Rancho San Francisquito was a

Mexican land grant The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...

in present day

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given in 1845 by Governor Pio Pico to Henry Dalton. The grant included present day cities of El Monte,

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, and

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History

Henry Dalton (1803-1884), was born in England, and in 1820 sailed to

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

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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 was granted the two square league Rancho San Francisquito in 1845. Dalton's holdings also included Rancho Azusa de Dalton purchased in 1844, and Rancho Santa Anita purchased in 1847. At one time, Dalton owned an unbroken expanse of land from the present day San Dimas to the eastern edge of

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. With the cession of California to the United States following the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexicans, Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% ...

, the 1848

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provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho San Francisquito was filed with the

Public Land Commission The California Land Act of 1851 (), enacted following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the admission of California as a state in 1850, established a three-member Public Land Commission to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican la ...

in 1852, confirmed by the Commission in 1853, but rejected by the US District Court in 1855, on the grounds that Henry Dalton was not, at the time of the grant, a citizen of Mexico. The decree was reversed by the

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, and the grant was patented to Henry Dalton in 1867. Between 1867 and 1873, Dalton sold parts of Rancho San Francisquito in small tracts. In 1873, Dalton sold the westerly two-thirds portion of the Rancho San Francisquito, , to the Wolfskills who sold it to Elias Jackson (“Lucky”) Baldwin.''Lummer v. Unruh'', 1914, California appellate decisions, Volume 19, California. District Courts of Appeal, Recorder Printing and Publishing, San Francisco

References

External links

Map of old Spanish and Mexican ranchos in Los Angeles County
{{Los Angeles County, California San Francisquito (Dalton) San Francisquito (Dalton) San Gabriel Valley 1845 establishments in Alta California El Monte, California Irwindale, California

History

See also

References

External links