Ingersoll's Century History Santa Monica Bay Cities (Being Book Number Two of Ingersoll's Century Series of California Local History Annals), 1908, 1908a, 1872
In the summer of 1872 a hotel was opened at the [Santa Monica] cañon and the proprietor advertises, "Come and enjoy yourself. A week at the beach will add ten years to your life." Mr. John Reynolds announces in July that he will "dispatch coaches to Santa Monica every Wednesday and Saturday a.m." A small skiff was brougt round from San Pedro this summer and added to the attractions of surf bathing, drives and picnics along the beach and up the many beautiful cañons and dancing in the "big tent." Among the diversions was the excitement of prospecting, as it was rumored that a rich ledge of quartz rock existed on the beach, at a point only exposed for a few moments at low tide. The belief was founded on the fact that some of the native Californians of the district exhibited rich rock which they claimed to have obtained from the ledge.
[p. 142] In September, 1872 an event took place which marks a new era in the history of this vicinity. This was the sale of the San Vicente and Santa Monica y San Vicente ranchos by José del Carmen Sepulveda, and others, to Robert S. Baker. The first sale included 38,409 acres of land and the price was reported as $54,000.