Mapping Los Angeles County Historic Adobes
The East Coast was home to the settlers, our colonial cities and states along with the crucial early history of our nation including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and our development from the east to the west.
There remains a lack of perception that Los Angeles, as well as California itself, have a long and cultural history tying us to our nation.
To the contrary, we’re rich in Pioneers, Missions, and of course, Ranchos.
The two coast’s histories may have had different players–but nonetheless, both are rich in stories, culture and people that helped build this nation.
The California Ranchos were settlements by individuals of tracts of land used mostly for raising cattle and sheep. The first one started in 1784, when Juan Jose Dominguez got permission from Spanish Governor Pedro Fages, to put his cattle on the 48,000-acre Rancho San Pedro.
Over the next 60+ years, over 800 land grants would be issued–with the combined total of tens of thousands of acres of land assisting in creating and shape the early growth and development of California.
Below is a map of Los Angeles’ Ranchos, cicra 1919, from the USC Digital Library:
Once the land was purchased, houses had to be built. Usually constructed by Indian labor from the California Mission system or neighboring villages, the adobes often resembled California’s early Mission buildings.
Once the Adobe site was selected, the ground was then cleared of trees and boulders, and then made level with the help of ox-driven earth-moving implements. Stones were used to line the base of the foundations. Adobe houses were usually small and rectangular in shape, although some were “L” shaped, “H” shaped, or “U” shaped. The adobe bricks were made from a mixture of water, earth, and clay found near the homesite. Straw or horsehair was added to the mix to help the adobe hold together. The wet mud like substance was poured into rectangular wood frames, typically eighteen inches by twenty-four inches, and formed into bricks. The frames with adobe were spread out on the ground and allowed to partially dry. The frames were removed leaving an adobe brick to be baked for a few days by the warm California sun. Source: Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County
During the subsequent decades, the Rancho’s ownership changed frequently; was subdivided,; and cities were born.
Today, several of the original adobes remain in existence–many are private residences, but a few remain preserved and can be toured.
View Los Angeles County Adobes in a larger map
Above is a map of the Adobes that are open to the public for touring. After you click on an icon in the map, you’ll see the tour hours and a link to the each of the relevant Adobe’s website.
The history of Southern California and Los Angeles is full of charm, deceit, intrigue, tragedy, and hope, and part of that hope lies in the dreams of the Rancheros and their history in the birth of a great city and state.
