Tejon Ranch is celebrating 175 years. It started in 1843 as four land grants gifted from Mexico. Now, it is the largest piece of private property in California. It's 422 square miles, or 270,000 acres, which is the same size as the city of Los Angeles.
A celebration of the anniversary was held Wednesday. Crucial parts of Tejon Ranch's history were highlighted, including the noteworthy impact original owner Edward Fitzgerald Beale had on California.
"He became the first person to bring news to Washington D.C. and the East Coast that gold had been discovered in California," said spokesperson Barry Zoeller.
Also mentioned was the construction of the Tejon Outlets, the donation of 500 acres for the creation of the National Cemetery and the current project of growing the commercial part of Tejon Ranch, which Zoeller said is expected to total 35,000 homes and at least 50,000 to 75,000 jobs in the upcoming decades.
To commemorate the historic birthday, Tejon Ranch gifted a document signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that federalized the original Mexican land grants to the Autry Museum of the American West.
