Rancho Azusa de Duarte

Rancho Azusa de Duarte was a 6,596-acre (26.69 km²) Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Andres Duarte, a former Mexican corporal. Cities that have been established on the Rancho lands originally granted to Andres Duarte include Arcadia, portions of Monrovia, all of Bradbury, all of Duarte, portions of Irwindale, portions of Azusa and a portion of Baldwin Park.^[1]

History

Andres Avelino Duarte (1805 - 1863) was born at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. At age 16 he followed his father's career and joined the Mexican army. He was assigned to Mission San Gabriel. He married Maria Gertrudes Florentina Valenzuela in about 1827.^[2]

In 1841, on retirement from military service after 20 years, he petitioned Governor Juan Alvarado for a grant of vacant land in the upper San Gabriel Valley. He was granted what he named Rancho Azusa de Duarte. The Rancho Azusa Duarte lay east across San Gabriel River from the Rancho Azusa de Dalton. The original name for Rancho Azusa Dalton was Rancho El Susa, and Rancho Azusa Duarte was often called Susita. As a condition of the land grant, Andres Duarte built an adobe for himself and his family and settled on the land. He and his wife, Gertrudes, and their son, Santiago, lived in a small adobe called “The Homestead” located on what is now Tocino Drive.

After the Mexican-American War and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Duarte filed a claim with the Public Land Commission for the lands granted to him in 1841. Duarte began incurring legal expenses and other debts, which he defrayed by selling portions of the rancho. His first sale was a 225-acre (0.91 km²) parcel at the southern end of the rancho to Michael Whistler. Whistler later sold the entire parcel to Dr. Nehemiah Beardslee, who started the first school in Duarte and laid out the first section of Duarte’s water lines. Andres Duarte divided much of the remainder of the rancho into 40-acre (160,000 m²) lots and sold them individually.

A US patent for the rancho was awarded to Andres Duarte in 1878.^[3][4][5] Duarte finally won a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court for his land grant case in 1878, but by then he had sold the entire Rancho.^[6]

See also

• List of California Ranchos
• Ranchos of Los Angeles County, California

References

Coordinates: 34°09′00″N 117°56′24″W / 34.150°N 117.940°W / 34.150; -117.940

Municipalities and communities of Los Angeles County, California, United States County seat: Los Angeles Cities Agoura Hills Alhambra Arcadia Artesia Avalon Azusa Baldwin Park Bell Bell Gardens Bellflower Beverly Hills Bradbury Burbank Calabasas Carson Cerritos Claremont Commerce Compton Covina Cudahy Culver City Diamond Bar Downey Duarte El Monte El Segundo Gardena Glendale Glendora Hawaiian Gardens Hawthorne Hermosa Beach Hidden Hills Huntington Park Industry Inglewood Irwindale La Cañada Flintridge La Habra Heights La Mirada La Puente La Verne Lakewood Lancaster Lawndale Lomita Long Beach Los Angeles Lynwood Malibu Manhattan Beach Maywood Monrovia Montebello Monterey Park Norwalk Palmdale Palos Verdes Estates Paramount Pasadena Pico Rivera Pomona Rancho Palos Verdes Redondo Beach Rolling Hills Rolling Hills Estates Rosemead San Dimas San Fernando San Gabriel San Marino Santa Clarita Santa Fe Springs Santa Monica Sierra Madre Signal Hill South El Monte South Gate South Pasadena Temple City Torrance Vernon Walnut West Covina West Hollywood Westlake Village Whittier CDPs Acton Agua Dulce Alondra Park Altadena Avocado Heights Castaic Charter Oak Citrus Del Aire Desert View Highlands East Los Angeles East Pasadena East Rancho Dominguez East San Gabriel East Whittier Elizabeth Lake Florence-Graham Green Valley Hacienda Heights Hasley Canyon La Crescenta-Montrose Ladera Heights Lake Hughes Lake Los Angeles Lennox Leona Valley Littlerock Marina del Rey Mayflower Village North El Monte Quartz Hill Rose Hills Rowland Heights San Pasqual South Monrovia Island South San Gabriel South San Jose Hills South Whittier Stevenson Ranch Sun Village Topanga Val Verde Valinda View Park-Windsor Hills Vincent Walnut Park West Athens West Carson West Puente Valley West Rancho Dominguez West Whittier-Los Nietos Westmont Willowbrook Unincorporated communities Agoura Alla Alpine Alsace Altacanyada Andrade Corner Antelope Acres Antelope Center Athens Aurant Bassett Big Pines Boiling Point Castaic Junction City Terrace Cornell Del Sur Del Valle Firestone Park Florence Gorman Hillgrove Hi Vista Indian Springs Juniper Hills Kagel Canyon Kinneloa Mesa Largo Vista Llano Malibu Vista Monte Nido Neenach Ninetynine Oaks Pearblossom Rancho Dominguez Red Box Sandberg Seminole Hot Springs Three Points Two Harbors Universal City Valyermo Ghost towns Achois Acuragna Ahapchingas Alpine Alyeupkigna Awigna Azucsagna Bairdstown Bartolo Cahuenga Chandler Chokishgna Chowigna Clayton Cow Springs Cucamonga Desert Relief Eldoradoville Evergreen Falling Springs Fort Tejon Gaspur Guirardo Hahamongna Harasgna Holland Summit Hollands Holton Honmoyausha Houtgna Hyperion Isanthcogna Juyubit King's Station Kowanga Las Tunas Lyons Station Machado Malibu Mar Vista Maugna Mentryville Motordrome Mud Spring Nacaugna Oberg Okowvinjha Palisades Del Rey Pasinogna Petroleopolis Pimocagna Pubugna Quapa Savannah Saway-yanga Sibagna Sisitcanogna Soledad Sulphur Springs Sonagna Suangna Takuyumam Toviseanga Toybipet Tuyunga Virgenes Wahoo Walton Place Widow Smith's Station Wilsona