Campo de Cahuenga

The Campo de Cahuenga, near the historic Cahuenga Pass in present-day Studio City, Los Angeles, California, was an adobe ranch-house on the Rancho Cahuenga where the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed between Lieutenant Colonel John C. Frémont and General Andrés Pico in 1847, ending hostilities in California between Mexico and the United States. The subsequent Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, ceding California, parts of Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona (but not Texas, since it had seceded from Mexico in 1836, declared itself a republic, and joined the union in 1845) to the United States, formally ended the Mexican-American War. From 1858 to 1861 the Campo de Cahuenga became a Butterfield Stage Station.

Tinted postcard of the original adobe ranch-house, with Cahuenga Peak in the background.

Decorative pavement marks the location of the original adobe structure, which faced to the upper left.

The foundation of the original adobe at Campo de Cahuenga.

The original adobe structure was demolished in 1900. The city of Los Angeles provided funds for the purchase of the property in 1923, and a Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style replica 'adobe' ranch house was built by the city following an effort led by Irene T. Lindsay, then President of the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, and dedicated on November 2, 1950. It is now a park and interpretive center managed by the City of Los Angeles- Department of Recreation and Parks in partnership with the Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association. Campo de Cahuenga is registered on the National Register of Historic Places, and is designated California Historical Landmark No. 151 and City of Los Angeles City Cultural Historical Monument No. 29.

The foundations of the original adobe were unearthed beneath Lankershim Boulevard during construction of the Metro Red Line subway. The parts of the foundations within the park are preserved as an exhibit, and the "footprint" of the foundations under the street and sidewalk is marked by decorative pavement. Campo de Cahuenga is located at 3919 Lankershim Blvd., Studio City, California, across from Universal Studios.

Campo de Cahuenga is often confused with the nearby Rancho Cahuenga, an inholding within the Rancho Providencia land grant, now part of Burbank.

The building is used by various organizations for special programs and regular meetings, and is open with a docent on the first Saturday of each month, from 12PM to 4PM.

See also

• Battle of Cahuenga Pass – 1831
• Battle of Providencia – 1845 Second Battle of Cahuenga Pass
• Conquest of California – 1846 Alta California
• Category: California Campaign – 1846-1848
• Category: National Register of Historic Places in the San Fernando Valley – federal

References

• Jorgenson, Lawrence C.: The San Fernando Valley Past and Present, Pacific Rim Research, Los Angeles, 1982 ISBN 0-941014-00-2

External links

• Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation – Campo de Cahuenga
• Campo de Cahuenga at the University of Southern California Archives
• Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association