It was not until other land in the area was developed that areas along the river became valuable enough for owners on each side to initiate legal action and establish a fixed boundary.For example, in 1856, Manuel Dominguez, owner of Rancho San Pedro, agreed to a compromise boundary between his property and Juan Temple’s Rancho Los Cerritos.In 1884, there was a further agreement to realign the river boundary between the ranchos. The Rancho historic sites in the city celebrate the Nieto family who first received the land grant from the King of Spain that encompassed both local ranches.They also highlight the Temple and Stearns families, who subsequently bought the ranches, and several members of the Bixby family who later purchased the land and participated in its development.The Dominguez family, who received the grant for Rancho San Pedro, is less often celebrated in Long Beach.The home which was the headquarters of that family’s activities has been preserved but is located in the city of Carson.There are streets in North Long Beach named for Dominguez daughters Victoria and Susana, and Del Amo Boulevard is named for Susana and her husband.Members of the of the Dominguez family, however, have played a significant role in the history of the area.
When Long Beach was first incorporated in 1888, it was all located on land that once was part of Rancho Los Cerritos.As the city grew and expanded, annexation added area east of downtown that had been part of Rancho Los Alamitos and areas to the north and west that had been parts of Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho San Pedro. While Alta California was part of the Mexican Republic, Manuel Dominguez inherited Rancho San Pedro at his father’s death in 1825.In the next year, he began building his home on the east side of Dominguez Hill.That is the house that is preserved as a historic site.In 1827, Manuel married Maria Engracia de Cota and they subsequently had six daughters. Dominguez was an active leader in local government.In 1828, he was elected to the Ayuntamiento (the governing body) of El Pueblo de Los Angeles.In the next year, and again in 1834, he served as a delegate to the Alta California legislature, and in 1832 he was elected Alcalde de Los Angeles. After the United States gained control of California, Dominguez managed to maintain ownership and establish a clear title to his land by adapting to the new government.In fact as a new United States citizen, he served in the constituent assembly that wrote California’s first constitution, and facilitated its road to statehood in 1850.In 1882, before development took off in the area, Manuel Dominguez died.His widow and daughters inherited the rancho, and the daughters eventually divided it among themselves. When Rancho San Pedro was divided among the Dominguez daughters, the area along Del Amo Boulevard, a street that was later named for her and her husband, went to Susana.The land she inherited was sometimes bordered by the Los Angeles River, and sometimes the river crossed an edge of it. Susana had been born at the family home on June 5, 1844 and baptized at the Plaza Church in Los Angeles.She lived quietly with her parents for almost forty years, until her mother’s death in 1883. In 1890, she married Dr. Gregorio del Amo, a physician and surgeon who came to Los Angeles from Spain in 1887.After their marriage, Dr.del Amo gave up his active practice and became Spanish consul in San Francisco.The del Amos made several trips to Spain and traveled in other parts of Europe. They sometimes traveled by plane and Dr. del Amo was an early supporter of aviation, including holding the 1910 International Air Meet at Dominguez field. After the end of the First World War, the del Amos settled into a new home in Los Angeles where they had the grounds carefully landscaped.They devoted much of their time to managing Susanna’s inheritance and, in 1926, incorporated the Del Amo Estate Company and engaged in philanthropic pursuits.They built a residence hall for a hundred American and Spanish students on the campus of the University of Madrid.In addition they provided fellowships for graduate students and faculty members in both countries.A generation of graduate students from USC and UCLA conducted dissertation research in Spain and, after graduating, joined teaching faculties across the country. Susana engaged in philanthropic projects of her own.She made cash donations to the Catholic Church, especially to support the Plaza Church in Los Angeles. In 1924, she convinced her only living sister, Maria de los Reyes de Francis to join her in deeding the family home where they grew up and the surrounding seventy acres of land, to the Claretian Missionary Fathers.The Claretian’s established the Dominguez Memorial Seminary for training priests.Susana funded construction of a new building with a dormitory, chapel and classrooms, and with her sister set up a trust fund for the site’s maintenance. Following their return from Spain after the First World War, the del Amos established a nursery on land partially in North Long Beach.They had brought home a variety of European tree and shrub seeds, including some that are still growing on the site of the Dominguez Adobe. They also landscaped the eastern slope of Dominguez Hill.In 1921, they turned the San Pedro Ranch Nursery into a business venture.It eventually became the home of more than two hundred species, ranging from hardy cactus, mountain lilac or buckthorn, laurel and sumac, to the taller deodars, eucalyptus and several varieties of pines.Sales were only made on a wholesale basis to customers located literally all over the world. As the del Amos grew older, all of these activities slowed down.The Del Amo Estate Company and what was later known as the Del Amo Nursery were closed.The land where the nursery had been located was developed, and the assets of the Del Amo Foundation were distributed among universities in Spain and southern California to be used to continue the educational work they began.Susana Dominguez de Amo died at her home in Los Angeles in 1931.Her husband lived until 1941.Both are buried in crypts beneath the alter in the Dominguez Seminary building chapel, adjacent to the home where Susanna was born.
The links in this article are to photographs in the California State University Dominguez Hills Digital Collections. Return to NLB History Page