When I'm researching local adobes, there are two books I always need to reference. "The Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County" by John Kielbassa is a comprehensive guide. Now, as you know, the Board of Education in San Marino is trying to tear this adobe down, and they need to be stopped - for their own good and for the sake of our collective history. But take a second and find out what we'll be missing:
The Blanco Adobe: On the campus of San Marino High School in San Marino, California stands an obscure little adobe, known as the "Blanco" or "White Adobe. It can be found toward the center of the school grounds near the athletic field. The house was built in 1845 by Michael White, alias Miguel Blanco. He received a land grant north of the San Gabriel Mission, which consisted of seventy-seven acres of former mission property. For many years the house stood upon this small tract of farmland known as Rancho San Ysidro and was in the midst of an orange grove up until the 1930s. But, progress prevailed and swallowed up the land right to the threshold of the old adobe. Long ago at this same site, the Gabrielino village of Sonangna stood. These early settlers were drawn to the area by the year round flow of underground spring water.
Michael White, a native of either England or Ireland, was born sometime between 1802 and 1806. He was sailor by trade and may have visited Baja California as early as 1817. Afterward, he made several voyages between the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) and Mexico's Pacific coast. The British ship, Dolly, brought White to Alta California in 1829. He soon became a Mexican citizen, as did most Anglo immigrants at the time in order to marry and hold property. He was given a Mexican name, Miguel Blanco, which is the Spanish form of Michael White.
White may have first settled in the San Pedro area, although there was no permanent settlement there at that time of his arrival. San Pedro was part of the Rancho Los Palos Verdes, owned by the Sepulveda family, and was a desolate place. His living in San Pedro is supported by his name appearing on early records as being one of the ship builders of the Guadalupe, which was constructed there at Goleta Point in 1830. White, along with former pirate, Joseph Chapman, constructed the schooner, Guadalupe from the remains of the brig, Danube, which ran aground in a storm on Christmas Eve, 1828. The vessel was built for the padres of the San Gabriel Mission to be sold to sea otter traders. White sailed the Guadalupe to Mazatlan and returned in 1832. Upon his return from Mexico, White married Maria del Rosaria Gullien, who was a daughter of Dona Eulalia Perez de Gullien, the old matron and bookkeeper at the San Gabriel Mission. Following his marriage, White set up a small store at Rancho Los Nietos, a short distance south of the mission.
Smuggling was a common practice along the California coast in the 1830s. Mexican authorities imposed high tariffs upon imported goods, which was desperately needed by the citizens of the province. The settlers in California were neglected by Mexico and there was no industry, so there was a heavy reliance upon trade with foreign vessels and smuggling was generally accepted by the citizenry. White may have been involved in a smuggling scheme in San Francisco in 1833. Although a man named White was accused of this illegal deed, it has never been determined that the implicated individual named White was the same as Michael White.
In 1836, White was listed as living at Los Angeles, but as a former world adventurer, he had the wanderlust to move again. Three years later he went to New Mexico where he may have involved himself in the fur trade. He returned to San Gabriel with the Rowland and Workman Party in early November 1841. Later, William Workman and John Rowland, the party leaders, would acquire former San Gabriel Mission land known as Rancho La Puente.
In 1843 White was granted Rancho Muscupiabe by Governor Manuel Micheltorena. It was a single league of land located near the Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was named for a Serrano Indian village in the vicinity. The remote rancho was subjected to frequent raids by Paiute Indians and their allies; therefore, it was abandoned in 1844 because it was indefensible. The following year, White participated in the revolt against Governor Manuel Micheltorena. He was a member of the company of foreigners led by William Workman at the Battle of Cahuenga late February 1845.
After a failed attempt with Rancho Muscupiabe, Miguel Blanco had another chance to become a ranchero. Due to the Mexican Secularization Act of 1834, all mission properties in California were available for sale. In 1845, White received a concession to 500 square varas (77.23 acres) of land north of the San Gabriel Mission from Governor Pio Pico. This tract was one of several smaller land grants in the area given to former associates of the secularized mission. White may have had the land bestowed upon him for his service to the mission and for building the Guadalupe fifteen years prior. Also, being the son-in-law of the influential, Dona Eulalia, may have helped some. White named his small concession Rancho San Ysidro (Ranch of Saint Isidore).
After receiving the grant, he built the adobe dwelling, which stands today at San Marino High School. The original adobe section of the house was a story and a half. Later, a two-story wing made of wooden ship siding was added. White planted a vineyard and an orchard consisting of a variety of fruit trees. Although, this became his permanent home, he still yearned to travel and in passing years he embarked on several sea voyages.
The year 1846 brought war between the United States and Mexico. California entered the war in June of that year with the American invasion of Monterey. Los Angeles was the next to fall into the hands of the invaders two months later. In September, a revolt led by Serbulo Varela expelled the American garrison holding the pueblo. By this time, a party of fifteen foreign born (mostly American) yet naturalized Mexican citizens led by Benjamin Davis Wilson were stationed at Rancho del Chino to protect the eastern frontier from enemy forces that may approach from the Cajon Pass. The Californios doubted the loyalty of Wilson's men and set out to arrest them. Varela, Diego Sepulveda and Ramon Carrillo left Los Angeles with about fifty men, while Carmen Lugo with another fifteen to twenty men left from San Bernardino to converge upon Rancho del Chino.
On the night of September 26, 1846, the adobe ranch house of Isaac Williams, the owner of rancho, was occupied by Wilson's group when it was surrounded by the Californios. At dawn, the following day, gunfire was exchanged resulting in one Californio dead with two wounded and three American wounded. When the Californios attempted to set fire to the roof of the house, Wilson surrendered to Varela. This brief engagement became know as the Battle of Chino. Wilson's men were taken prisoner and marched to Paredon Blanco , the main camp of the California forces. The prisoners were nearly executed in retaliation for the death of Carlos Ballesteros, the only fatal casualty at Chino, but Varela and others intervened. Later, the prisoners were taken to Rancho Los Cerritos, near present-day Long Beach, where they were detained and ultimately released. Michael White returned to his home on San Ysidro and took a neutral position throughout the ensuing conflict.
After the war, and after California was admitted to the Union, the United States Land Commission was formed. White had to prove his claim to his little parcel north of the mission. He was able to do so and continued living there for many years. Here, he raised a large family and when his children married he gave the lots upon his ranch so that they could raise their own families. One daughter married Francisco Alvarado, the brother of Governor Jose Alvarado. The Alvarados lived on a quaint farm on the White Tract.
Eventually, White sold San Ysidro to L. H. Titus, who owned an adjoining ranch to the east. Titus, in turn sold the property to James C. Flood. Michael White, also known as Miguel Blanco, died in 1885.
The wood section of the Blanco adobe was razed, leaving the original adobe standing. The adobe fell into a state of disrepair by the 1930s and later it was restored. Today, the San Marino School District now uses the old adobe, which is relatively unknown, even to the local community. Plans are underway to make this historic structure available to the public. The San Marino Historical Society is taking the lead in this project. Tours may be arranged by contacting the San Marino Historical Society or the San Marino School District. The Blanco adobe is located on the school grounds of San Marino High School at 2701 Huntington Drive in San Marino, California.
Blanco Adobe
2701 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108
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