This history of the neighborhood plays a vital part in the identity of its residents. If you have lived in the neighborhood for many years, the neighborhood history is a heartfelt reminder of days gone by. If you have just come to call the neighborhood home, it is a way to learn more about the new community you have joined. We would love nothing more than to be able to share the history of neighborhood name with all who reside there. If you are interested in writing a brief history of the neighborhood to share with the community, please contact us! |
- Rancho Los AlamitosRancho Los Alamitos (Ranch of the Little Cottonwoods) was originally known as Povuu'nga. The story of Rancho Los Alamitos reflects almost every era of the history of Southern California. Beginning around 500 A.D. when the mesa was an important ceremonial and trading center for the Tongva people, the story flows through the Spanish and Mexican periods, spans the great cattle raising years, the early 20th Century oil discoveries, and moves on into the rapid urbanization that followed World War II.
Today, surrounded by modern development, the old ranch house, four acres of tranquil gardens, and barns stand as vibrant reminders of Southern California's rich historical legacy. There are five agricultural buildings, including a working blacksmith's shop, live farm animals, four acres of nationally significant gardens designed by the preeminent landscape architects of the 1920s-1940s, and a sprawling adobe ranch house dating from c.1800. Walk around the site and enjoy this rare oasis and the shared legacy of regional culture and environment.
The Rancho is open Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 1pm, with the last tour starting at 4pm. School and special tours can be scheduled & all tours are free.
Click Here to visit www.rancholosalamitos.com for more information on Rancho Los Alamitos. Their site is filled with history, education and events.
- Rancho Los CerritosThe Earliest Peoples
In 1930 eleven cogged stones were discovered at Rancho Los Cerritos. Dating to 2-5,000 BC, they represent the earliest presence of Native Americans in the area; however, little is known of these first peoples. Between 500 and 1200 AD, another group from the Great Basin of Utah and Nevada displaced the inhabitants of the region. They built 50-100 villages in the greater Los Angeles area; their village of Tibahangna lay near the river on the Cerritos property. Identified today as the Tongva, they lived off the land, gathering acorns, seeds and berries, fishing the rivers and oceans, and hunting for small game. Their highly complex society included extensive trade, technological achievements, a rich oral literature, formalized birth, rite-of-passage and death traditions, and a belief in a supreme being, Chinigchinich.
After Spain began settling California, the Tongva and other Native Americans were encouraged to move to nearby missions, where they learned new trades and were introduced to Christianity. Thus, the Tongva became known as the Gabrielino, named after the nearby Mission San Gabriel.
Click Here to visit www.rancholoscerritos.org to learn more about the history and roots of Long Beach!
