64 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



it. On February 20-21, 1845, occurred the battle of Cahuenga, which 

 resulted in Micheltorena being forced to return to Mexico, with all his im- 

 ported troops, and Pio Pico being again made governor of California. [For 

 account of this battle, see Chap. 17.] Garfias, however, did not return, 

 but remained here with his family. And on May 7, 1846, Gov. Michel- 

 torena's grant to him of rancho San Pasqual was confirmed by the depart- 

 mental assembly, then in session at lyos Angeles, and by Gov. Pio Pico; for 

 by this time Dona Encarnacion had fully complied with the law as to live 

 stock and improvements on the land. 



During the military operations of the Mexican war period, 1846-47, Gar- 

 fias took horses from this ranch to mount the soldiers of his own command. 

 And after the defeats of January 8 and 9, 1847, it was from their camp on 

 this ranch that he and Gen. Flores started back to old Mexico, while Gen. 

 Andres Pico made the capitulation with Col. Fremont. When Gen. Scott 

 finally captured the City of Mexico, in September, 1847, the whole Mexican 

 army became prisoners of war, Garfias included. The prisoners were of 

 course paroled ; and Garfias returned to Ivos Angeles, where he became an 

 American citizen under the treaty of peace between Mexico and the United 

 States. In 1850 he was one of the regidores [councilmen] of I^os 

 Angeles ; and in 1850-51 he served as county treasurer. In 1852-53 he 

 built his great and costly adobe house or hacienda on rancho San Pasqual — 

 a sort of country palace according to the fashion of the time — near by where 

 Dona Encarnacion had built a house for her major domo in 1844. In 

 1853 his son Manuel E. was born here ; and in 1855 his son Mariano Jose al- 

 so — the first white race children ever born on the ranch. In 1858-59 60 he 

 was in Mexico and took part in the contests between Gen. Miramon's faction 

 and President Juarez, for he seems to have still held the rank of Lieut. -Col. 

 in the Mexican army. In 1869 or '70 President Grant appointed him U. S. 

 consul at Tepic, in Mexico ; and the Centennial History of lyos Angeles, 

 county [1876] speaks of him as then living at Tepic. In 1895 tie is living in 

 the City of Mexico, as I learn from his brother-in-law, Theodore Rimpau,of 

 Anaheim. 



Mrs. Garfias was a woman of superior mind, like her mother before her, 

 the latter being a Sepulveda, and aunt to Hon. Ignacio Sepulveda, who 

 served with honor, ability and good repute as judge of the Los Angeles dis- 

 trict and county courts from 1870 to 1884 — and had also been assemblyman 

 in 1864-65. As soon as American or English-speaking schools were opened 

 in Eos Angeles she sent her boys to them. This was protested against by her 

 Spanish friends, and especially by the church influence ; but she replied that 

 it was plain enough the Americans were going to fill up and occupy this coun- 

 try; itsbu.siness would be done in the English language ; and she did not want 

 her boys to come up with the disadvantage of not being able to both read 

 and speak the business language of the country. This was at once a moth- 



