Rancho Rosa Castilla was a Mexican land grant in the southwestern

San Rafael Hills The San Rafael Hills are a mountain range in Los Angeles County, California. They are one of the lower Transverse Ranges, and are parallel to and below the San Gabriel Mountains, adjacent to the San Gabriel Valley overlooking the Los Angeles Ba ...

, in present day

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

, given to Juan Ballesteros in 1831 by Governor Manuel Victoria. It included present day Rose Hills, Lincoln Heights, City Terrace, El Sereno and portions of South Pasadena,

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...

, and Monterey Park. After California statehood, the land grant failed to receive confirmation from the U.S.

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 the California State Lands Commission to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican l ...

History

"Rancho Rosa de Castilla" was named for the abundant amount of native Wood roses (''Rosa californica'') along the creek. The Kizh Indians named this area, ''Ochuunga'' (Place of Roses). When Spanish

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

s founded the San Gabriel Mission in 1771, they dubbed the small river El Rio Rosa de Castillo. In 1831, the land was granted to prominent

Californio Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...

Juan Ballesteros, the Register of the

Pueblo of Los Angeles Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settleme ...

from 1823 to 1824. The rancho was christened Rancho Rosa de Castilla. With the

cession The act of cession is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty. Ballentine's Law Dictionary defines cession as "a surrender; a giving up; a relinquishment of jurisdicti ...

of California to the United States following the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, the 1848

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

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

by Anacleto Lestrade, a priest at the San Gabriel Mission in 1852, but the Rosa de Castilla grant failed to receive confirmation from the Land Commission. The Board of Land Commissioners rejected the claim because: (a.) of unclear boundaries; and (b.) that the original grantee, Juan Ballesteros, had not occupied the land continuously as required. In 1852, the title passed to Jean-Baptiste Batz and his wife, Catalina. A

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

emigre, Batz used the land for farming and intensive sheep ranching. In 1882, after both Jean-Baptiste and Catalina died, the land was divided among six of their children.Sustainable Cities and Industrial Ecology in El Sereno
The street Paseo Rancho Castilla, which runs around

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 m ...

, is named after Rancho Rosa Castilla.

References

{{California history San Rafael Hills San Gabriel Valley 1831 establishments in Alta California History of Los Angeles Alhambra, California El Sereno, Los Angeles Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles Monterey Park, California South Pasadena, California 19th century in Los Angeles Ranchos of Los Angeles County, California

History

See also

References