Evolving from a 27,000 thousand acre Rancho to a 1400 acre Colony of farmers, and book cover cropped for blogthen to a neighborhood subdivision, Long Beach’s Los Cerritos is the story of a fiercely independent community established before William Willmore’s vision for a City of Long Beach took hold. Just published in Spring 2014, copies are available at Rancho Los Cerritos. The book has eight chapters beginning with the history of Rancho Los Cerritos and the ranches in the Los Cerritos and Bixby Knoll’s area. Early residents of the Cerritos Colony that began purchasing land in the Colony in 1878 are covered including the Teel family and those who were associated with the Methodist and Holiness Churches who were some of the first settlers in the Colony. The book introduces the family of John Louis Vignes, long thought to be a name only associated only with Los Angeles’ history but now known to be one of the first home buyers in the 1906 Los Cerritos Subdivision. Learn about the El Rodeo Bachelor club, included in a chapter that covers community activities up to the present day. The chapter on Los Cerritos Schools starts with the first class in 1881 to the current school, including a picture of Cameron Diaz acting in a school play in 1984. The discovery of oil in Signal Hill in 1921 brought dramatic changes in the neighborhood leading to the annexation by the City of Long Beach. The book concludes with the history of the Virginia Country Club and the area surrounding it of architecturally significant homes. Proceeds from sales go to supporting Rancho Los Cerritos.
