Rancho Los Cerritos is planning a gala called “California Dreaming” to celebrate 150 years since the family arrived in Southern California. A century and a half ago, the original land known as Rancho Los Cerritos served as the origin for communities such as Bellflower, Paramount, Signal Hill and Lakewood.
Before Rancho Los Cerritos became Bixby property, a Native-American tribe called the Tongva settled there and built approximately 50 to 100 villages, according to the rancho’s website.
Spain began to settle in California in 1769, near the San Diego area, driving the Tongva and other Native Americans to nearby missions. The Tongva became known as the Gabrielino, named after the Mission San Gabriel, according to the website.
In 1784, a Spanish soldier named Manuel Nieto was given a 300,000-acre grant by the Spanish government for his military service. Nieto’s lands divided into six parcels in 1834. His daughter, Manuela Cota, was given the piece of land known as Rancho Los Cerritos, or Ranch of the Little Hills.
When Cota passed away, her land was sold to John Temple in December of 1843. He constructed the two-story Monterey-style adobe building to oversee his cattle business.
Four years after the construction of the ranch, the Gold Rush of 1848 brought Lewellyn Bixby and two cousins to Northern California. Originally from Maine, Bixby and his cousins collected funds through a butcher shop in the city of Volcano, California.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-22-at-4.49.19-PM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Sarah Bixby, daughter of Lewellyn Bixby, and her cousin Harry Bixby, son of Jotham Bixby” captionposition=”right”] At that same time, Temple’s cattle business boomed with the help of the Gold Rush. He would move his cattle upstate to feed the miners that were searching for gold.
Severe drought caused his business to collapse, and he sold his ranch in 1866 to the Flint, Bixby & Co. for $20,000.
Jean Smith Bixby, 78, Lewellyn’s great-granddaughter, recalled that her family purchased sheep from the Midwest United States and brought them to the newly purchased ranch.
“Sheep don’t require as much food as dairy cows do,” she said. “So, that allowed for the sheep farming business to boom despite the drought.”
In the 1870s, the family acquired the Los Alamitos Ranch, expanding the Bixbys’ land to 54,000 acres, approximately where Long Beach and Signal Hill are located.
Jean said that her great-grandfather and his brother, Jotham Bixby, had significant influence in the development of Long Beach. For example, Jotham and his wife, Margaret, established the First Congregational Church in Long Beach. Another family member ran one of the first newspapers in the area. In 1880, the Bixbys played a part in temporarily keeping Long Beach a “dry city,” or alcohol-free city.
“I’m very proud of what my family has accomplished,” Jean said. “It’s a great pleasure to be part of a family with so much community support.”
By the 1890s, the sheep-farming business was not of much importance to the Bixbys. Instead, the family company began to focus more on the infrastructure of Long Beach, which was incorporated as a city in 1887, according to rancholoscerritos.org.
After the death of Lewellyn in 1942, the City of Long Beach took control of the ranch and opened the estate to the public in the form of a museum. In 1988, Rancho Los Cerritos was named state historic landmark No. 987, according to the website.
Today, the Bixby Land Co. makes its profit by selling and buying properties and land throughout the area.
As for the upcoming “California Dreaming” gala, Jean said the family is planning to celebrate 120 years since the creation of the company, which has its headquarters in Orange County.
“We have five tables set up [for the gala], so that’s about 50 people from the family and company,” Jean said.
“California Dreaming” aims to transport guests back in time to the Bixbys’ Los Cerritos Rancho era— offering themed activities, cocktails, dinner, awards and auctions.
The “California Dreaming” gala will take place from 4:30pm to 9pm on Sunday, Sept. 25. Individual tickets are $150, with sponsorships beginning at $2, 500.
To purchase tickets or sponsorships, email Charlene Ferris at charlenef@rancholoscerritos.org.
