Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....De Avila, Dona Encarnacion Sepulveda ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com June 1, 2010, 11:55 pm Source: California and Californians, Vol. IV, Published 1932, Pages 41 - 43 Author: The Lewis Publishing Company DONA INCARNATION SEPULVEDA DE AVILA. THE AVILA FAMILY. All through the Hispanic as well as the American period of California history the name Avila appears conspicuously in the interesting events and personalities of these eras. The Avilas were people of high social and political prestige, and their wealth and prominence were due to qualities of character and heart as well as to their extended material possessions. There are literally hundreds of thousands of modern day Californians whose holdings or interests in some way derive from the original grants and estates of the Avila family. In the accumulation of these vast properties political influence counted less than the ability, recognized by Mexican officials, of the Avilas as factors in the development of the country and the utilization of its resources. The story is told that a high Mexican official, representing the control of the granting of land, gave one of the Avilas the following remarkable privilege: "You may start on horseback at dawn from the big tree (indicating by a gesture a magnificent landmark that had been standing guard over the surrounding country for generations) and ride as far as you will, the only condition being that you return to the starting point at the setting of the sun, and such area as you have embraced and encompassed in your day's journey will be the grant which will be given you." Such a method of measuring land was by no means infrequent in a time when the now familiar units and parcels of real estate had scarcely any value at all. The circumference of the historic ride made by the Avila on that day can be approximately measured in modern boundaries as all the land lying west of Crenshaw Boulevard to a distance of several miles and beginning on the north of Wilshire Boulevard and going south beyond West Adams Street. This became the magnificent Avila estate which for years before the American occupation was operated by the scores of the dependents of the family, with thousands of live stock ranging over the hills, and considerable portions of the area were also brought into the production of field crops, such as vinyard and barley and today on this estate stand several of the finest residential and business districts of Los Angeles. On January 8 and 9 of 1847 two battles were fought between the American forces under Commodore Stockton and the Mexicans under Governor Flores. The first day's battle (known as the Battle of San Gabriel River) took place at San Gabriel Ford, on the old stage road leading out by way of Aliso Street. This battlefield can now be seen from the right of way of the Santa Fe Railroad between Los Angeles and Orange for about a half mile before reaching the San Gabriel bridge. The second day's engagement (the Battle of the Mesa) was on the open plain of the Laguna Ranch, south of the old stage road, a property owned in part, by heirs of the Baker and Bandini estate. At that time there lived in the pueblo of Los Angeles Dona Encarnacion de Avila, widow of Don Francisco Avila, of the Las Cienegas Rancho. Her city home was the adobe building still standing on Olivera Street, north of the Plaza. The roar of the cannon and the rattle of musketry in the battle of the Ninth could be plainly heard all over the town. Dona Encarnacion, who was by no means friendly to the advancing Americans, fled from her home to the house of the noted pioneer Frenchman, Louis Vignes, for protection. Her son-in law, Lieutenant-Colonel Garcias, was a cavalry officer on the Mexican side in the battle and had obtained horses for his troops from the Rancho San Pascual, on which now stands a portion of the City of Pasadena, then owned by Dona Encarnacion. After the battle Commodore Stockton marched into the city and hoisted the American flag for a second time, he and Fremont having previously taken Los Angeles without battle on August 13, 1846. Dona Encarnacion had left as a guard to her home a single native boy, cautioning him against opening the doors or windows. However, the martial strains of the American band were more than he could resist, and after listening a few moments he was out of the window and made haste to join in the excitement on the Plaza. Some of the staff of Stockton passing by, and seeing the tasteful furniture, investigated further, and the result was that they selected the widow Avila's home as the commander's headquarters. Such is the story of how this old adobe house became what has been frequently called the "first California capitol." It is still preserved as an historic landmark at 14-16-18 Olivera Street. The building has remained with but few changes during the eight decades, beyond a new roof and a few additional windows. The present owners, members of the Rimpau family, are descendants of Dona Encarnacion Sepulveda de Avila. Her five grandchildren living today are Fred C., Frank T., James A., Sophie Rimpau and Mrs. Marie Rimpau Alexander. Don Francisco Avila built the first house in Los Angeles at 14-16-18 Olivera, which was built about the time the old mission church, at the Plaza, was built, which was made possible by the financial aid of Don Francisco Avila. For this act at his death he was privileged to be buried under the altar of the church. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/losangeles/bios/deavila1011gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 6.0 Kb