The agricultural development of the Pueblo of Los Angeles, 1781-1847

Includes bibliographical references (pages 88-91)In 1781, on the advice of Felipe de Neve, Governor of California, the Spanish government began a new experiment on the California frontier. Here for the first time the traditional frontier institutions of presidio and mission were not sufficient to secure the new territory and convert the Indians, for the Spaniards could not feed themselves. Therefore, colonists were enlisted to establish a peasant community which was to support the military establishment in the new province. The fortunes of these settlers varied in the next forty years. Although their land was fertile and their crops were successful, government regulation denied them a market for their produce and after a few early years of expansion, the development of the town ceased. Removal of governmental prohibitions with the end of Spanish control in the New World permitted the colonists to sell their goods. The demand for hides and tallow, and the development of viticulture, supported a comrnercia1 expansion which quickly brought prosperity to the citizens of Los Angeles. Different land use patterns and agricultural practices were characteristic of the pueblo at different stages of development. This modification and evolution of use of the pueblo land and the resultant landscape changes are considered in detail here