 The state was formerly under the military governor Colonel Richard Barnes Mason who only had about 600 troops to govern California—many of these troops deserted to go to the gold fields.Before the Gold Rush, almost no infrastructure existed in California except a few small Pueblos (towns), secularized and abandoned Missions and about 500 large (averaging over ) ranchos owned by the Californios who had mostly taken over the Missions land and livestock.The largest town in California prior to the Gold Rush was the Pueblo de Los Angeles with about 3,500 residents.