Leonard John Rose (1827 - May 17, 1899) was a California pioneer and politician who served in the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

. He was one of the leaders of the ill-fated Rose-Baley Party, the first emigrant

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

to attempt the journey from New Mexico to California via

Beale's Wagon Road In 1857, an expedition led by Edward Fitzgerald Beale was tasked with establishing a trade route along the 35th parallel from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California. The wagon trail began at Fort Smith and continued through the New Me ...

. Rose is the namesake of

Rosemead, California Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 50,245, currently dropping. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Alhambra, Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, ...

Life and career

Rose was born in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, Germany, in 1827. He came with his parents to the United States when he was 12 years old. He spent his youth and received his education in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and in 1848 moved to

Keosauqua, Iowa Keosauqua ( ) is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 936 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County. History Keosauqua was laid out in 1839. The word Keosauqua derives from the Me ...

where became a wealthy merchant.Cheney, J.W. (1915)
"The Story of An Emigrant Train"
''The Annals of Iowa'', Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 82–97. In April 1858, with 200 head of fine cattle and 50 horses, he set out, with 19 other young men, for California by the 35th parallel route. While traveling through Kansas, the Rose company merged with one led by

Gillum Baley Gillum Baley (19 June 1813 – 11 November 1895) was an American pioneer and judge. With Leonard Rose he led the ill-fated Rose–Baley Party, the first emigrant wagon train to attempt the journey from New Mexico to California via Beale's Wagon ...

, forming the Rose-Baley Party. After suffering immense hardships, including attacks by hostile Indians, and a 500-mile trek back

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

with the other survivors of the Indian attack, Rose and his family went to Santa Fe where they stayed for two years running an inn called ''

La Fonda La Fonda on the Plaza is a historical luxury hotel, located at 100 E. San Francisco Street and Old Santa Fe Trail in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico adjacent to the Plaza. The hotel has been a member oHistoric Hotels of America the official program ...

''. They continued their journey, by way of the

Butterfield Stage Route Butterfield may refer to: * Butterfield (surname) * Butterfield Market Places * Butterfield, Dublin, a suburb and townland of Dublin, Ireland * Butterfield Green, Luton, England United States * Butterfield, Minnesota * Butterfield, Missouri ...

, reaching

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in November, 1860. Rose’s record and great success as a vineyardist and orchardist on a large scale, and as a raiser of fine stock, was well known. Early American settlers in Los Angeles gravitated to the moist lands on which corn could be raised without irrigation. But Rose, following the example of

Don Benito Wilson Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

and one or two others, went to the foothills, where abundant water could be saved or developed, before it sank into the plains, and where heavy frosts were unknown, and demonstrated on a magnificent scale the possibilities of the citrus and grape industries on those foothills lands. Rose served Los Angeles county as state senator for the term commencing in 1887, and also as a member of the State Viticultural Society, and of the State Board of Agriculture. A series of bad investments in California and Nevada between 1887 and 1897 led to his financial ruin. He committed suicide at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 72. Rose was survived by wife Amanda ''nee'' Jones whom he had married in 1851 and eight of their sons and daughters. Their son

Guy Rose Guy Orlando Rose (3 March 1867 – 17 November 1925) was an American Impressionist painter and California resident, who received national recognition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life and education Guy Orlando Rose was b ...

was a well-known

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

landscape painter.Licón, Gustavo and Vlack, Brooke M.(2008)
''Finding aid for Papers of Leonard John Rose, 1813-1953''
pp. 3–4.

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...

References

External links

Join California L. J. Rose
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Leonard John 1827 births 1899 deaths Bavarian emigrants to the United States California state senators 19th-century American politicians Rosemead, California