Our Neighbor to the East

I’ve often wondered about the man behind the noble statue that sits in an empty lot on Huntington Drive just over the border of Monrovia. In fact, he’s not even surrounded by grass, but just a flat field of dirt and weeds.

But indeed, it is a lovely statue, as you can see by this silhouette I shot. And who is this man? Well…it’s Andres Duarte, former protector of Mission San Gabriel property from San Gabriel to San Bernardino. And, the irony is, he loved greenery. According to Wikipedia:

He acquired a deep fondness for the lush green lands surrounding the Rio Azusa, today the San Gabriel River. He grew fond of the area adjacent to the San Gabriel River along the foothills of the mountains, and in 1841, on retirement from military service after 20 years, he petitioned Governor Juan Alvarado for a grant of land that was a vacant portion of the Rancho Azusa. Within two weeks he was granted what was later surveyed to be 6,595 acres.

And though he applied as “Citizen” Andres Duarte, the grant quickly made him, now an extensive landowner, “Don” Andres Duarte of the Rancho Azusa de Duarte.

Andres Duarte built an adobe for himself and his family and settled on the land and introduced cattle ranching in the area, and citrus crops gradually became a livelyhood for early settlers.

With the help of local Indians, Duarte planted crops and watched as his flocks and herds multiplied. He and his wife, Gertrudes, and their son, Santiago, lived in a small adobe called “The Homestead” located on what is now Tocino Drive, just east of Royal Oaks Park. He ranched in the conventional manner for years, and like other large landowners, was an outstanding host.

After the Mexican-American War and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, his claim to the lands granted in 1841 was validated by the commission appointed by the United States after California entered the Union in 1850. But in the mid-1850′s Duarte was unable to pay back taxes levied upon him for his land. He began to sell off his holdings, as his ranching operations failed to raise sufficient cash, a common problem for those who were rich in real estate. The last of his holdings were sold on the auction block. The ranching days of Rancho Azusa de Duarte ended.

And, as it turns out, William N. Monroe, Monrovia’s namesake, ended up with some of his land (along with 240 acres from “Lucky” Baldwin). Kind of a sad ending for Andres Duarte, but at least he got a statue—and, we got Monrovia.