History of Bellflower

The land on which Bellflower now stands, was first owned by the Spanish in 1784. In 1832, after the Spanish were defeated in the Mexican Revolution, the new Mexican Governor, Jose Figueroa, divided the land into five smaller ranchos to be distributed. Bellflower developed on a piece of land bordered by three of the ranchos: Santa Gertrudes, Los Coyotes, and Los Cerritos. In 1849, California became a state and was at this time owned by America .

The land that Bellflower now stands was known for its fertile soil and great hunting and fishing areas. This land was also known for raising cattle, grazing dairy cows, and multiple agricultural projects. There use to be a river that ran through Bellflower . Even though the river was an asset to the residents of the land, it also was dangerous because the river was subject to flooding. Today the river is controlled by Los Angeles County and there is no more river running through Bellflower .

In 1902, the Pacific Electric Railway, organized by Henry Huntington began spreading a rail line from Los Angeles out in many directions. In 1904, Jotham Bixby deeded the right of way to the Pacific Electric Company through Somerset Ranch (known today as Bellflower ). The line scheduled stops for the Somerset Ranch and was officially opened on November 6, 1905 . Overnight, the residents of the area were connected with Los Angeles and its jobs and markets.

Pacific Electric, together with the expansion of sugar beet farming, made property in the vicinity more valuable and attracted the interest of investors. Many people were interested in working in the city and coming home to farm land. In 1904, Emil Firth subdivided and sold parcels of land called Somerset Acres. He laid out streets and divided the land into tracts with one acre farm lots selling for $350 to $400. Today these same lots can be sold for around $300,000. Frank E. Woodruff also sold one acre plots of land, but he also sold smaller lots along one street for $70 each. These lots were used as store fronts. Woodruff's store-front lots help attract people other than farmers to this land.

In 1909, the Somerset School District was started. They built a one-room schoolhouse called the Firth School after Emril Firth near the river banks. People wanted to build another school on higher ground. In 1910, a four-room modern school building was built. This was Bellflower 's first public building. The school was the main draw for families to settle in Bellflower . A population increase necessitated the construction of a large addition to the school by 1914. The Bellflower Unified School District was formed in 1956.

Also around 1909, the residents wanted to name their land. The name they came up with was Somerset , California . The post office declined their name because they thought there would be too much confusion with Somerset , Colorado . There are many different stories regarding how the residents came up with the name Bellflower ; however, the most recognized story is that the city was named after the orchard of Bellefleure apples grown by pioneer settler William Gregory in the north part of town. Bellefleure literally means “beautiful flower” in French. With a general store, a school, a post office, affordable lots, and ready access to Los Angeles , the population of Bellflower rose rapidly, increasing from an estimated 100 in 1908 to 1200 in 1912. Bellflower became a city on September 3, 1957 and was the 348th city in California .

In 1912, Martin and Guadalupe MacDonald took some of their dahlias that they grew to the Long Beach Open Air Market. Guadalupe and MacDonald found they attracted customers. They started bringing dahlias to the market frequently as did their neighbors who heard of the interest in the flowers by customers. Bellflower became the exclusive supplier of dahlias to the Los Angeles flower market. The dahlia has been adopted as the official city flower, and the Bellflower Dahlia Society perpetuates the tradition of dahlia growing on an amateur basis.

Over the years, opportunities in agriculture drew Hispanic, Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch and other immigrant families into the region, which enhanced the community's cultural vitality. Many of these groups established special institutions to keep their traditions and sometimes their language alive, places to meet for social exchange and support in an unfamiliar environment.

By the 1940s, Bellflower 's population surged from 11,000 to 44,000. With this large population, the city had long felt the need for a city park. In 1941, the Defense Recreation Committee was formed to establish a permanent county park. The land was purchased in 1942 and operated by the county until 1959 when ownership was transferred to the city of Bellflower . In 1946, the park was named John S. Simms Park , in honor of one of Bellflower 's pioneer physicians and civic leaders. This park is directly across the street from Ramona Elementary.

Today, Bellflower has become a city of 77,000 residents with an innovative approach to enhancing services and generating revenues to support the growing community. The City has initiated a wide range of community beautification projects. Bellflower 's highest priority is keeping citizens informed. To meet the challenges of tomorrow, the City of Bellflower has launched several major renovations to public facilities, streets and sidewalks. The City also places high value on recognizing residents and businesses that demonstrate outstanding service to the community. With economic development as a foremost objective, the City continues to attract quality businesses to meet the growing needs of the community.