~EL MONTE RIFA~
EL MONTE - THE WORD IS HISPANIC IN ORIGIN, BUT WHAT WAS IT'S ORIGINAL MEANING?
MOST ASSUME IT MUST PERTAIN TO A HILL OR A MOUNTAIN OF SOME SORT, BUT EL MONTE AS A PLACE HAS NO HILLS OR MOUNTAINS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE DISTANT SAN GABRIELS.
IN THE 1770'S SPANISH SOLDIERS AND MISSIONARIES EXPLORED AN ISLAND BETWEEN TWO RIVERS, RICH IN SOIL, LOW-LYING, COVERED WITH DENSE GROWTHS OF SLENDER WILLOWS, ALDERS AND CATTAILS. THIS ISLAND PARADISE WAS BEST DESCRIBED BY THE SPANIARDS AS THE WOODED SPOT, MARSH, AND MEADOWS ALL IN ONE - THE CARACTERISTICS WERE CLEAR - WATER, WOOD (FUEL), AND SOIL, ALL THAT IS ASSOCIATED AS A PLACE DEFINED BY THOSE WITH A MASTERY OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE TO BE DESCRIPTIVE OF "EL MONTE". NOT A HILL OR A MOUNTAIN BUT A BOUNTIFUL PLACE IN THE WILD.
THE RIVER TO THE EAST AND NORTH EAST WAS CHRISTENED "SAN GABRIEL" AND THE RIVER TO THE NORTH AND WEST WAS CHRISTENED THE "RIO HONDO".
EL MONTE PROSPERED AND GREW DURING THE ERA OF THE SPANISH MISSIONS (1770'S to 1830'S), THEN LATER UNDER THE LAND GRANT RANCHOS.
IN 1826 SMALL GROUPS OF AMERICANS COMING INTO THE AREA, REFERRED TO THE REST AND REHABILITATION AFFORDED HERE AS "CAMP MONTE" OR "MONTE CAMP", HENCE THE CAMP ERA BEGAN.
SOME OF THESE NEW ARRIVALS CHRISTENED THE RESPECTIVE AREAS WHERE THEY DWELT WITH NAMES SUCH AS "HICKS" AND "WIGGINS" IN REFERENCE TO THE NEW TENANTS OCCUPYING SOME OF THE LANDS.
WITH THE ADVENT OF THE 20th CENTURY, EL MONTE CONTINUED TO GROW AND PROSPER. ONE COMMERCIAL SEED COMPANY LEASED FERTILE TRACTS OF LAND IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ISLAND AND GREW BREATHTAKING PLOTS OF FLOWERING PLANTS. THIS AREA BEGAN TO BE REFERRED BY THE FARMERS AS "LAS FLORES" A NAME WHICH PERSIST TODAY AS "EL MONTE FLORES"
EL MONTE CONTINUED TO GROW DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE CENTURY LARGELY IN PART DUE TO "LA REVOLUCION MEXICANA" (1910 to 1920). MANY OF EL MONTE BARRIOS TOOK SHAPE WITH THE MASS MIGRATION OF THOSE HOPE-FILLED MASSED WHOM FLED THE VIOLENCE IN MEXICO.
OTHERS MOVED IN FROM AREAS OF LOS ANGELES, LIKE THEY DID FROM BOYLE HEIGHTS, AN AREA KNOWN AS "THE FLATS" (OLD RUSSIA TOWN FLATS) WERE THEY FACED STIFF SEGREGATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN IN THE AVAILABLE SCHOOLS.
DURING THE 1930'S THE GREAT DEPRESSION BROUGHT DOLDRUMS TO EL MONTE JUST AS IT DID EVERYWHERE ELSE.
EL MONTE BEGAN TO CHANGE RAPIDLY FROM A "LIL FARM TOWN" TO A GROWING "BEDROOM COMMUNITY" WHERE PEOPLE LIVED BUT WORKED AND COMMUTED ELSEWHERE.
BY THE LATE 40'S AND 50'S THE CAMPS OF EL MONTE BEGAN TO BE BROKEN UP BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT CITIES AND COMMUNITIES TAKING SHAPE THROUGHOUT THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY.
FOLLOWING THE BUILDING BOOM OF THE 40'S AND 50'S, THE POPULATION EXPLODED AND IN 1958 A SECOND COMMUNITY OF EL MONTE WAS INCORPORATED AS "SOUTH EL MONTE" THIS COMPROMISED THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE ONCE "WOODED ISLAND".
THE OLD EL MONTE NEIGHBORHOODS KNOWNS AS CAMPS WERE THE FOLLOWING
1 - LA MISION (SAN GABRIEL MISION AREA)
2 - LA COLONIA (LA SECCION)
3 - CANTA RANAS (WHITTIER NARROWS)
4 - CHINO CAMP (LA PUENTE)
5 - HICKS CAMP (FIVE POINTS)
6 - LA GRANADA
7 - LAS FLORES (EL MONTE)
8 - WIGGINS CAMP
9 - CAMP HAYES (MEDINA COURTS)
Along Valley Blvd is where the original Mexican migrants fleeing the Mexican Revolution of 1920 settled along, mainly in the two Camps of WIGGINS' and HICKS', then by the late 1920's a new Camp was formed - Camp HAYES which later became known as MEDINA COURT.
Originally CANTA RANAS was in an area around the Whittier Narrows Dam, but after the flood projects works began around the late 1940's/early 50's (because the area was flooded during the rainy season), many families moved out to adjoining areas, and today you find Varrio Canta Ranas in the city of Santa Fe Springs further down the river.
EL MONTE BARRIOS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EMF - EL MONTE FLORES - Rowland Street
=CAMP LAS FLORES
EMH - EL MONTE HICKS - Locos, Hickory Boys
=CAMP HICKS/FIVE POINTS
EMHS - EL MONTE HAYES - The Courts, TLS Tiny Locos
=CAMP HAYES/MEDINA COURTS
NSM - NORTH SIDE MONTES
NS EM - NORTH SIDE EL MONTE
SS EM - SOUTH SIDE EL MONTE
EL MONTE LIGA / LEGION
EMR - EL MONTE RIFA – Dukes
SSTM - SASTRE STREET MONTE
Note: I am still looking for more history and info on the camps and barrios of El Monte, so if any of you have some to share & help me out with, "It would be greatly appreciated".
EL MONTE - THE WORD IS HISPANIC IN ORIGIN, BUT WHAT WAS IT'S ORIGINAL MEANING?
MOST ASSUME IT MUST PERTAIN TO A HILL OR A MOUNTAIN OF SOME SORT, BUT EL MONTE AS A PLACE HAS NO HILLS OR MOUNTAINS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE DISTANT SAN GABRIELS.
IN THE 1770'S SPANISH SOLDIERS AND MISSIONARIES EXPLORED AN ISLAND BETWEEN TWO RIVERS, RICH IN SOIL, LOW-LYING, COVERED WITH DENSE GROWTHS OF SLENDER WILLOWS, ALDERS AND CATTAILS. THIS ISLAND PARADISE WAS BEST DESCRIBED BY THE SPANIARDS AS THE WOODED SPOT, MARSH, AND MEADOWS ALL IN ONE - THE CARACTERISTICS WERE CLEAR - WATER, WOOD (FUEL), AND SOIL, ALL THAT IS ASSOCIATED AS A PLACE DEFINED BY THOSE WITH A MASTERY OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE TO BE DESCRIPTIVE OF "EL MONTE". NOT A HILL OR A MOUNTAIN BUT A BOUNTIFUL PLACE IN THE WILD.
THE RIVER TO THE EAST AND NORTH EAST WAS CHRISTENED "SAN GABRIEL" AND THE RIVER TO THE NORTH AND WEST WAS CHRISTENED THE "RIO HONDO".
EL MONTE PROSPERED AND GREW DURING THE ERA OF THE SPANISH MISSIONS (1770'S to 1830'S), THEN LATER UNDER THE LAND GRANT RANCHOS.
IN 1826 SMALL GROUPS OF AMERICANS COMING INTO THE AREA, REFERRED TO THE REST AND REHABILITATION AFFORDED HERE AS "CAMP MONTE" OR "MONTE CAMP", HENCE THE CAMP ERA BEGAN.
SOME OF THESE NEW ARRIVALS CHRISTENED THE RESPECTIVE AREAS WHERE THEY DWELT WITH NAMES SUCH AS "HICKS" AND "WIGGINS" IN REFERENCE TO THE NEW TENANTS OCCUPYING SOME OF THE LANDS.
WITH THE ADVENT OF THE 20th CENTURY, EL MONTE CONTINUED TO GROW AND PROSPER. ONE COMMERCIAL SEED COMPANY LEASED FERTILE TRACTS OF LAND IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ISLAND AND GREW BREATHTAKING PLOTS OF FLOWERING PLANTS. THIS AREA BEGAN TO BE REFERRED BY THE FARMERS AS "LAS FLORES" A NAME WHICH PERSIST TODAY AS "EL MONTE FLORES"
EL MONTE CONTINUED TO GROW DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE CENTURY LARGELY IN PART DUE TO "LA REVOLUCION MEXICANA" (1910 to 1920). MANY OF EL MONTE BARRIOS TOOK SHAPE WITH THE MASS MIGRATION OF THOSE HOPE-FILLED MASSED WHOM FLED THE VIOLENCE IN MEXICO.
OTHERS MOVED IN FROM AREAS OF LOS ANGELES, LIKE THEY DID FROM BOYLE HEIGHTS, AN AREA KNOWN AS "THE FLATS" (OLD RUSSIA TOWN FLATS) WERE THEY FACED STIFF SEGREGATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN IN THE AVAILABLE SCHOOLS.
DURING THE 1930'S THE GREAT DEPRESSION BROUGHT DOLDRUMS TO EL MONTE JUST AS IT DID EVERYWHERE ELSE.
EL MONTE BEGAN TO CHANGE RAPIDLY FROM A "LIL FARM TOWN" TO A GROWING "BEDROOM COMMUNITY" WHERE PEOPLE LIVED BUT WORKED AND COMMUTED ELSEWHERE.
BY THE LATE 40'S AND 50'S THE CAMPS OF EL MONTE BEGAN TO BE BROKEN UP BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT CITIES AND COMMUNITIES TAKING SHAPE THROUGHOUT THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY.
FOLLOWING THE BUILDING BOOM OF THE 40'S AND 50'S, THE POPULATION EXPLODED AND IN 1958 A SECOND COMMUNITY OF EL MONTE WAS INCORPORATED AS "SOUTH EL MONTE" THIS COMPROMISED THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE ONCE "WOODED ISLAND".
THE OLD EL MONTE NEIGHBORHOODS KNOWNS AS CAMPS WERE THE FOLLOWING
1 - LA MISION (SAN GABRIEL MISION AREA)
2 - LA COLONIA (LA SECCION)
3 - CANTA RANAS (WHITTIER NARROWS)
4 - CHINO CAMP (LA PUENTE)
5 - HICKS CAMP (FIVE POINTS)
6 - LA GRANADA
7 - LAS FLORES (EL MONTE)
8 - WIGGINS CAMP
9 - CAMP HAYES (MEDINA COURTS)
Along Valley Blvd is where the original Mexican migrants fleeing the Mexican Revolution of 1920 settled along, mainly in the two Camps of WIGGINS' and HICKS', then by the late 1920's a new Camp was formed - Camp HAYES which later became known as MEDINA COURT.
Originally CANTA RANAS was in an area around the Whittier Narrows Dam, but after the flood projects works began around the late 1940's/early 50's (because the area was flooded during the rainy season), many families moved out to adjoining areas, and today you find Varrio Canta Ranas in the city of Santa Fe Springs further down the river.
EL MONTE BARRIOS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EMF - EL MONTE FLORES - Rowland Street
=CAMP LAS FLORES
EMH - EL MONTE HICKS - Locos, Hickory Boys
=CAMP HICKS/FIVE POINTS
EMHS - EL MONTE HAYES - The Courts, TLS Tiny Locos
=CAMP HAYES/MEDINA COURTS
NSM - NORTH SIDE MONTES
NS EM - NORTH SIDE EL MONTE
SS EM - SOUTH SIDE EL MONTE
EL MONTE LIGA / LEGION
EMR - EL MONTE RIFA – Dukes
SSTM - SASTRE STREET MONTE
Note: I am still looking for more history and info on the camps and barrios of El Monte, so if any of you have some to share & help me out with, "It would be greatly appreciated".