Abel Stearns (February 9, 1798 – August 23, 1871) was an American trader who came to the Pueblo de Los Angeles, Alta California in 1829 and became a major landowner and cattle rancher and one of the area's wealthiest citizens.
Early life
Stearns was born in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, the son of Elizabeth (née Goodrich) and Levi Stearns, a farmer. His parents were both from families that came from England in the 17th century.[1] In about 1826 he went to Mexico, where he became a naturalized citizen.[2]
Los Angeles
In 1829, Stearns emigrated to Monterey, California, and then settled in the Pueblo de los Ángeles in present-day Los Angeles, California. He obtained a government concession to build a warehouse at San Pedro, the nearest seaport. Later, he established a stagecoach route connecting San Pedro Bay with the Los Angeles pueblo. In 1831, he built a three-story flour mill on North Spring Street, Los Angeles. Soon, Stearns became one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the pueblo.[3]
In 1842 Stearns bought his first rancho, the 28,000-acre (110km2)Rancho Los Alamitos between Los Angeles and the harbor. A drought occurred between 1862 and 1864 which was said to have resulted in the death of 50,000 cattle on Stearns land alone. Stearns mortgaged the rancho to Michael Reese, who then purchased it at a sheriff's sale. Reese's estate was then sold to John W. Bixby and Isaias W. Hellman, a founder of the Farmers and Merchants Bank.
In 1842 Stearns made the first recorded shipment of California gold to the U.S. Mint. On July 8, 1843, his package of 1,843 ounces of placer gold, valued at $19 an ounce, was deposited in the Philadelphia Mint by Alfred Robinson.[4]
To obtain the necessary operating capital, he formed a real estate sales partnership with Alfred Robinson and four San Francisco investors; Samuel Brannan, E. F. Northam, Charles B. Polhemus, and Edward Martin. It became known as the Robinson Trust in 1868. He turned over 177,796 acres (720km2) to the Trust, including all but one of his ranchos.
The era of the large cattle ranchos was waning. In its place came agriculture, as ranchos were broken up and generally sold in 40-acre (160,000m2) farms and ranches. The Robinson Trust acted as sales agents for the subdivisions. To gain maximum coverage for their campaign, they linked themselves to the California Immigrant Union and helped guide that organization's sales pitches.
Despite considerable friction between Stearns and the other members of the trust, the Robinson Trust succeeded. By 1870 Stearns had escaped the debts incurred by the drought of the 1860s and was on his way to accumulating another fortune.
Family life
Stearns was nicknamed "Cara de Caballo" (Horse Face),[8] because of his long-jawed countenance. In 1841, he married Arcadia Bandini of the wealthy Bandini family. They lived and entertained at their Los Angeles home, the historic Don Abel Stearns House.
↑Barrows, H. D. (January 1899). "Abel Stearns". Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California and Pioneer Register, Los Angeles. 4 (3): 197–199. doi:10.2307/41167726. JSTOR41167726.
↑Fedewa, Philip (1970). Abel Stearns in Transitional California, 1848-1871. unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri.
↑Wright, Doris M. (1977). A Yankee in Mexican California: Abel Stearns, 1798-1848. W. Hebberd, Santa Barbara.
↑Baker, Patricia (Winter 1969). Larkin, Rita (ed.). "The Bandini Family". San Diego History Center. San Diego Historical Society Quarterly. The Journal of San Diego History, Volume 15, Number 1. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
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