In a quiet residential neighborhood in the hills of North Montebello, you’ll find the Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe, the oldest structure in the city and home to the Montebello Historical Society.
In 1844, Doña Maria Casilda Soto de Lobo purchased the nearly 2,400 acre Rancho La Merced for 50 head of cattle from the Mexican government and built the adobe in 1845 with her 3 sons.
Unfortunately, due to the irresponsibility of one of those sons, Doña Lobo found herself in financial difficulty and took took a loan from her neighbor, William Workman, that she was unable to repay.
Workman took possession of the land in 1851 and gave it to his son-in-law Francisco Temple and his compadre Juan Matias Sanchez and they divided the property. Sanchez took up residence in the adobe and expanded its construction.
In 1872 he put up his property as collateral for a loan obtained by Temple to sustain the bank that Temple and Workman owned, the loan could not be repaid and the property was foreclosed on by the lender, E.J. “Lucky” Baldwin, although Sanchez was allowed to remain on the property and lived there until his death in1885.
After Baldwin’s death, his estate was sold and the adobe and 45 acres were purchased by W.B. Scott in 1915 and the property remained in his family until 1972, when they deeded the adobe and the surrounding land to the city of Montebello.
The adobe has since been refurbished, turned into a museum and headquarters of the Montebello Historical Society.
The museum tells the history of Montebello from the native Tongva people, to the 20th century. Each room in the museum has a different theme: The Sanchez Room has artifacts and photos of the Sanchez family that called the adobe home. The California timeline room tells the history of California through the lens of what occurred in and around Montebello from the time of the Tongva, through the Spanish colonial period, the Mexican era, and then the American period. The 20th Century room contains artifacts that highlight significant people and places from 20th century Montebello.
The historical society also puts together programming that help to bring the city’s history to life. Docents will sometimes dress in period clothing and give tours If you’re lucky, you might get a tour of the museum from Doña Lobo herself.
The battle of the Rio San Gabriel, which took place during Mexican-American War, on January 8, 1847 near the adobe is commemorated yearly with a re-enactment and other scheduled events.
The Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe and the Montebello Historical Society help to preserve the history of Montebello, and the history of Montebello is the history of California, and that’s our history.
References:
Interview with Chris Vargas, President of Montebello Historical Society, December 31, 2022.
Interview with Kathleen Rabago, 2nd Vice President of Montebello Historical Society, December 31, 2022.
Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe Museum Brochure
“An Evening at the Soto-Sanchez Adobe in Montebello” by Paul R. Spitzzeri, The Homestead Blog. September 25, 2016.
“The Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe and Rancho La Merced” by Raven Jakes Dawes, Observations of a Western Legend Blog. July 26,2009.