San Gabriel Timberland Reserve
The San Gabriel Timberland Reserve was the first federal reserve in the state of California. It was established on December 20, 1892 by proclamation order of President Benjamin Harrison and consisted of 555,520 acres (2,248.1 km2) extending from Pacoima to Cajon Pass in Southern California. The San Gabriel Timberland Reserve became the Angeles National Forest in December 1908.
The U.S. Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act in 1891 which contained an amendment, section 24, that gave the president the power to establish federal reserves of forest and rangelands from the public domain. The Yellowstone Park Timberland Reserve was the very first reserve authorized under the Forest Reserve Act (also known as the General Revision Act and the Creative Act) in the country. Most people in Southern California recognized and welcomed the reserve system, for it promised to protect watersheds, soil, provide fire suppression and control timber cutting in the mountains.
The General Land Office was the federal agency in charge of administering public lands from 1812 to 1934. Conservationist Abbot Kinney, as well as Los Angeles residents and public officials vigorously fought for these land set asides. On November 2, 1891, a petition was sent to the General Land Office requesting the withdrawal of the San Gabriel watershed as a forest reserve. The petition stated, "Water, will be preserved in the mountains, the snow water saved as it melted, the waters protected from pollution by the large droves of cattle and sheep, disastrous floods will be prevented in winter, and the valley's [sic] below furnished with water in the irrigation season." Colonel Benjamin F. Allen was sent out from the General Land Office to investigate San Gabriel area and other lands in the western states and filed a report that recommended the reserve be set aside.
In 1907, the reserves were renamed "National Forests" by a sub-section of an Agriculture Appropriations bill.
Cattle and sheep ranching had long been California's main business with the stock fattening up on public domain lands. Despite the devastating drought in 1863-4, the cattle industry grew until it dominated the region in the 1880s. These American successors to the Mexican rancheros became powerful land barons and their stock competed for choice pastureland with the sheep herds. Because of this, California's grasslands were overstocked causing progressively more damage.
...
Wikipedia