Maricruz Armenta

Professor Ericka Verba

HIS 301
24 November 2014
Historical Site Visit
This historical site that I decided to visit was the Rancho Dominguez Adobe House
Museum. This museum's history is relevant to my Community History Group Project because
the city of Carson is on the land previously known as Rancho Dominguez. Juan Jose Dominguez
was granted this land from the Spanish government in the year 1784. He owned 75,000 acres of
land including what is now the area of Los Angeles.
My group is researching the history of Carson and we will be researching its past up until
the Juan Jose Dominguez received his land grant. Then we will analyze the way that this place
was once under Spanish rule, then it passed to Mexico, until finally it became a part of the
United States. Despite these changes, Rancho Dominguez remained in the Dominguez family.
Eventually, the land was divided up among the descendants and this is directly connected to
Carson's history. One of Manuel Dominguez' daughters married George Henry Carson and this is
how the city of Carson got its name.
The Adobe House Museum is actually the house that Manuel Dominguez built in the year
1826 after he inherited the land. I was fascinated looking at this home and getting a glimpse of
what life was like for Manuel and his daughters almost two centuries ago. I learned a lot about
the family and the history of the ranch during the tour. Not only will this information be useful
for my research for the Community History Project, but I am also glad that I went because I used
to think that the place was a cemetery every time I passed by. Now I know that it is actually an
important part of this region's history.