 The Romance of the Ranchos Los Angeles, 1849 Gold Rush brings flood of settlers to California El Monte, 1862 Ranchers battle squatters in Southland El Monte, 1862 Rancher carries fight for land to Supreme Court The title insurance and trust company of Los Angeles presents the romance of the ranchos a weekly dramatization of the colorful events and characters which form the romantic background for our Southern California today Each week our wandering Vecchero Frank Graham returns with another true story of the days of the dawn The United Nations will win the war but it is not going to be either a quick or an easy victory Vast numbers of men and enormous quantities of airplanes tanks, guns, bombs, ships, shells, torpedoes and other weapons must be produced and paid for The faster they're produced the sooner will be the victory and the fewer will be the American lives lost You can help your government provide these weapons fast with your regular and liberal purchase of defense bonds and stamps And remember you will also be helping yourself and your family but when these bonds mature they will return to you considerably more money than you pay for them today So decide right now to buy a defense bond tomorrow and here to tell us the story as our wandering Vecchero Frank Graham We're not noches senorasi senores Tonight our story takes us to the ranchos San Francisco the land around the present city of El Monte and is concerned with one of the great controversies that divided early California the ranchers versus the squatters The solution of this great question was vital to the development of our California of today and so this is a story rich in the romance of the ranchos In 1843 the romantic era of the Spanish rancheros was at its height Almost the whole of Southern California was owned by a few families vastly wealthy in land and cattle relatively poor in money or the customary measurements of wealth Life still flowed on in that dreamy carefree temple that was as characteristic of early California as the warm lazy climate But already many people of an entirely different temperament from distant lands had discovered the beauty and wealth of this land The upheaval to come was already in the air When in 1843 a young Englishman came to Los Angeles from Peru on business Once here he was so taken with the country that he decided to stay and so he approached the authority And since I've decided to settle down here I naturally would like some land on which to raise cattle and horses and naturally send your daughter But first I must know are you a citizen of Mexico? No, no I'm not. Does that make any difference? I'm afraid that it does Of what country are you a citizen? I've been living in Peru but of course I'm an Englishman I'm still a British subject you know Oh, see, that is too bad It is? See, for you'll have to become a citizen of Mexico before I can petition for a rancho You mean I have to be naturalized before I can own any land? I did not say that, senor I said you could not petition for a rancho You can own land but I'm afraid you'll have to buy it Oh, well that's alright then I had expected to buy it of course That is too bad You could get it for nothing if you would only apply for citizenship I propose to do so, senor, but it'll take time and I want the land now So I'd rather buy And so Henry Dalton, or Don Enrique as he was called by the Californians embarked upon a career as a great ranchero From Don Luis Sarenas, he bought the rancho wasusa and built his home there From Hugo Reed, he purchased the lovely rancho Santa Anita Still another of his acquisitions was part of the rancho San Jose As his domain grew, so did his love for the land One day in 1845, he called on the new governor, Pio Pico Ah, come in, Don Enrique, come in Thank you, Governor Pico, it's good of you to see me Oh, not at all, me amigo I have your petition here on my desk right now I am most happy to have a chance to talk to you about it You think perhaps it can be arranged? Oh, I have no doubt, no doubt at all Let me see, you are asking for the mission land called San Francisquito, adjoining your rancho wasusa Yes, to the south, between Azusa and the mission San Gabriel I need this as a pasture land for my horses Of course, you know that this land technically belongs to the mission See, and I have talked to the good Padres there Father Eston Yeg assured me that it's useless for his Indians It's dry without water, entirely uncounted Well, no, he will testify to this in writing, see Especially since I have agreed to donate $500 to the mission treasury for good work among the Indians Well, I shall refer your petition first to the Ayuntamiento during the departmental assembly and before long I am sure that you will own the land of San Francisquito Gracias, your Excellency, I appreciate your help Well, since I am always happy to help one of our fine citizens Well, that is a point, your Excellency I understand according to the law only Mexican citizens may be granted ranchos See, of course, but you are a citizen, are you not, mi amigo? Well, I think so You see, some time ago I applied for citizenship down south but I've never received my paper, so I don't know Oh, those worthless blunders down south They probably forgot to send them, señor They're always doing something like that Eh, does not matter You have been here so long and become such an industrious ranchero I myself did not dream that you might not be a citizen But I should not worry about it, señor You have applied for your papers That is enough Gracias, your Excellency Then I shall hear soon what action this takes Señor, I assure you Within a short time the land of San Francisquito will belong to Don Enrique Dolton And so Henry Dolton's petition brought him the rancho San Francisquito The ranch was already large-holding There was also to bring him a great deal of trouble Trouble typical of the ruin which swept over southern California heralding a new era and bringing poverty and bankruptcy to most of the California Dones The first rumble of the coming thunders was heard very soon after Don Enrique took over his new rancho It was announced by Governor Pico in the government assembly This is war, señor, it's war Mexico is at war with the United States Already American soldados are in California We must rise and defend ourselves and our land War War It was an unfortunate turn of events Many Californians discussed it with the inefficient government of Mexico It brought seriously of the idea of California's annexations of the United States Many favored it openly Many others would if it were not for one big question But for what if our lands, our ranchos, our homes will the Americanos honor our titles will they guarantee us our ownership of the land or will they confiscate everything take away our ranchos and make them public land That is the question That is the question On the contrary, señor, that is not the question anymore You forget War has already been declared The Americanos are on their way here There is no longer any point to this argument The only argument now is shall you submit to the Americanos and trust the faith of your lands to them or shall you fight to defend what is yours You are right, Don Enrique But which do you think is right? Don Inacio, I don't know Who am I to think? But I can't help but feel uneasy whichever way you may decide And so it was with anxiety that the large landowners of California watched the progress of the war Many of them, against the better judgment were forced by this fear of losing everything to join in the fighting Through the battles of Dominguez Ranch, San Cascual San Gabriel and La Mesa the others waited anxiously Then the fighting was finished in California and they had to wait again until the main war with Mexico was completed Finally came the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo concluded on February 2nd, 1848 It was called a Treaty of Peace Friendship, Limits and Settlements The anxious Californians scanned its pages with apprehension What they read was joyous news Francisco, mi amigo, listen to this Just listen The government of the United States of America agrees to give recognition to legitimate titles to every description of property, personal and real existing in the city territories Francisco, do you hear that? See, it is wonderful, Dominguez, wonderful Our lands are safe They guarantee us our possession of the ranchos at last But the good news was short-lived for quickly came the news that was to spell doom for the rancheros Gold Gold was discovered in the north and suddenly the whole world seemed headed for California vagabonds, desperados and cutthroats over an estate Thousands upon thousands of honest Americans blinded by dreams of gold through caution to the winds and started for El Dorado Soon hundreds of them, disappointed in the search for the yellow metal, struggled into the paradise of the Southland Many hundreds more streamed in looking not for gold, but for a plot to settle down And the trouble started Don't on rique, come, see it with your own eyes Don Inacio, you don't mean they really claim your land, but I do Three men with their families They come, they camp on my ranchos an Hose fall off in the corner where they think I will not see them But it is only best part of my rancho When was this? I do not know A month maybe My vaccaro see them and tell me I think, well, they are traveling through Let them stop there for a day or two I even send a man to watch them if I can be of service, give them food Anything, and they have stayed Not only have they stayed, they are building houses on my land, they already put up fences on my land, they have killed some of my cattle when they break down the fences But have you done nothing about it? What can I do? They are my guests, guests Man, this is no time for your California hospitality, don't you see what this means? With thousands of these people warming into the province, there is no telling where this will end Those men are squatters Dalton was right, it was only the beginning Before long, Dalton himself and every other ranchero is faced with the same problem The Rancho San Francisco Dalton faced a squatter I have told you before that this is my land and I have told you to get off of it That's right, and yet you stay with Dalton, preparing to stay That's right, mister How in the name of heaven can you dream you'll get away with such a thing? It's against the law I don't know anything about the law, mister All I know is we heard about all the land we can have out here for the asking This land here suits our fancy It's not used, never has been You say it's yours You ain't shown us no proof Of course it's mine, I don't have to show you proof Mister, you need this land because if you do, we'll get on I don't need it, of course I need it What for? What for? To keep my horses on How many do you have here now? I don't know I'll tell you, none And all the time we've been here We ain't never seen one of your horses or cows Well, at certain seasons of the year At certain seasons of the year you use it But we need a spot all year round For whom? Well, you'll have to find it somewhere else You know that, ain't possible You've got enough land to keep a thousand families Most of us lying fellow Worthless to you and everybody else Just like this plot here Well, ain't gonna be worthless no more Because I'm gonna irrigate it and plant it and take care of it It's gonna be my home And you can't stop us We'll see about that, young man I'll have you run off The first one of you men that crosses that fence Is gonna get hurt Yes, sir, and that includes you So come on if you want to, Mister Dalton You've been acting all over Southern California In those days of 1850 The situation was growing serious And something had to be done At last, the United States Congress Action was demanded There was much to be said on both sides of the question And the halls of Congress ran with debate Senator Benton of Missouri Senators Fremont and Gwynn of California With the principles Are you going to let the wheels of progress Be stopped by a few wealthy rancheros? Are you going to permit a handful of cattle barons To protest them on free citizens of the United States? Under the treaty We are obligated to recognize the valid title Of the rancheros But I am convinced that many of their titles Are not valid That the land is part of the public domain Of these United States I propose the creation of a land commission To investigate their claims And determine which of them are valid Nobody questions the necessity for action On the land problem in California Senator Gwynn Upon the unfortunate rancheros And that is a violation Of the spirit of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Not only that But it will amount to virtual confiscation For it will bankrupt the defendants In attempting to prove their claims To a land they have held in peaceful possession For 50 years I say it does not violate the treaty It gives every man a fair chance to prove his claim And more than that It gives every prospective California settler A fair chance to find a homestead for himself Gentlemen, you must pass my bill Providing for the Land Commission of California On it depends the entire future Of that great state The fate of a state lay in the balance As those books were counting Finally, the decision is nuts Senator Gwynn's bill is passed By substantial majority The Land Commission Act of 1851 Becomes law When you buy real estate You should insist upon the protection Of title insurance And here's why Suppose you buy a piece of land from an individual And build your home upon it Probably you invest a great part of your savings And income in it Naturally you feel that it's yours That nobody can take it away from you But one day a serious defect is found In your title For example, a forged deed in your chain of title You discover that this land And consequently your home That you're in danger of losing everything You put into it For most of us that situation would prove disastrous And your only real protection Against loss from this And many other similar defects Is in title insurance Even if you were to spend days and weeks In a careful examination of the record Relating to the ownership of your land In over 50 public offices You couldn't find such title defects As forgeries, deeds executed by incompetence Or deeds to community property Signed by a husband Who holds the title in his name But made without his wife's consent These are just a few of the defects Which could jeopardize your title to the land So whenever you buy real estate Remember a policy of title insurance From the title insurance And trust company of Los Angeles Is your best protection against loss From such defects The land act of 1851 Required at the Rancheros of Southern California Established before the Land Commission Proof of the validity of their claims The case of Henry Dalton was typical of many You see, Don Enrique I do not understand your English I do not understand your law I do not understand these These liars, whatever they are It's all very simple, Don Enrique A few of the titles to these ranchos Might be questionable, we don't know But we must all prove our claims To the land we own in order to keep them But, senor Everybody knows that I own Rancho San Jose Nobody could doubt that, eh? No, nobody but the Land Commission, Don Enrique But it's the law And I guess we'll have to abide by it So you'd better gather your papers Than any witnesses who will testify for you Anything you need to prove your claim See, and when will the meeting Be held to decide? Don Enrique, I'm afraid you still don't understand There won't be a meeting There'll be an examination of your claim It'll be held in San Francisco where the Board meets What did they do? San Francisco? That is a long way off, how am I to get there? I don't know how any of us are supposed to get there But if we don't, we'll have to hire lawyers To represent us and pay the expenses Of our witnesses out there, all that It's going to mean money, lots of it But where are we to get the money? I don't know, I wish I did We'll just have to borrow on our land Cattle, everything I don't like this borrowing No, neither do I, but what are we to do? Well, as for me, I will do nothing Nothing? See? Sounds like too much trouble I will not be bothered I simply forget the whole thing But you can't do that, you have to file your claim Why do I have to file my claim? Because senor, if you don't And within a certain length of time Your claim to this land will be forfeited Your home lost, and there's nothing you can do about it Such was the dilemma The easygoing rancheros Dalton filed his claim to San Francisco And soon his friend Francisco Alborado Brought him news Enrique, I have seen your lawyer He is just now back from the hearing Well, what is it? What's the news? What was their decision? Well, now what do you suppose? They have confirmed your claims, of course Oh, thank him See, there was no trouble Except the government has taken an appeal From the decision of the Land Commission To the United States District Court You will for the losing party To take an appeal to the District Court You mean more delay, more expense, more time See, it may take much time And much money And even now, I may still lose my land And so in 1855 Henry Dalton's fight For the Rancho San Francisco Was carried to the United States District Court In San Francisco United States District Court For Southern District in California Now in session, please come to order The case of the United States of America Versus Henry Dalton, attorney for the plaintiff Pacifica Sword, the attorney For the government arose to present his case Your Honor, we shall prove That Henry Dalton's claim to this Rancho San Francisco Is invalid First, because it was granted to him On the basis of being wasteland Incapable of cultivation by the Mission Indian We shall prove that this was untrue And is today Second, we shall prove That the grant was invalid because According to Mexican law One person may own only one square League of Irrigable Grounds Since Henry Dalton already owned The Rancho Azusa Since this land was capable of irrigation And cultivation, Dalton had no legal Right to it Third, now this land was actually Sold to Dalton for $500 Given to the Mission Governor Pico had no legal Authority to make such a sale And over and above all other considerations Fourth, Henry Dalton Had no right to such a grant From the Mexican government For he is not and never was A citizen of Mexico When these points are proven We shall ask the court to reverse the Ruling of the Land Commission And declare Henry Dalton's grant Illegal and invalid Now I swear that the evidence You shall give it from the trial of the cause Now before the court shall be the truth I shall be gone I too, state your name to the court Daniel Sexton Daniel Sexton, you were a farmer On Dalton's land near San Gabriel I am Describe the character of that land It's all good, arable land Most of which appears to have been under Cultivation by the Indians Was that good, arable land Suitable for cultivation by Indians Of the Mission in the years 1844, 5 and 6 And was it deficient in water at that time? Well irrigated at those periods As the ditches show that the land Has been cultivated Do you know the Rancho Azusa? I do Who owns it? Henry Dalton About how large is this Rancho? I don't know positively, but I understand It's three leagues Do you know how much of this Azusa Ranch Is irrigable? I should say easily one half All right When Henry Dalton petitioned for the Irrigable land of San Francisco He already owned over his share Yes, I should say so Francisco Alvarado You are Henry Dalton's major dumber He I am When Dalton petitioned for the Rancho of San Francisco He paid the priest of the Mission San Gabriel five hundred dollars, didn't he? No, he gave it to them It's a gift Oh, it's a gift, I see The priests were pleased with this gift But of course, why should they not be He's a lot of money Yes, it is They might not have been so pleased That Dalton not made this gift, what day? They might even have objected to the grant But I do not know, senor It's possible yes Inocio Palamari You are a friend of Henry Dalton? I am, see Oh, you know whether or not He was a citizen of Mexico? No, senor, not for certain But I've always supposed that he was Did you on any occasion Ever hear Henry Dalton say he was not a citizen? See, he did say that once But it was when he was called for jury duty I didn't wish to be excused I'm not sure suppose he was not telling the truth It was a common enough trick And he was not the only one who used it Besides, that was quite a long time ago And he may easily have become a citizen Since that time But he did say he was not a citizen of Mexico See, senor, he did It is the judgment of this court That the decision of the land commission Confirming Henry Dalton's grant Be reversed The grant is hereby declared invalid They can't do that It's not true, it's not just I'll appeal the case I'll go on up to the Supreme Court Of the United States to get justice And Henry Dalton did take his case To the Supreme Court of the United States He waited the weary years Until the case was argued in 1859 Early in the following year The decision reached him The Supreme Court decided That since the whole case Was based on whether or not You were a citizen And since no conclusive proof Was submitted on the subject But only the hearsay of various people That the district court was in error Its decision reversed And your grant confirmed So a glass to give it to you Yes, after all these years On the fighting and suffering We're back where we started No, not back No, you're right For I'm ruined Fees, taxes, interests, mortgages I'm ruined, Francisco This news makes no difference For even though they give it to me I still have lost San Francisco It must go to pay the bills The fees Ah, it is sad, amigo mio No, not sad Hopeless And such Such is the end of a great Front-sharrow Even though he won his case The fight was lost Dalton had to part with all of his vast domain To pay the bills which had crushed him San Francisco, like the others Passed into other hands He was broken up, petitioned As the wheels of progress rolled on Soon it was the site of a thriving town El Monte And today It cradles other prosperous communities And is an area filled with farms And homes Thus, what was a deep personal loss To a few rancheros Became the birth of a new era The chance for life Of the Southland we know Often the march of progress Is touched with tragedy As is the romance of the rancheros Frank Graham will be back in a moment To tell you about next week's program The protection that title insurance Provides to owners or investors in land Is relatively inexpensive And the rates charged for this protection By the title insurance and trust company Of Los Angeles are less by a substantial amount Than the cost of similar protection In other parts of the United States When you buy land or lend money on it The safest procedure And the procedure that is quite customary Is to require that the seller Or borrower provide a policy Of title insurance Protecting your investment To overlook that precaution Regardless of the circumstances Is unfair to yourself And to your family And now Frank, what's the story for next week? Next week we'll dramatize a fascinating story A story that meant life to all of Southern California The story of the fight to bring water To the Southland It's a romantic tale full of drama And adventure And I know you'll want to hear it So until next Sunday night This is your wandering Baccaro Frank Graham Saying, Hasta la vista, señoras Señoras The romance of the rancheros A presentation of the title insurance In Trust Company of Los Angeles Featuring Frank Graham as the wandering Baccaro Is dramatized by John Donkel And produced by Ted Bliss With special music arranged by Gaylord Carter Bob LeMond speaking This is the Columbia Broadcasting System