In 1834, Vicente de la Ossa (January 6, 1808 - 1861) was elected as Los Angeles councilman and served in this capacity for two years. In 1843, he was granted the one square league Rancho Providencia located northwest of the
pueblo. In 1849 de la Ossa sold Rancho La Providencia to
David W. Alexander, and bought an approximate third of
Rancho Los Encinos. With the
cession of California to the United States following the
Mexican-American War, the 1848
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Providencia was filed with the
Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented David W. Alexander and
Francis Mellus in 1872. In 1867, Alexander sold Rancho Providencia to
David Burbank, a dentist and entrepreneur from Los Angeles. Burbank had also acquired
Rancho Cahuenga, a inholding within the boundaries of Rancho Providencia. Burbank also purchased of
Rancho San Rafael from Jonathan R. Scott in 1867. Burbank combined his properties into a nearly cattle ranch. Burbank sold his holdings in 1886 to Los Angeles land speculators who formed the "Providencia Land, Water & Development Company", with Burbank as one of the directors. The land was surveyed and a business district was laid out, surrounded by residential lots. The outlying area was divided into small farms. They named the town Burbank and opened the tract for sale on May 1, 1887. The City of Burbank was
incorporated in 1911. ==See also==