El Monte History
El Monte has always enjoyed deep, rich land, having provided an ideal site for harvesting food and hunting game for the Gabrielino, or Tongva Indians, centuries ago.
On top of its fertile topsoil, the flourishing area was home to spanning streams, covered by wooded areas of willows, alders and cattails, and strewn with sweeping meadows, indigenous grapevines and delicious watercress.
Missionaries and Spanish soldiers traveled through the area between the 1770s and 1830s, naming the area “El Monte,” a name most likely derived from that era’s definition of “meadow or marsh” or “the wooded place.”
The first permanent residents arrived in El Monte around 1849-1850, during a time when thousands migrated to California in search of gold. Though few found luck in the forage for gold, many came across the riches of fruitful, lush land and began to build homes in the area. The farmers of the area took pleasure in the increased success of El Monte’s agricultural success over the years, and the community began to grow steadily.
The well-known Santa Fe Trail became the nation’s first major international commercial highway in 1821, stretching from Missouri to its official end in El Monte.
Depicting this historical significance, the city built the Santa Fe Trail Historical Park in 1989. The trail remained America’s greatest route for several decades thereafter. Alternative, quicker forms of transportation became more prevalent in later decades, with El Monte experiencing its own improved transportation through the newly-built Southern Pacific Railroad in 1873.
In 1901, the El Monte Union High School District was established, serving a mere 12-15 students in its first year of operation. Seven years later, the district’s enrollment had grown to 65 students located on one high school campus, and now, it has expanded to include six high schools and one adult school.
El Monte, along with much of the country, was hit hard by the Great Depression, but experienced dramatic changes at the advent of World War II with the establishment of small aircraft parts factories on the west side of the community. The population greatly multiplied to approximately 10,000 in the 1940s and early 1950s and has soared to reach more than 140,000 between El Monte and South El Monte today.
Development of the El Monte and South El Monte areas continued over the years, with agriculture giving way to booming industries. Once a small town of orchards, open flower fields, farms and dairies, the area has now become a thriving urban community comprised of beautiful homes, excellent schools, extensive recreational areas and a flourishing, diverse economy.
Offering patrons a clear view of early life in the El Monte and South El Monte area is the El Monte Historical Museum. The museum houses a comprehensive collection of local artifacts, pictures, documents and an array of exhibits detailing the area’s intriguing heritage.
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