Don Antonio Maria Lugo

[Subdeacon Joe]

Picturesque Character of CaliforniaBy H. D. Barrows - 1896

 

Quote

Among the native Californians of the olden time who were of families, and who were were also prominent citizens in their day, was Don Antonio Maria Lugo, who was born at the Mission of San Antonio de Padua, of Alta California, in 1775, and who died at his rancho of San Antonio, near the present town of Compton in this county, in i860, at the age of 85 years.

He was one of the largest land-owners and stock raisers outside of the Missionary establishments in the Californians. The writer of this knew him well; and he remembers vividly his striking appearance as he rode into town on horse back erect, with his sword strapped to his saddle beneath his left leg, he then being an octogenarian.

He told me at his rancho in 1856, that when he was still a young man, after having served as a soldier under the king of Spain, he obtained per- mission to settle where he then lived, in 1813.

He said he took a few head of horses and cattle there, and engaged in a small way, in the business of stock-raising, and that afterward he received a concession in legal form of, I think, seven leagues of land, which has since been known as the San Antonio rancho.The grant extended from the Dominguez or San Pedro rancho, one of the four most ancient grants in Alta California, nearly to the low range of hills separating it from the San Gabriel valley, and from the eastern Pueblo boundary to the San Gabriel river. It was one of the finest cattle ranges in the Territory; there was abundance of water on it, and on both sides of it, as the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers were not then taken out for irrigation, and there were lines of live willows extending along their banks to near the sea. When I was at his house in '56, there were two large spouting natural wells near by, that discharged immense quantities of water, accompanied by a roaring noise, that could be plainly heard some distance away.

No wonder that cattle and other animals thrived and increased in numbers wonderfully, and that eventually he had more stock than he knew what to do with. So, as his boys grew up, he obtained a grant in their name of the rancho of San Bernardino which included a considerable portion of the rich and fertile San Bernardino valley; and a part of their cattle and horses were moved to the new grant, where they continued to increase in numbers, as they had done on the home rancho.

The flocks and herds of the venerable Don and of his sons, like those of the patriarchs of Scripture, ranged over "a thousand hills;" and probably their owners did not know themselves, how many cattle they had.

Don Antonio named over to me, all the governors of California, down to the coming of "Los Americanos," nearly every one of whom except ot course, the first three, he know personally.

 

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

Good stuff. Thanks, SDJ

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 hours ago, Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme said:

Good stuff. Thanks, SDJ

 

 

 

Thanks, Cap'n.  I try to inject a bit of history from time to time.

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

21 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

Thanks, Cap'n.  I try to inject a bit of history from time to time.

Works for me. I really enjoy the history of Alta California, and it's whole transition to the US.