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Old Posted Mar 8, 2014, 4:03 AM
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FredH FredH is offline
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The Naming of Alhambra



ER - It was George Patton's mom!

THE NAMING OF ALHAMBRA
In 1874, Benjamin Wilson bought 275 acres of state-owned land between the Arroyo and the Old Mill Wash paying $2.75 an acre. He divided the tract into 5 and 10 acre lots. Wilson named his venture "Alhambra" at the urging of his youngest daughter, 10-year old Ruth, who along with Sister Anne had been reading Washington Irving's book about the legends of the Moorish palace in Southern Spain called the "The Alhambra."

(In 1832, Washington Irving visited and wrote about his trip to the Alhambra. The book is a combination of travelogue in the Spain of the time, along with recanting tales from days long past, even then. Although this book is now more than a century and a half old, it remains in most libraries of today for three reasons: It's a delightful read by one of the greats of American literature, it's a good description of the Spain of the 1830's, and it's one of the few books on Spanish folklore.)


Who was Ruth Wilson?

Wilson's first wife died in 1849, and four years later he married a widow, Mrs. Margaret Hereford. They had four children, one of whom was Ruth Wilson who later became Mrs. George Patton, mother of the famous General George Patton, Jr. Lake Vineyard was later acquired by the Pattons and that is where Gen. Patton was born.


And, you were correct in guessing that there was a link to The Alhambra in Spain.


The whole Alhambra story is here:

http://www.cityofalhambra.org/page/2...y_of_alhambra/

Last edited by FredH; Mar 8, 2014 at 4:20 AM.
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