Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres was not in South America, as its name
might indicate, but was an important rancho of Southern California. The
rancho was granted by Manuel Micheltorena, Governor of the Californias,
February 24, 1843, to Maximo Alanis and comprised 4,438 acres. Don
Alanis died shortly after he received the grant and his heirs conveyed
the rancho to Dr. Wilson W. Jones and Wm. T. B. Sanford, the former, one
of Los Angeles’ first doctors and the latter, an early Los Angeles
postmaster.
But the doctor knew little about ranching and in 1852 he was glad to
sell his half interest in the rancho to Don Benito Wilson for $662.75,
or at the rate of 35 cents an acre. Don Benito’s interests were
extensive and widely separated. Jointly with Dr. Griffin he operated
Rancho San Pascual northeast of the Pueblo of Los Angeles. Jointly with
Phineas Banning he founded and developed the city of Wilmington at the
port of San Pedro, and west of the pueblo, halfway to the ocean, with
Sanford, the Postmaster, he raised cattle on Rancho San Jose de Buenos
Ayres. Between supervising trips to his ranchos and to the harbor he
found time to maintain a home in the Pueblo of Los Angeles—so large that
after he moved it was used for an orphan asylum—buy much city property,
ship wine to San Francisco and foster the development of the orange.
In 1858 B. D. Wilson bought the interest of Sanford in this and other
property for $16,000 and subsequently sold the rancho. In 1884 John
Wolfskill of the prominent family of that name purchased the rancho for
$40,000. The purchase by Wolfskill was very timely as the completion of
the Santa Fe Railroad two years later sent land prices skyrocketing and
in 1887 he entered into an agreement to dispose of the rancho for
$438,700, or more than ten times what he had paid for the land in 1884.
The Los Angeles and Santa Monica Land and Water Company was organized to
take over the land at that figure. This company built a railroad through
the property and platted the town of Sunset. But few lots were sold,
however, and in 1891 the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Land and Water
Company quitclaimed the land back to Wolfskill and the townsite was
restored to acreage. Then for many years the rancho was used only for
farming, although its neighbor on the east, the Rancho Rodeo de Las
Aguas, was subdivided into Beverly Hills, and on the west Santa Monica
grew into a thriving city.
In 1919 Arthur Letts, Sr., Merchant Prince of Los Angeles, founder of
the Broadway Department Store, bought the rancho for an investment.
Since that time Westwood, Holmby Hills (named after Holmby, England, Mr.
Letts’ birthplace) and Westwood Village have all been platted on parts
of the rancho. The moving-picture industry has expanded into the
property and several of the largest studios are located there. Now the
University of California at Los Angeles is being built on the rancho,
and already opened as one of the greatest institutions of learning.
B. D. Wilson, John Wolfskill and Arthur Letts all profited by their
farsightedness, but none had the vision and none could foresee Rancho
San Jose de Buenos Ayres as it is today.
_CONCLUSION_
The priceless, romantic history of early California is everywhere being
more and more appreciated. It evidences itself in the names of our
cities, in our landmarks which are at last being preserved and even in
our architecture.
If “The Romance of the Ranchos” can add its bit to perpetuating this
glorious chapter in California history the writer will feel the time and
effort well worthwhile.
[Illustration: _Title Insurance Building_ _Spring Street between
Fourth and Fifth_]