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The squatters had their day in court.
Ultimately, the court settled each case in favor of the Arguello family. Their compensation to Mezes came in the form of giving him 15% of their now legally owned ranchero, which amounted to 5,200 acres.
Once becoming the legal owner of the land, Mezes allowed the squatters to remain there if they paid him $75 for a parcel of land. $75 then is equal to roughly $3,000 today, which was well beyond the ability that anyone could afford then.
Thus, Simon Mezes became the sole property owner and promptly named his land, Mezesville, after himself.
Mezes laid out a detailed vision for the town. Part of it included two parcels he designated for parks. His overall design of the community resembled typical Mexican towns. The largest of the two parcels he set aside was known as California Square.
It was located north of Marshall Street, between Hamilton and Winslow, which was diagonally across the street from the Courthouse, and was an open space with walkways. Mezes envisioned it for public events and designed it to resemble plazas in Spanish and Mexican towns.
It was also known as Native Daughters Park since the Native Daughters of the Golden West obtained the park on loan from the City from 1901 – 1911.
To be continued…
Everything else is just history
