by Paul R. Spitzzeri
Having completed his first pass-through the San Gabriel Valley, specifically some of its western sections, John Quincy Adams Warren, a San Francisco magazine, seed and livestock agent on an extended trip to greater Los Angeles in late 1860 to see and describe local farms and ranchos, decided to return to the Angel City after a sojourn with Benjamin D. Wilson in what is now San Marino.
In his third letter to the American Stock Journal, published in its April 1861 edition, Warren remarked that “the morning of my departure was clear and lovely, and the weather invigorating; and with the prospect of a charming ride of about twelve miles, over a pleasant and romantic road, bade my friends ‘adios,’ and started for Los Angeles.” A mile to the south, he came to the house of another Wilson, Spencer H., where he found 35 acres enclosed and planted to an orchard and vineyard.
The former had hundreds of fruit trees, including apple, peach, pear and quince, and, thanks to the loam soil permeated with abundant sand, “the peaches grow here to immense size, and are of excellent flavor.” As the case for many city properties, “the garden and vineyard, and orchard, are irrigated by the means of zanjas,” or open ditches, “by waters from the Los Angeles River.”
A notable sidelight to Warren’s account is his report that Wilson, a native of Canada, was a partner of San Pedro blacksmith Edward N. McDonald, who hailed from New York state, in the sheep business “having some 5,000 sheep pastured at Catalina Island,” this location “offers good advantages” for the enterprise. The two collected over 11,000 pounds of wool, while it was added that a half-dozen other sheep ranchers had some 8,000 animals on the island.
Regarding the island, Warren noted that,
Catalina Island was supposed to belong to [the] Government, but some title has been brought forward by a party, by the name of [Albert] Packard. It has passed the Board of Land Commissioners, also the Supreme Court of the State, but the government are allowed five years for appealing the suit, which time will not expire until 1862. In case they do not appeal, Mr. P. [who lived in San Francisco] will apply for his Patent, in which case the parties who have squatted on the island—supposing it to be government land—will be driven off, and of course suffer loss of improvements. The buildings, &c., erected on the island by different parties, are valued at from $8000 to $10,000. The land is mostly grazing, rough and mountainous—water rather scarce. Large numbers of wild goats run over the island. Messrs. Wilson & McDonald intend breeding a good class of sheep for wool purposes, and the grazing on the island is, I am told, free from that pest to wool, the clover bur.
Back to Wilson’s place, Warren observed a pair of horses, which, as with what was seen at Fielding Gibson’s property at El Monte and would be seen elsewhere, was evidence of “future improvements in this department of stock breeding. From this area of the Angel City, the traveler headed back into town and to its east side, meaning near the west bank of the river, and stopped at the house of Dr. Thomas Jefferson White, whom Gates observed as the postmaster and who was also the first speaker of the California Assembly prior to coming south, with its distinctive “avenue leading to the mansion being lined, on each side, with luxuriant trees—figs, English walnuts, pomegranates, &c.”
At the front were more trees, such as lemon and orange “laid out and interspersed in a very tasty manner,” while a fountain with flowers planted around it and bordered with coral and shells struck the visitor as “a most picturesque appearance,” including the “large, spacious and substantial, and altogether, is one of the most pleasant residences in the city.” The White domain included 88 acres, two-thirds of it along or “surrounded by the Los Angeles river, and about eleven feet higher than the eastern extremity of the city,” this, again, being west of the watercourse.
Because of shifting of the river, it went through the White place and, because it was a cienega, or swampland, White showed portions of trees a full 10 feet underground. Because of this condition, “the soil is exceeding rich” and the trees grew “amazingly,” while willow fencing enclosed the garden, orchard and vineyard. The latter had up to 30,000 vines, of which about a third were new and the crop yielded 200,000 pounds of grapes, while production of wine was as high as 14,000 gallons “of excellent quality” and, as did the Workman family, the Whites had a wine cellar in a basement under the house.
The White orchard had 500 fruit trees, including apple, fig, lemon, lime, orange, pear, peach, plum, as well as almonds, while there were triple that number of oranges set out in a nursery and “growing luxuriantly.” As with Benjamin D. Wilson, the physician “adopted the only and true policy for enhancing the value of the wines . . . by keeping over each vintage from three to five years, thus giving sufficient age, which gives character to the wine.” This counteracted the terrible tendency to flood the market with wine that was too young to be mature and properly flavorful.
The 59-year-old doctor, an Argonaut of ’49 during the early days of the Gold Rush, built his impressive estate in just half a decade, but died at the end of 1861 at age 59 in the residence of his son-in-law, Edward J.C. Kewen. He was not only feted with a flattering and glowing obituary, but was lionized by a poem and it mentioned “the home made desolate, wherein all things serve to recal[l] his memory. The walks he loved. The trees he planted. Flowers, and books . . . Delicious fragrance of the orange groves.”
After noting that he would visit the “extensive vineyard” of William Wolfskill” and “continuing my second trip into the country” to the Rancho Santa Gertrudes of California Governor John G. Downey (who acquired it on foreclosure of a loan to its prior owner, Lemuel Carpenter, who committed suicide in 1858, as a result), Warren sent his fourth letter for publication in the June number of the Journal. He began the missive with the statement that Los Angeles County had 80,000 cattle in 1849 and that the total was around 92,000, but “much stock between 1855 and 1859 . . . died from scarcity of water and fees, and other causes—such as involvement [financial struggles] of owners, seizure of debt, and taken away.”
In fact, in 1858 about 15,000 animals were taken out of the county to other ranches, so that, compared to three years prior, there were 50,000 fewer head. The ownership as about evening divided between Spanish-speaking Californios and Anglos. As to horses, the total was around 9,000 and Warren reported that they “are larger and finer in this county than in any other portion of the state,” with the local breed “looked upon as superior in many respects to others, for hardiness, &c . . . bearing the longest journeys, deprivation of water, and are noted for speed and endurance.” Where the California horse was deemed lacking was with pulling vehicles.
With respect to cross-breeding, the writer blamed “want of energy and perseverance,” especially among the Californios,” while he also asserted that, even as “large portions of the county consist of plains, mostly fertile but abundant in pasturage,” with “proper irrigation . . . the crops produced are abundant.” This led to Warren’s excursion of some ten miles to the southeast, where the Montebello Hills were to his left, and he arrived at Santa Gertrudes and the home of Governor Downey. Enclosures secured up to 1,000 acres of around 18,000 on the ranch and this former contained the farm, orchard and vineyard.
The writer was shown the place by Downey’s foreman, George T. Fisher, the latter had some 15,000 vines of which close to two-thirds were bearing, while there were around 7,000 fruit trees in the orchard, comprising apple, apricot, fig, pear and plum. Moreover, “much attention is paid to the English walnut, of which there are raised large crops, which promise to become in time the largest in the county. Forest and ornamental trees were also grown, including the black walnut, locust and Osage orange. Because of proximity to the San Gabriel River, this being today’s RÃo Hondo, Downey had irrigated water from a six-mile-long ditch from which four smaller ones branched.
As with Fielding Gibson, Downey raised broom corn, but he had “some dozen or more Indians, constantly,” working to make brooms “which appeared to be of excellent quality.” Livestock included up to 500 cattle and horses owned by the governor, while there were another 3,000 cattle and sheep “pastured on the ranch, and owned by other parties,” though Warren added that “there is room here for the introduction of more and finer stock” and, when this happened, it “will prove a source of great advantage to the county.” Finally, it was recorded that,
The extent of the ranch and its desirable locality and fertility of soil, with the facilities for irrigation, so essential to producing good crops, render it particularly valuable, and, with the improvements proposed, it must in time become extremely lucrative.
Warren departed Santa Gertrudes and headed north where, after a few miles, “I passed the residence of Pio Pico, formerly Governor of California, and possessed of large real estate in this count, and considerable stock,” this being the Ranchito where the Pio Pico State Historic Park contains the adobe house and a small portion of land around it. While the writer then said he rode on “bearing to the south,” he actually continued north, “some two or three miles,” and “reached the MERCED RANCH, the homestead of F.P.F. Temple, Esq., distant from Los Angeles about twelve miles.”
La Merced “comprises some 2,400 acres of valuable land,” though Temple largely controlled the eastern and northern portions and Juan Matias Sánchez counted the southern and western section as his domain. The two were given the ranch in 1851 by Temple’s father-in-law, William Workman, who obtained it by foreclosure on a loan he gave to its grantee, MarÃa Casilda Soto de Lobo, but Workman kept the deed, so it technically remained his. Warren’s description concerned Temple’s half of La Merced and he remarked,
about 100 acres . . . are inclosed [sic] to garden, vineyard, and agricultural purposes, the balance is used as grazing for the herds of stock. Fifty acres are devoted to orchard and vineyard, the latter containing about 20,000 vines.
The orchard looks promising, containing a large variety of fruit trees, pear, peach, plum, apricot, olive, figs and English walnuts. Some 200 of the latter variety of tree being in successful cultivation. The crops are large and productive—corn, wheat, barley and rye.
There are upon the ranch some 3,000 head of cattle and 200 head of horses and mares, principally California stock. As opportunity occurs these herds will be improved with crosses, as Mr. T. has ample means and liberality for carrying out any enterprise he may engage in.
Mr. Temple has been in the country some twenty years, and upon the present ranch since 1851. The mansion is adobe, built in substantial and comfortable style, and like the usual Spanish houses forms a half square 110 feet by 70. In front of the house is a beautiful garden, filled with flowers, fruit and ornamental trees, tastefully laid out. The soil is very fertile, and capable of producing every variety of fruit to perfection, with the exception of the lemon and orange it being too cold.
This latter comment is striking and, presumably, was made because of the location in the Whittier Narrows where ocean breezes passed into that thin gap between the Montebello and Puente hills ranges, even though those tropical fruits were grown very successfully just short distances away. The Temple adobe was not 7,700 square feet, which could be interpreted from Warren’s description, as this meant the area in which the house included an open courtyard attached or surrounded by it, including with a gate at the further end, as was the case with other adobe residences.
In any case, Warren left La Merced and headed east, or somewhat north-east, “along the southern tier” of the San Gabriel Valley, “some six miles, part of which is over a plain some twenty or thirty miles broad [east to west], used principally for grazing for the stock belonging to the various ranches located along its margin.” It was “in the center of this vast plain, like an oasis in the desert,” one might say the Homestead is an oasis in suburbia now, that Warren reached Rancho La Puente, “owned and occupied by Wm. Workman,” though half of the nearly 50,000-acre tract was owned by his friend of nearly a half century, John Rowland, who resided just a half-mile or so away.
In any case, the account went on that “the ranch is situated as above stated, mostly upon the open plain, and occupies some eleven leagues [a league being about 4,400 acres], a portion of which are rolling hills, and is devoted, with the exception of a few acres, entirely to stock grazing.” Befitting his extensive domain, Workman possessed 3,000 head of cattle and 600 horses, almost all of “California stock” and, in the drier months, they “roam over the range of hills in pursuit of forage, and are nearly lost to sight,” though when spring grass came after good rain, “the plains are covered, presenting an attractive appearance.”
Warren observed that “this is one of the largest and most extensive ranches in the county, and combining many excellent advantages.” The orchard and vineyard were 10 acres in extent and with some 10,000 grapevines “which have the past season produced an extra crop,” while another 50,000 new vines were out “and doing well.” In the former were apple, fig, peach, pear and pomegranate trees. Also cited were “many improvements” to “the ranch and garden, which to a stranger looks especially inviting, being like a garden spot in the vast plain.
Workman was denoted as “one of the oldest [Anglo] pioneers, having come across the plains in 1841,” in fact, it was 19 years ago that week, “and lived on the ranch ever since, making, however, one trip to Europe,” that is, his home country of England, which he did in 1851, “in the meantime.” Because Warren went into a level of detail not generally found in his letters and it is, after all, about the Homestead, we’ll quote extensively:
Mr. W. is a very liberal and enterprising man, and has just erected upon his place a large and commodious brick church [called St. Nicholas’ for his wife, Nicolasa Urioste] for the benefit of those who may wish to avail themselves of the opportunity of worship. The building is entirely of brick, built in a most substantial and modern style. The brick used in the edifice are al made upon the grounds, and the mechanics are the best that can be procured. No regard has been had to cost, that being a secondary consideration. The dimensions of the church are 48 and 24 feet inside [about 1,150 square feet], and 19 feet high—walls 16 inches thick with 6 abutments, steeple 15 feet high. The church is built in the Gothic style, and when completed will be an ornament to the neighborhood as well as a novelty, in point of location, reflecting credit upon the founder. There is a beautiful garden back [north] of the house, filled with fruit trees and flowers; this is inclosed by a brick wall, 90 feet square and 7 feet high. There are employed upon the place some 50 hands, mostly Indians, [Latino] vaqueros, &c. The main building or residence is in the form of an oblong square; in the center is a large open court yard, containing tropical fruits, and an arbor of trellis work running the entire distance.
Everything about the place evinces good taste and liberality, and Mr. W. being a gentleman of much extended information and liberal means, visitors are always welcome and cannot fail to be received courteously and hospitably. I have dwelt somewhat at length upon La Puente ranch, it being one of the most prominent on my route in point of location, picturesque beauty and position.
After this laudation of Workman and his homestead, Warren added that “from the hills [to the south, being the Puente range] previously mentioned the most perfect view of the whole valley can be obtained, covered with herds of stock, grazing.” As he did elsewhere, though, the author noted that “there is not that attention paid to improvement of stock which perhaps a few years hence may witness.”
Warren then left La Puente and headed north, but we’ll return next week after a brief hiatus to pick up the tale there, so look in with us then!