In the Nineteenth Century, until 1860, the area which now is the CITY OF BELL is LOS ANGELES COUNTY, was part of the 30,000 - acre RANCHO SAN ANTONIO. This Rancho had been settled by DON ANTONIO MARIA LUGO, a Spanish aristocrat and former soldier, whose father, FRANCISCO LUGO, came to CALIFORNIA in 1771. Some between 1810 and 1813, DON ANTONIO had obtained permission from the Spanish King to settle on the Rancho; and, later, in about 1838, the King formally granted the land to DON ANTONIO.
As the years passed, RANCHO SAN ANTONIO became widely known for its fine horses and large herds of cattle which grazed on the rolling prairie. In the later half of the century, however, between 1855 and 1865 most of the Rancho was sold for less than one dollar per acre. The LUGO family did manage to retain its home, and descendants of the family still living in the original adobe house which is located on what is now the southwest corner of Gage and Garfield Avenues.
Between 1870 and 1890, when a land boom occurred in the area, large portions of the former Rancho were divided into smaller land holdings which were acquired by newly arriving settlers. Other portions were sold to settlers by former owners. JAMES GEORGE BELL and his family, the pioneer residents for whom the city is named, arrived during approximately 360 acres. No longer did large herds of cattle graze on the grassy land; instead, the land was further divided into small plots and a farming community began to develop. People grew grains, such as a few pigs and maybe a cow, and of course, a horse which was their means of livelihood and transportation.
At the turn of the Twentieth Century, the Bell area was a sparsely settled countryside with a scattering of houses, including the Bell family's home. Between 1900 and 1915, as more people settles in the area, more homes and churches were built, and several small businesses were established in July, 1913. The citizens agreed to provide all facilities and services for the library, except for the books.
In the fifteen years following World War I, form 1920 to 1935, an explosive growth in population occurred in the Bell area. Old and new residents built new businesses, established schools, and founded community organizations such as the BELL CHAMBER and CAMMERCE and the WOMAN'S CLUB. An area-wide sanitation district was formed in 1923 to provide sewer facilities. In 1924, GEORGE O. WHEELER founded the INDUSTRIAL POST, the local newspaper which now serves the communities of BELL, CUDAHY, and MAYWOOD. In 1925, BELL HIGH SCHOOL was opened. In that same year, the Alcazar Theater to show "talking pictures", was completed.
Bell was incorporated as a city in 1927 and has continued to grow and develop. Since its incorporation, the CITY OF BELL has acquired land for public parks and the recreational program. The city also has constructed an adequate sewer system, widened all major streets, built a CITY HALL, and provided Fire Department buildings, with the cooperation of LOS ANGELES COUNTY, the CITY OF MAYWOOD and the COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, the CITY OF BELL constructed an indoor public swimming pool at BELL HIGH SCHOOL. Numerous businesses and small industries are now located within the city; and several schools, churches, and community organizations now serve BELL residents. A local government now supervises this growth and provides the services needed by the ever-increasing populace.
Thus, in the span of about one-hundred fifty years the area of Bell has changed from the sprawling RANCHO SAN ANTONIO, with its grazing herds of cattle, to a small city with an efficient city government.
