http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8k361fb No online items Records of the Tejon Ranch Company Finding aid created by Sherman Library and Gardens staff using RecordEXPRESS Sherman Library and Gardens 614 Dahlia Ave. Corona del Mar, California 92625 (949) 673-1880 [email protected] http://www.slgardens.org/ 2019 Records of the Tejon Ranch 2019_02 1 Company Descriptive Summary Title: Records of the Tejon Ranch Company Dates: 1912-1945 Collection Number: 2019_02 Creator/Collector: Tejon Ranchos, Inc.Tejon Ranch Company Extent: 51 document boxes; 21 linear feet, 4 inches; 1 oversize folder; 169 photographs Repository: Sherman Library and Gardens Corona del Mar, California 92625 Abstract: The records of Tejon Ranch includes subject files, internal correspondence files, financial statements, tax files, lease files and photographs. The bulk of the records are from 1933 and later, although a few items date from the 1912 purchase of the ranch by Los Angeles investors. The subjects documented in the records include the governance of the ranch, including the records of the board of manager and board of directors, 1936 incorporation, and the issuance of bonds. The records also document daily operations of the ranch. Prominent subjects includes stock raising, farming, rights-of-way, historic Fort Tejon, hunting and flower viewing permits. Language of Material: English Access Collection is open for research Preferred Citation Records of the Tejon Ranch Company. Sherman Library and Gardens Biography/Administrative History Edward S. Beale, formed Tejon Ranch through the purchase of portions of four Mexican Land Grants – Rancho La Liebre, Rancho el Tejón, Rancho los Alamos y Agua Caliente, Rancho de Castac – the last being purchased in 1866. Encompassing more than 264,000 acres, Beale employed the land to raise sheep until 1880. At one point, more than 125,000 sheep roamed the hills and valleys of Tejon Ranch. In 1880, Beale shifted from sheep to cattle. Raising cattle would remain the principle source of income for the ranch for more than three decades. In 1893, Edward Beale died, and his son Truxtun took over the Ranch. In 1911, Harry Chandler, Moses H. Sherman, Otto F. Brant, William H. Allen, Stoddard Jess, J. M. Elliot, Hobart J. Whitley and Eli P. Clark struck an agreement with Truxtun Beale to purchase the Tejon Ranch for $3 million. The deal called for the group to pay $1.5 million in cash and for Beale to hold a mortgage for the remaining $1.5 million, which would be payable after one year. The group formed a syndicate, which sold 30 shares for $50,000 each. According to the participation agreement each investor had to pay "before March 1st, 1912, the sum of $25,000 in cash, and … at the time of such payment, his promisory [sic] note for $25,000 due February 15, 1913, bearing interest at 6% per annum…" Investors included William G. Kerchhoff of the San Joaquin Light and Power; R. C. Gillis of the Santa Monica Land and Water Co., F. X. Pfefinger, Treasurer of the Los Angeles Times, Harvey S. Firestone and J. Benton Van Nuys. The investors hoped to make the ranch profitable by improving the cattle operations and moving from dry to irrigated farming. By 1916, however, the ranch faced a financial crisis. Neither the cattle nor farming operations proved as lucrative as expected. Coupled with the failure of many investors to pay their $25,000 promissory notes, the group faced foreclosure for failure to pay the mortgage. To save the venture, Chandler and Sherman agreed to buy out the mortgage. The Chandler's Times-Mirror Corp assumed half and Sherman assumed the other. Sherman sold all but $50,000 to First National Bank of Los Angeles (later Security-First National Bank), Title Insurance & Trust Company of Los Angeles and Pacific Mutual Life Insurance. In 1936, after years of lackluster performance and default on debt, the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company and Security First National Bank of Los Angeles demanded the foreclosure of Tejon Ranch. These demands lead to a refining of the Ranch's debt, the incorporation of the business under the name Tejon Ranchos, Inc. and the issuance of bonds. In subsequent years, the Tejon Ranchos increasingly depended upon revenue from oil leasing. 1843 Tejon Ranch is established through Mexican land grants. 1846 – Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale, eventual owner of Tejon Ranch, arrives in California as a naval officer, and serves with Fremont during the Mexican War. 1852 Beale arrives as the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, a post he held until 1854. 1854 Fort Tejon is established by the First Dragoons at the recommendation of Beale. 1855 Rancho La Liebre is deeded to Mary Edward Beale from William C. Walker, and is the first of four Mexican land grants that would eventually make up Tejon Ranch. Records of the Tejon Ranch 2019_02 2 Company 1864 Fort Tejon is abandoned on Sept. 11 1865 Beale purchases Rancho el Tejon and Rancho los Alamos y Agua Caliente, two of the four Mexican land grants that make up Tejon Ranch. 1866 Beale buys Rancho de Castac, the last of the four original Mexican land grants that make up Tejon Ranch. 1868 The Cross and Crescent is recorded in Kern County as a brand. 1879 At the direction of Beale, Jose Jesus Lopez, Tejon Ranch sheep foreman and cattle boss for 50 years, makes legendary drive to Green River, Wyoming, starting with 17,000 sheep. 1880 Beale returns to California and turns to raising cattle. 1893 Beale dies at the age of 72. Management of the Ranch passes on to his son, Truxtun Beale. 1912 A group of businessmen, led by Harry Chandler and M.H. Sherman, buys Tejon Ranch from Truxtun Beale. 1936 Tejon Ranch Company is incorporated. 1936 A new three-lane road replaces the original Grapevine Grade on the Ridge Route. 1939 Tejon Ranch donates land to the State of California to establish the Fort Tejon State Historical Park. Scope and Content of Collection The records of Tejon Ranch includes subject files, internal correspondence files, financial statements, tax files, lease files and photographs. The bulk of the records are from 1933 and later, although a few items date from the 1912 purchase of the ranch by Los Angeles investors. The subjects documented in the records include the governance of the ranch, including the records of the board of manager and board of directors, 1936 incorporation, and the issuance of bonds. The records also document daily operations of the ranch. Prominent subjects includes stock raising, farming, rights-of-way, historic Fort Tejon, hunting and flower viewing permits. Arrangement 1. Subject Files, 1912-1943 (Boxes 1-31) 2. Internal Correspondence, 1933-1945 (Boxes 32-33) 3. Financial Statements, 1931-1941 (Boxes 34-37) 4. Tax Files, 1933-1942 (Boxes 38-39) 5. Lease Files – General, 1923-1942 (Box 40) 6. Lease Files – Agricultural, 1931-1942 (Box 41) 7. Lease Files – Mining, 1927-1941 (Boxes 42-43) 8. Lease Files – Oil Drilling, 1932-1943 (Boxes 44-49) 9. Lease Files – Leased to Tejon, 1929-1941 (Box 50) 10. Photographs, n.d. (Box 51) Indexing Terms Beef cattle Oil and gas leases Hunting Agriculture Fort Tejon Highways - Ridge Route Highways - Rights-of-Way Chandler, Harry Hamilton, Brodie Lopez, Jose Jesus Araujo, Tony Rochford, Louis H. Van Tilburgh, Charles R. California Cattlemen's Association California Livestock Commission Los Angeles Union Stock Yards United States Department of Agriculture University of California Records of the Tejon Ranch 2019_02 3 Company Hall-Baker Company 101 Oil Company Security First National Bank of Los Angeles Title Insurance and Trust Company of Los Angeles Harris & Fish, Inc. Hatchen Livestock Company Southwestern Feeding Yards Strathearn Bros. Los Angeles Union Stock Yards M. H. Sherman Company Southwest Land Company San Joaquin County (Calif.) Fort Tejon I. Subject Files, 1912-1943 Scope and Content Note These files document a wide range of subjects relating to the organization, management, and daily operations of Tejon Ranch. A significant volume of the files relate to the governance of the ranch. Prior to 1936, a Board of Managers oversaw the ranch. This series includes meeting notices, reports, and records of appointments and resignations for the Board of Managers. The files also include the original participation agreement dating from the purchase of the ranch in 1912 and lists of investors, known as beneficial interest holders. In 1936, two beneficial interest holders – Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company and Security-First National Bank – requested foreclosure of Tejon Ranch. Instead of foreclosure, Tejon Ranch incorporated at Tejon Ranchos Inc., which issued bonds to settle outstanding debts to former beneficial interest holders. This series includes information on the incorporation and bond issues. It also includes Board of Director minutes and resolutions following incorporation. Other records in this series relate to the daily operation of the ranch. Subjects include cattle feed, grazing, purchase of bulls, the sale of cattle, wheat sales, and barley farming. A number of the files include correspondence between ranch managers and various organizations, include the California Cattlemen's Association, the California Livestock Commission, the Los Angeles Union Stock Yards, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the University of California. The correspondence also includes letters from Harry Chandler, who wrote frequently regarding ranch operations. Additional subjects of note include files relating to rights-of-way across Tejon Ranch, including the widening of Highway 99, hunting and flower viewing permits, job applications, and the donation of Fort Tejon, the former army installation to the State of California. Box 1 I. Subject Files, 1912-1943 Folder 1 A - Miscellaneous Correspondence 1931-1941 Folder 2 Acreage - Tejon Ranch [Empty at Time of Processing] n.d.