Rancho San Pedro Research/Robert Gillingham Collection

Originally encompassing over 75,000 acres the Rancho San Pedro was granted to Juan Jose Dominguez by the King of Spain in 1784. Juan Jose had served as a Spanish soldier in California and received the land following his retirement. Juan Jose built one of the first adobes in the region and lived there for varying periods until his death in 1809. The Rancho San Pedro was then willed to Jose Cristobal Dominguez (a nephew) who in turn willed it to his sons. One of the sons, Manuel, eventually took sole ownership of the property. Manuel built a new adobe structure where he lived with his wife (Maria Engracia) and their children. He was also very involved in local politics and served as mayor of Los Angeles on three separate occasions as well as becoming one of the first county supervisors and delegate to the first constitutional convention of California in 1849. When California became a state in 1849 Manuel was responsible for proving the legality of the original land grant thus ensuring his ownership. A United States land patent was granted to him for the Rancho lands in 1858. The area covered by the patent ran from Redondo Beach in the west, to Compton in the east and the harbor in the south. Manuel used the land to graze cattle and raise crops. His brand, a lemon shaped mark, became a highly recognizable symbol on the ears of his cattle. In 1882 Manuel Dominguez died and left his estate, including the remainder of the Rancho lands, to his six daughters.

Five of the daughters married, three to Anglos, and went on to create corporations which would administer their holding. These corporations, The Dominguez Estate Company, the Carson Estate Company, the Watson Estate Company, the Francis Estate Company and the Del Amo Estate Company oversaw the daughters’ interests in the land. By 1930, when oil was discovered on Rancho land, most of the agrarian activities associated with the Rancho had ceased. It is estimated that the 350 oil wells developed on the land produced over $1 million year of income for a period of over 20 years. Today only two of the original estate companies survive, the Carson Estate Company and The Watson Land Company, but much of the of the heritage of the original owners of the Rancho and their descendants can be found as both local street and city names in communities which were part of the original Spanish land grant.

The original adobe structure built by Juan Jose Dominguez was replaced by a more permanent structure built by Manuel Dominguez. This more modern adobe served as the main family residence for many years. In the 1920's the Del Amo family gave the property to the Claretian order and built a structure to be used as a seminary. The Adobe continued to be used as a residence of the Dominguez family until 1924. In 1945 the Adobe became an official California State Landmark (No. 152). In 1976, to commemorate its 150th anniversary, the adobe underwent a complete restoration and again was recognized by being placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Today the Adobe is open to the public tours. The seminary building is now used by the Claretians as a retirement retreat.

Robert C. Gillingham was born in Michigan in 1896 and moved to Compton, California in 1906. He attended Compton Union High School, earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Pomona College, and served in the first World War. Gillingham later earned his PhD from the University of Southern California and, in 1927, became Dean of Compton Junior College, a position he held for 35 years. During this time, he also spent 17 years as the chairman of the Compton City Planning Commission. His interest in local history led him to write The Rancho San Pedro, first published in 1961 and financed by the Dominguez Estate Company. He also published over sixty articles on Compton history for the Compton News-Tribune, which were later compiled into the book Yesterdays of Compton.