Whittier, CA news and local guide

At the time of the Mexican-American War much of the future Whittier belonged to Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of Alta California, whose hacienda on the San Gabriel River is now Pio Pico State Historic Park. After the war the German immigrant Jacob F. Gerkens paid $234 for 160 acres under the Homestead Act and built the cabin now known as the Jonathan Bailey House. Gerkens later became the first chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. A group of Quakers eventually bought the land and expanded it to 1,259 acres to found a Quaker community. Whittier became a thriving citrus area, shipping "Quaker Brand" fruit across the country. Walnut trees were planted from 1887, and Whittier became the nation's largest walnut grower, as well as a major producer of pampas grass. For years the only way to Los Angeles was by foot or wagon over rough dirt roads, which slowed settlement and farm shipping. Sources Wikipedia: Whittier, California