[p. 94 Los Angeles County Courthouse, 1908z]
[p. 95. Original Church of Our Lady of the Angels. 1822, 1908e]
[p. 95] Condensed History of Los Angeles County
[p. 95] Chapter I. Organization.
The history of "el pueblo de Los Angeles", as the central point of the southern district of the territory of Alta California, has already been given in the state history. We have followed the growth of the town from its founding, in 1781, to its final conquest and occupation by the United States troops in 1847. We have seen the rise and the fall of the mission establishments of San Gabriel, San Fernando and San Juan Capistrano, and the occupation of the fertile valleys and mesas by the great ranchos granted to settlers of Spanish, Mexican, and Californian birth and to a few Americans. At the time of the state organization, the territory included in Los Angeles county was distributed in large tracts ranging from a few thousand to more than a hundred thousand [p. 96] acres. The oldest of these grants was occupied as early as 1784, that being the date assigned for San Rafael rancho, granted to the Verdugos. Santa Ana was granted to the Yorbas and Simi to the Noriegas among the earliest allotments.
The government of the United States early appointed commissioners to examine into land titles in California and for a number of years investigations were made and patents issued or refused to the claimants. There was much confusion and no little fraud connected with the final allotment of titles, although there were not so many disputed claims in this district as in the north. About seventy-five patents were issued to lands in the county.
Los Angeles was one of the twenty-seven counties created by act of the first California legislature, April 18th, 1850. Its boundaries as first indicated were very indefinite, extending from San Diego county on the south to Santa Barbara on the north and from the Pacific to "the top of the coast range." The second legislature amended the act by making the boundaries more exact and extending them to the eastern state line. The area of the original county was about 34,000 square miles, almost as large as the state of Indiana. In 1851 the Mormon colony purchased the San Bernardino grant and established their colony of San Bernardino. In consequence San Bernardino county was set off from Los Angeles April 26th, 1853, taking an area of 20,055 square miles from the mother county. In 1866 Kern county was created, taking part of its territory from this county. After long discussion and dissension, Orange county was created, March 11th, 1889, taking 780 square miles, which leaves Los Angeles with a present area of 3957 square miles. Pomona county has been several times proposed and strong efforts have been made to secure its creation from Los Angeles and San Bernardino territory, but, thus far, the movement has not been successful.
The first county election took place April 1st, 1850. The census for this year gives the county a population of 3530; 377 votes were cast and the officers chosen were: Judge, Augustin Olivera; clerk, B.D. Wilson; attorney, Benjamin Hayes; surveyor, J.R. Conway; treasurer, Manuel Garfias; assessor, Antoinio F. Coronel; recorder, Ignacio del Valle; sheriff, George T. Burrell; coroner, Charles B. Cullen. August 7th, 1851, the county was divided into six townships, Los Angeles, San Gabriel, San José, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, San Juan Capistrano. The supervisors were not elected until June 14th, 1852, civil affairs in the meantime being administered by the "court of sessions", appointed by the military governor. The first supervisors were Jefferson Hunt, Julian Chavez, F.P.F. Temple, Manuel Requena and Samuel Arbuckle; the board was organized with Arbuckle as chairman and B.D. Wilson, county clerk, clerk. The office of juez de campo, judge of the plains, was continued for a number of years after the American occupation, as late as 1872, although it was a part of the machinery of the Mexican administration. It was the duty of this officer to attend rodeos, settle all questions relating to brands and to the handling and [p. 97] division of stock. They were appointed to different districts and were given large jurisdiction.