Chapter 9: The Changing San Fernando

When the city of San Fernando was founded in 1797 by Father Fermin Lasuen, farming “was the most important industry,” just like the rest of the missions established in California.  The purpose of the Spanish missionaries was to teach the Indian men, who lived in this area, everything they needed to know about agriculture, and the care of livestock. In San Fernando, “Cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farming, and fruit orchards flourished and faded” by 1915.  During the 1870’s and 1880’s, the wheat market was at its peak, but the “supply began to exceed demand, and prices began to fall.” Farmers began to sell their land and the real estate business began to boom. Roads were being constructed, and San Fernando was going from an agricultural land to an urban area.