The land now famous for the Tournament of Roses, the Rose Bowl,
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and California Institute of
Technology, was once occupied by the Hahamogna Tribe of Native
Americans. Subsisting on local game and vegetation, the
Hahamognas lived in villages scattered along the Arroyo Seco and
the canyons from the mountains down to the South Pasadena area.
With the arrival of the Spaniards and the establishment of the
San Gabriel Mission on September 8, 1771, most of the Native
Americans were converted and provided labor for the mission. The
San Gabriel Mission, the fourth in California, grew to be
prosperous, with abundant orchards, vineyards and herds. The
vast lands which it administered for the Spanish Crown were
divided into ranchos. After the rule of California passed from
Spain to Mexico, the Mexican government in 1833 secularized the
mission lands and awarded them to individuals. The northeast
corner of San Gabriel Mission, consisting of the 14,000 acres
known as Rancho el Rincon de San Pa