later fought by Cristobal Dominguez the nephew of the original owner.

When Cristobal Dominguez sent a decree for the removal of Jose Dolores it was immediately denied and he immediately set out a counterclaim to the Pueblo officials. “He took immediate action to the fight for his land. He filed a format counterclaim with the Pueblo officials, insisting that he was entitled to remain… The he took off for Monterey to make a personal appeal to the New Mexican Governor.”[9] When Cristobal came back for the land that he believed to be rightfully his he brought a petition against the Sepulveda’s as he believed they were squatting on the land. The Sepúlveda’s believed they owned the land because they were given legal custody of it as well as tilled the land for many years. When this went up against a judge the judge gave all the land to the Sepúlveda’s as a donation.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

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On February 2, 1848, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed between the United States and Mexico which officially ended the Mexican–American War that began in 1846. The treaty officially stated that certain territories that belonged to Mexico would now become part of the United States.[10] A total of seven states were acquired by the U.S. government one of which was the state of California, where the Rancho de los Palos Verdes is located.

Article 8 of the treaty, mentions that the property rights of the Mexican citizens who owned property that was occupied by the United States, would be respected under the government of the United States. The same section also granted full American citizenship for those who lived in these states before becoming part of the United States if desired.[11] This included the people who lived in the Ranchos of California that were established in were established during the Spanish and Mexican periods. Once the state of California became part of the United States, the area became part of the United States government.

Frank A. Vanderlip

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Frank A. Vanderlip (November 17, 1864 - June 30, 1937) was a successful banker in New York was the president of The National City Bank he was also one of the youngest president showing his immense talent. He was first and foremost a journalist that was

Frank A. Vanderlip an American Banker

how he got his start in the world. He along with his friends bought the Palos Verdes Land without seeing it, and it is stated that the price may have been in the millions. He married Narcissa Cox in 1903. Frank had was the who in 1913 purchased the Land he had purchased the land sight unseen. This is to be debated as his son would later go on to say that he has sent some before hand to see the land. He bought the land at a good price as it was less then $100 for an acre. He is described as saying “ it seemed like an empire a beautiful empire with miles of sea coast gleaming crescent beaches picturesque rolling hills and occasionally more picturesque canyons”[12] His original dream for what the land would become was “He saw an artisans village built against the cliffs at point Vicente with docks for waterborne commerce”[13] In 1913 months after he purchased the land he became ill and his doctor suggested he move to the countryside for a while. He took this opportunity to finally visit the land that he purchased. When he arrived he built the Villa Narcissa in honor of his wife it was completed in 1924 and still stands to this day. The Villa is still owned and operated by the Vanderlip family. When he bought the land he had no intention of developing it himself and promoting it so he hired a number of different people to help in this task one being that of E.G Lewis. E.G Lewis had a vision of what he wanted Palos verdes to look like and this is what he said about it “The Reviera of the Pacific coast a great acropolis the most beautiful residential city in the world overshadowing the greatest metropolis.”[12]

The Palos Verdes Project

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The Palos Verdes Project was started in 1922 by a group of men who wanted to revitalize Frank Vanderlips dream which had been put on hold due to illness and World War One. While Vanderlip continued his support of the creation of Palos Verdes he pulled his interest in 1922 and sold his acreage to E.G Lewis. Vanderlip managed to find the best to develop the area this included the famed landscape artists the Olmsted brothers as well as E.G Lewis who would promote the land. The next man that he would hire to be apart of the Palos verdes project was Charles Cheney and he would act as the City Planner. He is quoted with having envisioned the land as “ The ideal residential suburb…where on could build his home…without fear that the neighborhood would ever be unsightly or undesirable”[14]

Vanderlip wanted to only hire respectable men that had many recommendations E.G Lewis had initially fit this description although he soon become in involved in mail fraud and other practices which meant that he was eventually released from his position as promoter of the project. The land that was to be developed first was the Malaga cove area to entice people to buy the land they had “ On Sunday afternoons to watch stunt flying and Spanish dancing while they enjoyed their free lunch and coffee”[15]

The first building to be built was La Venta inn which was to be a place wherein Vanderlip imagined he could entertain his friends and could be a place where businessmen held their meetings and entertained their guest. It was originally called Clubhouse 764 but it was changed to La Venta inn which translates to “The Sale” which perfectly embodies what was supposed to happen in the building.

The next building to be built was the start of Malaga Cove it was called the Gardiner Building and it hosted a multitude of business’s which included a drug store, grocery store and other businesses. The next major building would help to grow the peninsula as it started the Peninsula school district and it was the Malaga Cove School this school is no longer in operation.

Olmsted Brothers

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. the landscape designer for Palos Verdes.

The Olmsted brothers were among the most prestigious landscape artists of their time. They were hired by Vanderlip to design the plot of land. They were hired because of their many recommendations and their respectability.They wanted the place to be the ultimate suburb. Frederick Olmsted Sr. is credited with planning and designing Central Park in New York it is his sons who are credited with designing the new suburbs. His son is quoted with having said when looking at the amazing veiws that the land possesses he said “ How often are men given such an almost untouched great area…May we who are now responsible place parks and open spaces, roads, not for racing but to look at the beauty, and may the generations whoo follow keep this in their minds and plans”[16]

Historic sites of the Rancho

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  • Site of Adobe Home of Jose Dolores Sepulveda. Dolores Sepulveda's adobe was built in 1818. The Jose Dolores Sepulveda Adobe was designated a California Historic Landmark (No. 383) on Jan. 03, 1944.[17]
  • La Venta Inn - The site of Frank Vanderlip’s original Real estate office and the first building to be built in Palos verdes estates. It was the first permanent building constructed by the Palos Verdes Project and was originally called "Clubhouse 764".[18]
  • Vanderlip Estate - The land of the estate was purchased by Frank A Vanderlip Sr. from the Bixby family in 1913. Vanderlip envisioned constructing a residential community with the design that was inspired by Central Park in New York City. However, the plans for the construction were delayed due to the start of World War I. [19]
  • Wayfarers Chapel
  • Neptune Fountain On February 16, 1930, the Neptune Fountain was unveiled in the Malaga Cove Plaza by Jay Lawyer who was the manager of the Palos Verdes Project as a gift for the people of the city. The fountain is a replica of another one that is located in Bologna Italy.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ogden Hoffman, 1862, Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Numa Hubert, San Francisco
  2. ^ Diseño del Rancho de los Palos Verdes
  3. ^ The Rancho San Pedro Collection Archived 2010-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ United States. District Court (California : Southern District) Land Case 93 SD
  5. ^ Finding Aid to the Documents Pertaining to the Adjudication of Private Land Claims in California, circa 1852-1892
  6. ^ Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886 Archived 2009-05-04 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Meares, Hadley (June 18, 2015). "The Colonists: The Many Cultures That Have Called Palos Verdes Peninsula Home". KCET. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  8. ^ Fink, Augusta (1987). Palos Verdes Peninsula:Time and Terraced Land. Santa Cruz California: Western Tanager Press. pp. 11–36. ISBN 0-934136-37-8.
  9. ^ Fink, Augusta (1987). Palos Verdes Peninsula: Time and the terraced land. Santa Cruz California: Western Tanager Press. p. 48. ISBN 0-934136-37-8.
  10. ^ Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Definition and List of Community Land Grants in New Mexico. Washington, D.C.: Exposure draft. 2001. pp. 8–10.
  11. ^ "Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)". National Archives. June 25, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Ben-Joseph, Eran; Szold, Terry S (2004-12-06). Regulating Place: Standards and the shaping of Urban America. Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN 9780415948746. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
  13. ^ Lukas, Betty; Blinn, Marjeanne (2011). Peninsula Past : The Complicated Birth of Paradise. El Segundo: Atlantic West Publishers, inc. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-615-52328-6.
  14. ^ Lukas, Betty; Blinn, Marjeanne (2011). Peninsula Past: The Complicated Birth of Paradise. Atlantic West Publishers,inc. pp. 1–11. ISBN 978-0-615-52328-6.
  15. ^ Lukas, Betty; Blinn, Marjeanne (2011). Peninsula Past: The Complicated Birth of Paradise. El Segundo: Atlantic West Publishers, inc. pp. 7–11. ISBN 978-0-615-52328-6.
  16. ^ Lukas, Betty; Blinn, Marjeanne (2011). Peninsula Past:The complicated Birth of Paradise. El Segundo: Atlantic West Publishers, inc. pp. 1–30. ISBN 978-0-615-52328-6.
  17. ^ Home of Jose Dolores Sepulveda (No. 383)
  18. ^ Phillips, John (2009). Images of America: Palos Verdes Estates. Arcadia Publishing. p. 31.
  19. ^ https://www.pvestates.org/community/city-history#:~:text=The%20City%20of%20Palos%20Verdes,building%20a%20planned%2C%20residential%20community. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ Gnerre, Sam (August 20, 2019). "South Bay History: Fig leaf or not, the Neptune Fountain has been a Malaga Cove icon since 1930". Daily Breeze. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
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33°46′48″N 118°20′17″W / 33.780°N 118.3380°W / 33.780; -118.3380

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