Hugo Reid (c. 1811-1852) was a pioneer held in almost mythic regard by early Southland historians; as such, it’s hard to pin down actual facts, so take this bio with a grain of salt. Born in Cardross, Scotland, Reid went to Mexico in his teens, then relocated to Los Angeles in 1832. Five years later, he married a Native American widow named Bartolomea (c. 1803-1868), who later took the first name “Victoria”. (A chunk of land she owned with her first husband later became B.D. Wilson’s Lake Vineyard ranch.) Around this time, Reid became a Mexican citizen – California was still Mexican territory – and added “Perfecto” to his own first name. The Reids were granted Rancho Santa Anita in 1841, and although they sold it to Henry Dalton just six years later, Reid’s name remains associated with this area: Hugo Reid Drive was christened in 1944. Shortly before his death, newspapers published Reid’s insights into local tribespeople, providing an important document of their vanished era. Architectural postscript: The L.A. County Arboretum is home to the “Hugo Reid Adobe”, but in 2009 it was reported that the adobe on view was actually constructed in 1854 by Joseph Rowe after he demolished Reid’s original.
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