Authors, historians, and videographers have found John Albert Rowland (1791-1873) to be a worthy subject, and rightly so. He was indeed an interesting, notable, and downright successful man, who for many years was known as Don Juan Rowland. From his humble beginnings in Cecil County, Maryland, to his substantial empire encompassing 76 square miles of Los Angeles County, California, his story evokes pride in anyone with a Rowland surname. The Rowland Xref Project places John in Group B – Chester County, Pennsylvania.
He mastered many trades, skill sets, and occupations along the way. Surveyor, fur trapper, distiller of “Taos Lightning,” tradesman, farmer, miller, expedition leader, horse breeder, cattleman, land baron, politician, and ranchero to name a few. He became a citizen of Mexico, married a Mexican woman, led the first expedition of settlers to southern California, and became a United States citizen again when California became a state. He was the largest wine producer in southern California, supplied cattle to the gold rush crowds of northern California, and was known for having “the finest horses in all California.”
The John Rowland Home is the oldest surviving brick structure in southern California and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town of Rowland Heights, California is named for him. The enormous amount of land he owned, known as La Puente Rancho, is somewhat incomprehensible in today’s terms, encompassing the cities of Rowland Heights, City of Industry, West Covina, Walnut, El Monte, Whittier, San Dimas, Baldwin Park, Hacienda Heights, and all points between.
I encountered many wonderful resources during my research of John Albert Rowland, and I would like to share a few of them with you. The following list of books, videos, and radio programs focuses on John Albert Rowland and La Puente Rancho.
John Rowland and William Workman: Southern California Pioneers of 1841, by Donald E Rowland (1999)
This is the definitive work on John Albert Rowland, a member of our Famous Rowland Ancestors list. It was researched and written by one of his direct descendants, Donald E Rowland. The book covers the famous Rowland-Workman expedition of first settlers to southern California in 1841 (when it was still part of Mexico), the Taos years leading up to the migration, and life on La Puente Rancho in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County. It is a must-read for anyone who is related or has an interest in the history of southern California. The author informed me this book is sold out, although used copies can usually be found on Amazon.
The Workman & Temple Families of Southern California, 1830-1930, by Paul R Spitzzeri (2008)
The story of William Workman, partner of John Albert Rowland, and the co-leader of the Rowland-Workman expedition to southern California in 1841. This book was a Winner of the American Association for State and Local History’s 2009 Award of Merit. From the jacket: “Through thorough research in archives, public records, family documents, and other sources, Paul R. Spitzzeri takes the reader on their own journey into the story of Los Angeles’s amazing transformation, as experienced through the lives of the men and women in the Workman and Temple families.” Although “Rowland” is not part of the title, John Albert Rowland is featured prominently in this book.
The Romance of La Puente Rancho, by Lenore Rowland (1958)
Lenore Rowland, the author and a descendant of John Albert Rowland, describes the Rowland-Workman Expedition, the acquisition and development of La Puente Rancho, and the rancho lifestyle. The historical account covers the period from about 1840 through 1920.
“The Romance of La Puente Rancho” is available on our free downloads page. It includes excerpts from “La Puente Valley, Past and Present” by Janet and Dan N. Powell (W.P.A. Writers Project), Compiled and written by Lenore Rowland, (c) 1958, Printed by the Neilson Press, Covina, Calif., public domain digitized by Google from original a University of California.
Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West, Volume IV, by LeRoy R Hafen (1966)
Volume 4 of this 10-volume set includes the biography John Albert Rowland, written by David J Weber, University of New Mexico. The full title of the book is “The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West: biographical sketches of the participants by scholars of the subject and with introductions by the editor, under the editorial supervision of LeRoy R. Hafen, State Historian of Colorado, Emeritus, Professor of History, Brigham Young University, Volume IV.”
The Taos Trappers, The Fur Trade of the Far Southwest 1540-1846, by David J Weber (1968)
The name of John Albert Rowland comes up at least half a dozen times throughout this book. An excerpt from the preface: “During the 1820s, when mountain men scoured the Far West in search of furs, the tiny village of Taos, in northern New Mexico became the most important permanent market and supply depot for trappers between Fort Vancouver on the Pacific and St. Louis on the Mississippi…Partly because of this strategic location, Taos quickly became the home of figures as colorful and memorable as Kit Carson, “Peg-leg” Smith, Ewing Young, “Old Bill” Williams, Antoine Robidoux, and a host of others” including our John Albert Rowland.
Rancho La Puente – The Pioneer Days, video by Gary Cliser (2013)
Romance of the Ranchos – Rancho La Puente, Radio Show from 1942
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