Among the early Spanish settlers was one of California’s first families, the Lugos. The Lugo land grant encompassed a great part of what is now the City of South Gate.
Francisco Lugo was a cavalry corporal for the King of Spain and an important figure among the early Spanish settlers of the region. In 1810, the King of Spain granted 30,000 acres of land that encompasses what is now the city of South Gate to Francisco’s son, Don Antonio Maria Lugo, in appreciation for his and his father’s military service. This vast estate was known as the Rancho San Antonio land grant. It extended from the low range of hills which separated it from the San Gabriel Valley to the old Dominguez Ranch at its south, and from the eastern boundary of the pueblo of Los Angeles to the San Gabriel River.
A little over a century after the establishment of the Lugo Land Grant, the area at the south gate of the ranch became the City of South Gate. As Don Lugo’s family grew, he obtained San Bernardino Rancho and other grants in his children’s names.
The future South Gate site and adjacent mesas presented a colorful spectacle when countless heads of cattle and horses were herded from all directions to a common point for the annual great spring rodeo. Lugo would direct the proceedings and settle disputes regarding ownership of contested animals as well as adjudicate agricultural disputes. In his saddle, he was the court and the plains his courtroom.
The Land Grant was handed down from generation to generation, dividing among offspring and eventually parceled and sold to people outside the Lugo family. Don Antonio’s son Vincente (1820-1889) built his adobe dwelling in the 1850’s on 5 1/2 acres. It is known as Lugo Ranch, and is situated on modern day Gage Avenue in the City of Bell Gardens.
Before the end of the 1870s, much of the original land grant had been replaced by tracts of 40-acres. By 1880, cattle raising had been replaced by agriculture as the most important local industry. During the years between 1910 and 1940, most of the agricultural land was replaced by homes and factories. Early developers accelerated the suburbanization of what was then called South Gate Gardens by subdividing the land into small plots and selling the empty plots to blue-collar workers. A majority of early homes were built individually as plot owners used “sweat equity rather than cash to construct their own homes” and the local economy relied heavily on urban agriculture.
The R.D. Tweedy family played an important part in South Gate’s history. Tweedy was born in 1812 in Illinois and came to California by ox-drawn cart in 1852. Mrs. Tweedy rode across the prairies perched on her rocking chair in the cart. The family was large, and several generations have lived in this city. The family members bought some 2,000 acres of the land on which much of South Gate was built. The “downtown business district” in South Gate was named after the family and is known as the Tweedy Mile.
The city was named in 1918 after the South Gate Gardens on the Cudahy Ranch. The city was incorporated five years later, in 1923, using the shortened form of the name, South Gate. The name refers to the city’s being south of Los Angeles.
The years following incorporation in 1923 were boom years for South Gate. Families were finding contentment in this fertile suburb. Schools and churches were being established. City government, fire and police protection were good and growing. Business and industry were close to home and social, fraternal, and civic outlets for families were soon to be established. A residential and industrial base was established and served as the cornerstone of South Gate, even today.
During the 1st year of incorporation a City Hall was built at the intersection of Post and Victoria. This City Hall was replaced with a new City Hall in 1942, on California Avenue. The new City Hall is still in use today. In 1964, the old City Hall was demolished, the mosaic seen on the front of the building was removed and placed on a plaque in front of the new City Hall.
On May 19, 1927, South Gate officially became a 6th class city. According to state law, the title of President and Board of Trustees officially became Mayor and City Council. A.J. Schoby was elected as the 1st Mayor of the City of South Gate.
Around 1922, as families moved to South Gate, they needed employment that was close to home. It was at this point that businesses, factories and industry started flowing into South Gate.
One of the largest local industries was Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. The factory was built on a 40-acre former bean field. Firestone’s 1st tire rolled off the assembly line on June 15, 1928.
Some of the early businesses included the A.R. Maas Chemical Company, founded in 1922 on Ardine, near Independence, and Star Roofing Company, founded in 1934 (now U.S. Gypsum). Weiser Company foundry, formed in 1904, became one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hardware by 1943, with South Gate as the sole manufacturing operation in the United States.
In 1936, South Gate was the location of a General Motors automobile manufacturing facility called South Gate Assembly. Originally built to manufacture Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac vehicles, it was converted to war production after 1940, and was the primary supplier of aircraft engines for the B-24 Liberator, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, and the Douglas C-54 Skymaster, as the Douglas and Consolidated companies has aircraft manufacturing facilities in Long Beach and San Diego. During the 1950s, it was GM’s highest producing facility. The plant was closed in 1982 and is now the location of South East High School as of 2005.
By the early 1930s, the city had started outgrowing its municipal buildings, so property for a civic center was acquired. The location was on California Avenue between Firestone and Ardmore Boulevards. The first building was a library that was to be leased to the Los Angeles County Library. The building was built with labor provided by the Works Project Act (WPA). The work of WPA artists is still in evidence on the interior walls where murals depict events in the history of writing. A beautiful mosaic graced the entrance.
When the new library on Tweedy Boulevard was built in 1973, a portion of the old building was given to the South Gate Art Association for a gallery. The building also housed a theater and South Gate museum. Today, as part of the refurbishment of the building, the city is working with the Getty Museum to restore the murals.
When the war began, the new City Hall was nearing completion. It was the 2nd building in the Civic Center. The City Council first met in its beautiful new building on February 19, 1942.
When the war was over, the city, industry, business, and the people all looked forward to a period of growth and prosperity. In 1945, 20 businessmen organized a Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of promoting the economic welfare and happiness of the community, through the creation of jobs and increase in commercial development.
*Sources and citations for the content on this page can be found here:
https://www.cityofsouthgate.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Gate,_California
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