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Don Pio Pico was probably the most fascinating and legendary character in early California history. He is best known as being the last Mexican governor of California, serving prior to the American conquest. He and his brother, Don Andres Pico, built a land empire from humble beginnings and grew to be the wealthiest landowners in the state. He lived through three distinct eras; the Spanish, Mexican and American periods, and when he died in 1894, the romantic days of the proud Spanish Dons officially perished with him.
In his later years, Pico was quite a distinguishable figure in Southern California. He was a short man with a heavy frame and dressed extravagantly. A thick white beard and mustache adorned his dark face. Due to his stature he was given the sobriquet "Sitting Bear". He wore flashy jewelry, medals, and ribbons, along with his trademark top hat. He also donned a knee length coat with metallic buttons and velvet collar and cuffs. He carried a unique cane shaped in the form of a lady's leg. It had an ivory handle and was enclosed in a golden boot with diamond buttons. His cane was not a necessity to aid in his walking; it was more of a status symbol of a prestigious and honorable gentleman.
In 1850, he acquired Rancho Paso de Bartolo Viejo and two years later he constructed a two story adobe mansion on the property which he affectionately called "El Ranchito" - the Little Ranch. The thirteen-room mansion has undergone several restorations and is the focal point of the six acre Pio Pico State Historic Park at 6003 Pioneer Boulevard in Whittier. The city of Pico Rivera and the western section of Whittier now occupy the area that was Pico's El Ranchito.
The Gabrielino Indians were the first inhabitants of the region. Just south of the Pico mansion along the banks of the San Gabriel River was the possible site of the ancient village of Sejat, which means, "Place of the Wild Bee". The name comes from the wild burrowing bees who had numerous hives located in holes formed in the earth and in the muddy riverbanks. Although with its bitter taste, the Indians extracted the wild black honey from these holes. A small knoll with black sandy earth located a short distance downstream from the Pico home is one of five sites of Sejat. The other possible sites of this village were a few miles further south near Los Nietos and Santa Fe Springs.
Sejat became overpopulated and food resources were inadequate to support the growing rancheria. Oyaison was the chief of Sejat who separated the village and with his daughter, Coronne, led a group of inhabitants to the Valley of San Juan Capistrano where they established a colony. Coronne was left in charge of the new settlement, while her father returned to Sejat. This village grew and separated as well. The people spread throughout the valley and after the establishment of Mission San Juan Capistrano they became known as Juanenos.
In 1771, the Mission San Gabriel Archangel was founded about two miles northwest of the site of the Pico mansion. The Indians of Sejat were probably among the first of the mission's neophytes. The mission occupied an abundance of open land from the mountains to the sea. Rancho Paso de Bartolo was part of the extensive mission lands. In 1784, a retired Spanish soldier, Jose Manuel Nieto received a concession of over 300,000 acres what he called Rancho Los Nietos. Paso de Bartolo became part of the immense Nieto grant. Padres from the San Gabriel Mission protested to the provincial governor that the Nieto concession encroached upon the southern portion of the mission's grazing land. The governor found in favor of the padres and the Rancho Los Nietos was reduced to 167,000 acres. Rancho Paso de Bartolo was once again a possession of the mission.
The name, Paso de Bartolo Viejo (Old Bartolo's Crossing), derived from an elderly man named Bartolo, which was a nickname for Bartolome. Long ago, Bartolo was allowed to farm the area and he would transport his produce to the pueblo for sale via a ford he discovered in the San Gabriel River. In 1803, Juan Crispin Perez was allowed to graze his cattle near Bartolo's Crossing with the consent of Don Jose Manuel Nieto, who at the time controlled the land. Perez built an adobe house just south of the Pico mansion site. By 1833 plans regarding the secularization of the California missions were well underway. That year, Perez anticipated the secularization and petitioned the governor for an official claim to the piece of mission property which he occupied for thirty years. The secularization decree passed in 1834, making all of the missions available for private lease or sale. On June 12, 1835, Perez was granted Rancho Paso de Bartolo Viejo by Governor Jose Figueroa.
In 1843, Bernardo Guirado acquired 700 acres of Paso de Bartolo from Perez. Later, Joaquina Sepulveda also came to possess a portion of the rancho. In the spring of 1847, Juan Crispin Perez died leaving the rancho to his family. In 1850, Don Pio Pico began purchasing pieces of the estate from the heirs of Perez. By 1852, he acquired the entire Rancho Paso de Bartolo and paid a total of $4,642 for the 8991.22 acres. A United States patent for the rancho was issued to Pio Pico and the late Juan C. Perez in 1881.
Using modern landmarks for identification purposes, the official grant boundaries for Pio Pico's section of Rancho Paso de Bartolo are as follows:
Commencing from Washington Boulevard and the Rio Hondo in Pico Rivera, the boundary line followed eastward along the route of Washington Boulevard to a point where it converged with Santa Fe Springs Road, Whittier Boulevard, La Cuarta Street and Pickering Avenue in the city of Whittier. The line turned north and paralleled Pickering to the east to Walnut Street, where it cut back westward to Whittier Boulevard. Here, the line headed north, crisscrossing Whittier Boulevard twice, then headed west to the center of the Nelles School for Boys. From here, a straight northward line crossed the school and went on to the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Hadley Street. It continued east along Hadley to Citrus Avenue, where it turned north following the path of Citrus, passing Beverly Drive and remaining straight until reaching the northern city limit of Whittier. The grant boundary followed the same course as the city boundary to the east, then north and beyond to a point near the terminus of Sierra Sky Drive in an unincorporated area of the county. From this spot, the line takes a jagged form heading northeasterly through Rose Hills Memorial Park and Rio Hondo College. From the college campus, the line branched westward to the west bank of the San Gabriel River at Whittier Narrows Park. The line continued south along the river, then west along the Whittier Narrows Dam to the Rio Hondo. It followed the course of Rio Hondo southward back to Washington Boulevard.
The original grant given to Perez covered a larger area. Under his ownership, the southern boundary extended as far south as the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad tracks.
Santiago de la Cruz Pico was a soldier in the Royal Army of New Spain when he first came to California as an escort to the Anza Party in 1775. He had several sons who also became soldiers, one of whom was Jose Maria Pico. Jose Maria Pico and his wife, Maria Eustaquia Lopez were from Sonora, Mexico. In 1782, they came to San Diego where Jose was stationed at the San Diego Presidio. In 1798, Jose was transferred to the guard at Mission San Luis Rey where he served as a corporal. Later, he was promoted to sergeant and placed in charge of guard at the San Gabriel Mission. Sergeant Pico and Dona Eustaquia had nine children. They had six daughters; Concepcion, Estafana, Jacinta, Isidora, Tomasa and Feliciana, and three sons; Jose, Pio and Andres.
Pio de Jesus Pico was born on May 5, 1801, in a brush shelter at the San Gabriel Mission. He was the second oldest of three sons. He lived with his family at the mission until his father died in 1819. Since his older brother, Jose, was away serving in the army, Pio, assumed the role of patriarch of the house. After, his father's death, he took his mother and siblings to live in the pueblo of San Diego. While there, eighteen year old Pio Pico established a store and a saloon, which developed into lucrative investments.
In 1826, Pico began his controversial political career when he was appointed by to the diputacion, an advisory council to the provincial governor, Jose Maria Echeandia. He served as a member of the diputacion, off and on, until 1842.
In 1829, Governor Jose Maria Echeandia granted the 8,922-acre Rancho Jamul to Pio Pico. This land grant, the first of many for Pico, was confirmed in 1831. Pico placed his younger brother, Andres in charge of the rancho in 1836. Rancho Jamul was twenty-five miles east of San Diego on the fringes of unfriendly Indian territory, and in April 1837, the rancho fell victim to bloody attack. Pio Pico was away in San Diego, but his mother and sisters were staying there at the time. An Indian servant warned Dona Eustaquia and she promptly fled to San Diego with her daughters. Hostile Indians raided the rancho killing the mayordomo, Juan Leiva and his oldest son. His wife and young son were stripped of their clothing and left out in the wilderness. His two teen-age daughters were kidnapped, never to be heard from again. Leiva's wife and son made it to San Diego, but Senora Leiva died shortly thereafter. The Pico hacienda at Jamul was burned to the ground and 500 head of cattle were rustled away.
Pico did not carry on the family tradition of going into the military like his two brothers. He was a civilian political leader in Southern California and he often challenged the military governors from Mexico. He was the leader of several rebellions, but never actively took part in the physical fighting. From the beginning of colonization of Alta California, there had always been sectional strife between the northerners and the southerners. Those in Northern California tended to be loyalist to the Mexican government, while those in the south often espoused independence. Pico was a strong supporter of having Los Angeles as the capitol, while the Mexican governors preferred the more sophisticated port town of Monterey.
In 1831, Pico led his first revolt against Governor Manuel Victoria. By this time he established his residence at the pueblo of Los Angeles. Pico, as leader of the southern rebels, was in strong opposition of Victoria's northern style of dominion. Victoria ruled in the manner of a military dictator. He refused to convene the Assembly and abolished all town councils. When Victoria discovered that Pio Pico and Jose Antonio Carrillo were in Los Angeles planning to overthrow him, he ordered Vicente Sanchez, alcalde of the pueblo, to exile Pico and Carrillo to Mexico. In addition, Sanchez arrested fifty leading citizens of Los Angeles, including Andres Pico.
While en route to Mexico, Pico and Carrillo met with Juan Bandini in San Diego. The three men raised an army of 150 men to take on the dictatorship of Victoria. Pico's army marched north and liberated the prisoners at Los Angeles. Victoria led his own army from Monterey to put down the revolt in Los Angeles. On December 5, 1831, Victoria's forces encountered the rebels in the Cahuenga Pass, near today's North Hollywood. Here a minor battle took place which left the governor seriously wounded. Victoria decided to relinquish the governor's seat and return to Mexico. Pio Pico, who at the time was President of Assembly, assumed the title of interim governor. Unable to secure the position, he served only for a few weeks and was replaced on February 16, 1832, by Jose Figueroa.
On February 24, 1834, Pico married Señorita Maria Ignacia Alvarado at the Our Lady Queen of Angeles church, which still stands today on in Main Street across from the old plaza in Los Angeles. Governor Figueroa was the best man at the ceremony. Across the street from the church, the wedding reception was held at the adobe of Jose Antonio Carrillo, Pico's brother-in-law. The festivities lasted eight days and were attended by many distinguished guests from as far away as San Diego. The site of the Carrillo adobe was located where the present Pico House Hotel now stands facing the plaza in El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. Later, Pico built an adobe town house adjoining the Carrillo home.
Pico continued serving as a member of the diputacion from 1834 to 1835. After the secularization of the missions, Pico was appointed the administrator of Mission San Luis Rey. He held this position from 1834 to 1840. In 1836, he was a candidate for alcalde (mayor) of Los Angeles. He was not selected as the alcalde, but was instead picked as an elector representing Southern California in Mexico's presidential elections. From 1837 to 1839, Pico benefited from secularization when he secured a lucrative contract slaughtering cattle of the San Gabriel Mission.
In 1838, Pico became involved in revolutionary activity when he challenged the authority of Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. Pico's co-conspirators were again Jose Antonio Carrillo and his brother Carlos Carrillo. The southern rebels intended to establish an independent California Republic. Alvarado sent an army led by General Jose Castro, his chief military commander, to put a stop to the insurgency in Los Angeles. Castro and his forces marched south from Monterey and engaged the rebels led by Carlos Carrillo at Mission San Buenaventura on March 27, 1838. After a two-day bombardment of the mission, Carrillo was forced to surrender. Castro dispatched Captain Luis Espinosa to Los Angeles to arrest the instigators of the revolt. Jose Antonio Carrillo and Pico's brother, Andres, were taken into custody. Pio Pico was found hiding beneath the bedroom floor of an adobe and was also arrested. Pico was brought in irons to the Santa Barbara Presidio where he was imprisoned. His wife, who was the niece of Governor Alvarado, begged for her uncle to spare the life of her husband. After a few weeks, Pio Pico was released.
Alvarado did not seem to hold a grudge against the Pico brothers for their disloyalty. On June 2, 1840, the governor granted Rancho Temecula (now in south Riverside County) to the Picos. In 1841, he granted the immense Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores to Andres and Pio Pico. This 133,000-acre estate was the former ranch land of Mission San Juan Capistrano. Later, John Forster, an Englishman, lived here in a grand adobe casa with his wife, Isidora Pico, one of Pio Pico's sisters. Today, Camp Pendleton, a United States Marine Corps installation, occupies the site of this large coastal rancho.
In the latter part of 1841, two large overland parties of Americans immigrated to California . They opened the gates to a wave of American immigrants. Pico was concerned about this influx and feared an American invasion would be inevitable. Pico preferred to have California become a territory under the rule of Great Britain rather than be a part of the United States. It was rumored that Pio Pico was scheming with English authorities to have them conquer California in the name of England.
Late in 1844, yet another rebellion was stirring in California, but this time it was formed in the north by Ex-governor Juan B. Alvarado and his cohort, Jose Castro. Governor Manuel Micheltorena, the subject of the revolt, knew what kind of influence Pio Pico had on citizens in the south. He ordered Pico and Jose Antonio Carrillo to raise an army to aid with his the fight against the rebels. Pico and Carrillo refused unless they were paid for there efforts. In January 1845, Alvarado dispatched a mounted force of over fifty men to capture Los Angeles. The detachment led by Joaquin de la Torre took the pueblo and arrested the Pico brothers and Carrillo. Alvarado gave the Picos the option to join his cause or perish. They chose to join Alvarado and were able to raise an army of 400. In Monterey, Micheltorena raised an army of equal strength and headed for Los Angeles.
The Cahuenga Pass, the site of the battle with Governor Victoria in 1831 was the locale of the conflict with Governor Micheltorena in February 1845. For two days a long-range artillery battle raged. When the explosive sounds of cannonading stopped, the end result was the loss of livestock on each side. Micheltorena, realizing he was loosing support decided to step down from power. He returned to Mexico and Pio Pico became the governor on February 22, 1845. Pico was confirmed by Mexico and was officially sworn in on April 12, 1845.
Governor Pico moved the capitol from Monterey to Los Angeles as he always desired. He established his gubernatorial headquarters in a ten-year-old single story adobe on North Main Street. Formerly used as a store by American merchant, Isaac Williams, the building was situated on the east side of the street just north of Commercial Street. Later, the famous Bella Union Hotel was built upon the site. Today, a state plaque marks the historical site at Fletcher Bowron Square. Pico's headquarters was conveniently located within walking distance from his Los Angeles home. During this time he lived in an adobe on Sanchez Street, one block east of Main Street, near the home of his brother-in-law, Jose Antonio Carrillo. It was just south of the plaza and at one time his brother, Andres, had an adobe house next door which fronted the plaza.
One of Pico's first tasks as governor was the acceleration of the secularization of the missions. On May 28, 1845, Pico passed a decree allowing the sale of the missions without consulting his superiors in Mexico. He authorized his brother, Andres, and Juan Manso to travel throughout California and inventory all mission properties. In December 1845, Pico allowed Andres and Manso to lease the 118,000-acre Ex-Mission San Fernando for $1,120 per year. Andres Pico used the mission long building as his residence.
During his administration, Governor Pico was a proponent for an education tax, mandatory school attendance for children and the use of public funds to pay teachers.
Pico had the foresight of an American invasion of California, at least as far back as 1841. The Mexican War began in May of 1846. That year he granted and sold land freely, mostly to his relatives and friends. Much of the land he sold belonged to the missions. His first intention was to sell or give away as much available land as possible in order to keep it out of American hands. Secondly, he was trying to finance his own defense for California due to a lack of supplies and monetary support from Mexico. In June 1846, Pico received word that American forces led by John Charles Fremont were planning an invasion of Northern California. On June 14, 1846 Fremont captured the town of Sonoma. On June 17, 1846, Pico sold Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando to Eulogio de Celis for $14,000 to increase his defense fund.
Pico worked frantically to prepare for a defense, but lacked local support of his constituents. He had an alternate plan. The governor renewed his attempt for English intervention as a means for keeping California from being taken by the United States. On June 29, 1846, he wrote a letter to James A. Forbes, British Vice Consul at Monterey, requesting aid from the British navy to guard the California coast from American naval forces. Furthermore, in July 1846, Pico attempted to attract British colonization to California. He met with Eugene McNamara, a Catholic priest from Ireland, who was interested in starting an Irish colony. Pico granted McNamara 2,400,000 acres of land in the San Joaquin Valley to establish a farming colony of 2,000 families. But Pico's efforts were too late. On July 7, 1846, Commodore John D. Sloat landed in Monterey where raised the American flag and declared the conquest of California. Since the San Joaquin Valley grant was issued a week after Sloat's landing, it was considered invalid. In fact, all land grants made by Pico after July 7th had no legal basis. Later, Governor Pico was accused by the United States Land Commission to have antedated several land grants alleging that they were not issued prior to July 7, 1846.
In early August 1846, American forces under the command of Commodore Robert F, Stockton landed in San Pedro and marched toward Los Angeles. With the imminent threat of foreign invaders only twenty-two miles away, Pico decided to flee to Mexico. On the night of August 10, 1846, Pio Pico fled to Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores and sought refuge at the house of his sister, Isidora Pico Forster. From here, he went on to Sonora, Mexico. Pico was accused of running away with the money he obtained for the sale of the missions. On August 13th, Stockton captured Los Angeles without opposition and commandeered Pico's headquarters on Main Street. Stockton left behind a small garrison of troops led by Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie to hold the pueblo. Within a few weeks, Gillespie was forced out of town by a band of rebels.
The Californio's (Spanish Californians) overall resistance to American occupation was minimal. Only a handful of battles were fought in California. One of the last battles was fought on Rancho Paso de Bartolo on January 8, 1847. Commonly known as the Battle of San Gabriel , this conflict occurred on the banks of what was then the San Gabriel River (now the Rio Hondo). General Stephen W. Kearny and Commodore Stockton lead the American advance and forded the river at Bartolo's Crossing (later Pico's Crossing) and were engaged by Californio forces led by General Jose Maria Flores. Casualties were light on both sides and the Americans emerged as the victors. The area near Washington Boulevard and Bluff Place in the city of Montebello is the site of the battle.
Following the Battle of La Mesa on January 9, 1846, the Americans captured Los Angeles for the second and final time. On January 13, 1847, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed ending the war in California. The war continued in Mexico for another year, ending on February 2, 1848.
Upon learning that American authorities were allowing Mexicans to continue to hold public office in California, Pico returned to reclaim the governorship. He was allowed to return, but only as a private citizen. He illegally re-entered California by not waiting for his passport and he failed to register with the post commander at San Diego. Colonel Jonathan D. Stevenson, who commanded a company of New York Volunteers, heard about Pico's motive to return to power and ordered for his arrest. Stevenson sent a search party to find Pico, who was in hiding in the San Gabriel area. Pico resurfaced and turned himself in to Stevenson in Los Angeles. Pico denied to Stevenson of having any intention to assume the office of civilian governor. Stevenson decided not to charge Pico and had him escorted to Rancho Santa Margarita where he lived with his sister. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Richard B. Mason of the United States Army First Dragoons ordered Pico arrested and brought to Monterey. Mason, who was the military governor of California, viewed Pico as a threat. Pio Pico was still popular among the Californios and Mason feared that he possessed enough influence to form a serious rebellion. But, Mason had no legal authority to hold Pico. Upon his release, Pico pledged his neutrality under the threat of imprisonment.
Pio Pico became well adjusted to the American transition of California. He involved himself in numerous business and community affairs although he never learned English. He also became a member of the Los Angeles City Council. In the early 1850s, he had show proof of ownership to his numerous land holdings before the United States Land Commission. He hired attorney, Joseph Lancaster Brent, one of the best land lawyers in Los Angeles at the time, to represent him. Pico came out better than most rancheros who had to file claims before the Land Commission.
Wanting to be closer to the action in Los Angeles, Pico began buying sections of Rancho Paso de Bartolo from the Perez family. By 1852, he acquired 8,991 acres of the rancho which he called "El Ranchito", because it was one of his smallest of his land holdings. That year he built his magnificent adobe mansion on his beloved Ranchito. The adobe walls were two-feet thick, and it was alleged to have had two stories and thirty-three rooms. More likely, the original house may have had only half as many rooms and was a single story. The first roof was a simple one covered with brea (tar). Pico's private quarters were situated on the north side of the house and beneath the floor was a wine cellar. He had the interior floors covered with Brussels carpet and the walls were adorned with decorative wallpaper. Long French mirrors graced the walls between doors and windows. It was lavishly furnished with large hand carved mahogany tables and sofas. There was an expensive rosewood piano in the parlor. This pretentious adobe house had spacious rooms for overnight guests and was the scene of many social gatherings hosted by Pico and his wife, Dona Maria Ignacia.
Around the mansion, Pico kept corrals for his racehorses. He had an orchard, a vineyard and a garden. There was a group of crude adobes near the Pico mansion that housed tenant farmers. Pico allowed the farmers, who were Indians, to plant fields of corn on his ranch. These farmers irrigated the property by digging a ditch to the west of the Pico house. Across the county road (now Whittier Boulevard) there was a mill and a chapel with beautiful frescoes. Pico loved his country home and spent much of his time there.
Pico, an avid gambler, enjoyed playing cards and betting on horse races. He raised fine horses and raced them against those of other rancheros. In 1852, one of the most famous races occurred between Pico's "Sarco" and Jose Andres Sepulveda's "Black Swan". The race took place in Los Angeles where the nine-mile course followed the route of San Pedro Street out of town and back. Over $50,000 in cash, land, cattle and horses were wagered by spectators. Sarco, bred in California, lost to Black Swan, an import from Australia. Pico lost $1,600 in cash and 300 head of cattle. Pico's carefree and reckless ways were costing him. By the end of the 1850s, he had many debts scattered throughout Los Angeles County and he owed over $45,000 to creditors.
In 1860, Dona Maria Ignacia Pico died. The Picos had no biological children, but had several adopted children: Grizelda Pico, Joaquina Pico Moreno, Margarita Pico, Alfredo Pico, and Ranulfo Pico. Pio Pico never remarried.
During the Civil War, Pio Pico was a strong supporter of the Union, while a majority of the former Californios favored the Confederacy. He enjoyed the American lifestyle that had permeated California. He capitalized upon many new opportunities, but he lacked an understanding of the shrewd ways of the Yankee businessmen.
On May 21, 1862, Pio Pico acquired half of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando from his brother Andres. Although, Pico increased his land holdings, his debts were catching up to him. He mortgaged Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores to obtain a loan from a pair of San Francisco moneylenders named Pioche and Bierque. The $44,000 loan was to be repaid with three-percent interest due each month. Pico defaulted on the loan and offered Pioche and Bierque, the rancho along with 5,000 head of cattle and 500 horses. The two businessmen refused to accept Pico's offer. Juan Forster, Pico's brother-in-law and resident of the rancho in question, paid off the loan and subsequently became the sole owner of Santa Margarita y Las Flores in 1864.
In 1867, Charles Strong purchased 300 acres of Rancho Paso de Bartolo from Pio Pico. Strong's property was located just northeast of the Pico mansion. Pico allowed Strong and his wife, Harriet to live at the mansion while they built their farmhouse across the road. Strong was responsible for constructing the well and the brick covered courtyard at the Pico mansion during his stay. Later that year, the San Gabriel River flooded during heavy rains. The original course of the river was where the Rio Hondo flows presently. The flood of saturated the entire valley and created the current channel of the San Gabriel River. It formed two separate rivers and brought the San Gabriel from a distance of two miles to a point within 100 yards of Pico's mansion. Pico's garden, situated northwest of the mansion, was washed away and the water line came dangerously close to his home. Pico planted willow trees along the banks of the river to stabilize the east bank. This shift in the course of the riverbed would cause problems for Pico in later years.
In 1869, Pio Pico sold his 60,000-acre interest in the San Fernando Valley for $115,000. The buyers were Isaac Van Nuys and Isaac Lankershim of the San Fernando Farm Homestead Association. They purchased the land for subdivision and development. On these acres were formed the towns of Encino, Canoga Park, North Hollywood, Reseda, and Van Nuys.
Proceeds from the sale of the San Fernando Valley went toward the construction of a luxury hotel in Los Angeles. By this time the old plaza area of Los Angeles had fallen into a state of decay. This hotel project was an attempt to revitalize the neighborhood. Pico hired architect Ezra F. Kysor to design the three-story, eighty-room hotel. It was constructed on the site of Jose Antonio Carrillo's adobe at 424 North Main Street, facing the plaza. The Carrillo adobe became vacant when he died in 1862. On July 7, 1870 the Pico House hotel was opened. It cost Pico $85,000 to build and it was the only hotel in Los Angeles at the time with features such as gas lighting and indoor plumbing. Unfortunately, due to financial hardships, Pico lost possession of the Pico House in 1880. The Pico House is still standing and is a State Historical Landmark .
By 1877, the Pico mansion began showing signs of deterioration. That year, Hubert H. Bancroft, one of the most prolific and comprehensive writers of California history, interviewed Pio Pico in order to record his memoirs. The result was Bancroft's 200 page "Narracion Historia de California" as dictated by Pico. This manuscript was valuable and credible account of Pico's life and early beginnings of the state. He also gave Bancroft two volumes of original documents pertaining to early California.
In 1883, winter storms caused the San Gabriel River to flood again. Torrential water poured into Pico's irrigation ditch causing it to overflow its banks. Floodwaters undermined the foundation of the west wing of the mansion causing the corredor and at least two rooms to be washed away. Pico fixed his adobe mansion and at the same time enlarged it, including an upper level.
When Pico needed to make repairs to his damaged home, he found himself again in a financial bind. He went to Bernard J. Cohn, a Los Angeles businessman, and asked for a $62,000 loan. Because Pico understood very little English, he had an interpreter, Pancho Johnson, to translate the contract. Pico had no one else accompany him, not even an attorney. He agreed to secure the loan by mortgaging all his remaining land holdings, including "El Ranchito". It was understood by Pico that the terms of the loan was three-percent interest due every month. The following month, Pico attempted to pay $65,000 for the balance of the loan, but Cohn refused to accept it, explaining that he purchased Pico's property outright, and that there was no loan agreement. Due to a misinterpretation, Pico inadvertently signed over his land to Cohn. At the time, his estate was worth well over $200,000 and he would not have settled for a mere $62,000.
Pico filed a lawsuit to regain his property on the grounds he was a victim of fraud. Originally, Pancho Johnson supported Pico's claim, but when he testified at the trial, he changed his story indicating that arrangement was a straight purchase and not a loan. It was later discovered that Johnson lied in court and was offered a $2,000 bribe for his untruthful testimony. On February 11, 1891, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County ruled in favor of Bernard Cohn. Pico appealed his case, and the following year the California Supreme Court supported the lower court's verdict even though it was determined that Johnson was bribed to commit perjury. Due to this travesty of justice, Pio Pico lost all he owned, including his adobe mansion on Rancho Paso de Bartolo.
An impoverished, sickly, and aging Pio Pico moved to Los Angeles to live with long time friend, John (Juan Jose) Warner. He also stayed with his adopted daughters in town. He spent his remaining years there and was often seen sitting in front of the Pico House on the plaza, dressed in all his regalia from bygone days. On September 11, 1894 Don Pio Pico died in the home of his daughter, Joaquina Pico Moreno. His death brought about an end of an era. He was perhaps the last of the great Spanish Dons.
Pio Pico was laid to rest next to his wife at the Old Calvary Cemetery on North Broadway in Los Angeles. His corpse was encased in an iron tomb brought via the Horn in the early 1850s. In 1921, the cemetery was razed to make room for street enlargement. The bodies of Pico and his wife were transferred to the Temple and Workman Family Cemetery in the City of Industry. Located at 15415 East Don Julian Road the Pico's are entombed in the Walter P. Temple Mausoleum where granite monuments mark their graves. Pio Pico had a strong friendship with William Workman, the co-owner of Rancho La Puente. Workman's home was one of the first places Pico visited upon his return to California in 1848.
In 1887, a colony of Pennsylvania Quakers settled on the eastern portion of Rancho Paso de Bartolo at the base of Puente Hills. The settlement was named Whittier, in honor of John Greenleaf Whittier, a Quaker poet. The city of Whittier incorporated in 1898.
Since Pico's death, the Pico mansion was left abandoned. In 1898, the newly created city of Whittier purchased the house and six surrounding acres. At the turn of the century, travelers who used Whittier Boulevard still had to ford the San Gabriel River. In 1907, the area of the crossing was being filled in and a bridge was under construction. Construction workers tore down the corrals, along with the chapel and mill across the road from the mansion to fill in an approach to the bridge. Plans were also underway to raze the Pico mansion. Harriet Russell Strong, a friend of the late Pio Pico and a resident of the mansion in 1867, worked to save it from destruction. She formed the Governor Pico Museum and Historical Society of Whittier and obtained a fifty-year lease to the property. Along with Landmarks Club, founded by Charles F. Lummis, the two organizations managed to save the Pico mansion and restored it in 1913.
In 1917, the State of California acquired the Pico mansion. Due to a weak foundation, the adobe walls sagged and needed to be restored again in 1946. The state chose to restore the house to the manner in which it appeared in 1870, when its style was a combination of old world Mexican charm and American ingenuity. In 1968, when the old floors were replaced, the original foundation was uncovered; some of which was buried in over two feet of silt deposited by the 1883 flood. The house was renovated once more in 1985.
To the west of the San Gabriel River, two towns grew on what was a part of Rancho Paso de Bartolo. One was named Pico, after Don Pio Pico, and the other was called Rivera. The two townships consolidated in 1958 and the city of Pico Rivera was born. Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles was also named for the last Mexican governor of California.
8/3/2002 - during restoration
Today, the Pico mansion stands a stone's throw to the south of Whittier Boulevard in a park owned by the State. The house now has thirteen rooms and was probably smaller than they were when Pico occupied the home. It is shaped in the form of a "U" with the north and south wings extending past the main structure to the east. In the center of the U is the red brick covered courtyard and water well built by Charles Strong. The main part of the house is two stories and the wings are one story. The front of the mansion faces the north. A brick paved corredor (covered porch) runs along the front and wraps around the house throughout the inner portion of the courtyard. To the west of the house lies the dry bed of Pico's irrigation ditch, which is a few feet lower than the level of the house. The west side of the house is only a few feet from the drop of the berm. Here, broken sections of an adobe wall damaged in the flood of 1883 can be seen. Today, a lovely cactus garden grows upon the site of the former west wing.
Inside, the mansion is furnished in the Victorian era. It was much more elaborately furnished in Pio Pico's day. Historical memorabilia includes letters from the former governor, photographs of him and the mansion during various periods. There is also information about the mansion's savior, Harriet Strong. The Pio Pico mansion is California Historical Landmark 127 and is owned and operated as a museum by the State's Department of Parks and Recreation. State Park Rangers serve as museum docents and are happy to answer any questions about this fascinating landmark.
Pio Pico Adobe Mansion Website
6003 Pioneer Blvd, Whittier, CA 90606 Map
562 695-1217
Open the the public
Wednesday thru Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours available Wednesday thru Friday at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. and Saturday - Sunday at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Admission is free
Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County © 1997 John R. Kielbasa
Photos © 2001-2004 LAokay.com