Felipe de Neve, Founder of Los Angeles
As the new governor of California, Felip de Neve had recommended to the
viceroy of Mexico that a mission be established at "that delightful
place" along the river where Father Juan Crespi
and others had met the Indians. In time King Carlos of Spain agreed, and
ordered de Neve to establish a town on that site.
Governor de Neve tackled the project with enthusiasm, laying out exactly how the new town would look: perhaps the first planned town in North America. He not only laid out the plaza (later moved slightly because of flooding), but also determined where the pastures, royal lands, and other divisions were to be located.
Getting settlers from Mexico was another matter, and it took 2 years (1771) for the first to arrive, largely from Sonora. There were 11 men, 11 women, and 22 children (2 Spanish, one half-breed, 8 mulattoes, 9 Indians, and 2 Blacks).
On September 4, 1781, the new village was founded amid considerable hoopla, and to the great interest of the Indians who lived there.
This narrative is continued in the Settlement of Los Angeles
References:
- Beilharz, Edwin.Felipe de Neve, First Governor of
California. San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1971.
- Doheny Book Stacks [F866.N51B4]