Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. 7407 La Jolla Boulevard www.raremaps.com (858) 551-8500 La Jolla, CA 92037 [email protected] Map of Park Tract [and] Map of That Portion of the Beaudry Tract No. 2 Lying East of Pearl Street Los Angeles City Cal. Surveyd By E.T. Wright Stock#: 23059 Map Maker: Renshaw Litho Date: 1884 circa Place: Los Angeles Color: Uncolored Condition: VG Size: 23 x 17 inches Price: SOLD Description: One of the earliest obtainable printed tract maps showing a portion of the City of Los Angeles. The Park and Beaudry tracts were rather high end offerings from the holdings of the amazing Prudent Beaudry who bought up much of the land of Bunker Hill and acreage around the Central Library. These are parts of what was originally called Belvedere Gardens and were supposed to be high enough so that residents could have an ocean view (on a clear day). Park had 582 lots and was just 3/4 of a mile from the Plaza which could be reached by the Temple Street Car Pearl later became part of Figueroa. The tract contains two design anomalies with the circular Court St. and the rounded configuration of Bunker Hill Ave. which really is not the true Bunker Hill. Below the Park Tract was the woolen mill where the first industry began in LA, brought about by a dam and diversion created by Beaudry's water company. The Beaudry Tract was just half a mile from the Plaza, 148 parcels and again featured uphill lots with views of the Pacific Ocean. Both the Park and Beaudry tracts appear on several maps of the time including the 1887 Rowan map and the Stevenson map of 1884. Prudent Beaudry was one of Los Angeles' great early entrepenuers and civic minded Citizens. Born into a wealthy French Canadian family. After studying in Montreal, he went to New York City to pursue graduate studies in business school. In the aftermath of the Rebellions of 1837 that shook the province of Quebec, he travelled in the United States and promoted the idea of annexing Canada to the United States. Around 1840, he settled to New Orleans where he gained additional experience in commercial activities. In 1842, he returned to Montreal and created with his brothers an import-export business. Because he was responsible of buying stocks, Prudent Beaudry frequently needed to travel in Europe. Drawer Ref: California Stock#: 23059 Page 1 of 3 Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. 7407 La Jolla Boulevard www.raremaps.com (858) 551-8500 La Jolla, CA 92037 [email protected] Map of Park Tract [and] Map of That Portion of the Beaudry Tract No. 2 Lying East of Pearl Street Los Angeles City Cal. Surveyd By E.T. Wright His younger brother, Victor Beaudry, left to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush and convinced Prudent to join him in order to take advantage of the growing economic activities. After selling his Montreal business interests to his older brothers, Prudent Beaudry moved to San Franscisco and invested all $26.000 in various enterprises oriented to fulfill the needs of the Gold Rush minors, including retail store, transportation, and funeral company. After 2 fires and insufficient insurance left his retail enterprise on the brink of Bankruptcy, un 1853, Prudent moved to Los Angeles, and succeeded in creating back a respectful floating capital. In 1854, Prudent decided to invest in capital assets in addition to his retail store. He bought different parts of land and constituted the "Beaudry Blocks". The rents of his assets would yield him $1000 per month. In 1855, after Victor joined him in Los Angeles, Prudent Beaudry left to Europe in order to consult a Parisian oculist for health problems. He rested in Montreal for five years, limiting his activity. In 1861, Victor received a lucrative offer to furnish the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. This offer forced Prudent to return to Los Angeles and take charge again of his business. With his profits, Prudent Beaudry decided to invest in silver mine, but this investment failed when the mne was burned in an act of arson. Prudent Beaudry then decided to take all of his savings to buy vast lands in the cheap, desert hillside lots of Los Angeles, which had the quality of offering outstanding views of the ocean. He further bought lands near the Sierra Nevada, and built a self-made aqueduct in order to redirect several streams flowing from the mountain to his new lands. He owned a great deal of real estate in downtown Los Angeles mainly around Temple Street, Arcadia region, and on Bellevue road. Moreover, Beaudry got interested in architecture and urbanism, and so decided to get involved in town and country planning, notably by planting many new trees and making plans of luxurious mansions as well as humble homes. The quality of his work is rapidly recognized, and the upgraded lands are sold with very large profit. In 1873, he became the first president of the Board of Trades of Los Angeles. In 1874, he became mayor of Los Angeles, during which times, his brother Jean-Louis Beaudry was also the mayor of Montreal. Later in his life, Beaudry decided to get involved in exporting water, but a bankruptcy of the partner bank ruined the project. Beaudry also invested in "cable cars" (tramways) for the people moving up and down around the surrounding hills of Los Angeles. But most of his free time was dedicated to architecture. He died in 1893, at Los Angeles. The L.A. Times praised him as one of the most visionary men of Los Angeles. Following his will, his body was brought back and buried in Montreal. The Los Angeles County made the following praise of Prudent Beaudry: Drawer Ref: California Stock#: 23059 Page 2 of 3 Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. 7407 La Jolla Boulevard www.raremaps.com (858) 551-8500 La Jolla, CA 92037 [email protected] Map of Park Tract [and] Map of That Portion of the Beaudry Tract No. 2 Lying East of Pearl Street Los Angeles City Cal. Surveyd By E.T. Wright Prudent Beaudry has the record of having made in different lines five large fortunes, four of which, through the act of God, or by the duplicity of man, in whom he had trusted, have been lost; but even then he was not discouraged, but faced the world, even at an advanced age, like a lion at bay, and his reward he now enjoys in the shape of a large and assured fortune. Of such stuff are the men who fill great places, and who develop and make a country. To such men we of this later day owe much of the beauty and comfort that surround us, and to such we should look with admiration as models upon which to form rules of action in trying times. Robert Renshaw was one of the earliest lithographers working in Los Angeles. He worked from the Downey Building in Los Angeles. His name appears on 3 other regional maps of California, published between 1880 and 1889. The Schmidt Label Company puchased Robert Renshaw & Company in 1887, suggesting that this map was published in or before 1887. E.T. Wright was the Surveyor of the County of Los Angeles from 1880-1882,1885-1886,1895-1898. Detailed Condition: Drawer Ref: California Stock#: 23059 Page 3 of 3.