Jabonería means “soap factory” in Spanish, and there was indeed once a soap factory in this vicinity. It was established in 1832 by early settler Lemuel Carpenter (c. 1810-1859), a Kentuckian who profited enough from his soap that he purchased the nearby Rancho Santa Gertrudes – only to become so indebted to banker (and future California governor) John Downey that he killed himself. The actual soap plant was allegedly located near the present-day intersection of Slauson and Telegraph but folks were soon referring to this general region as “La Jabonería” since there frankly weren’t many other local landmarks. For decades, while this area was still quite rural, various dirt roads took on the Jaboneria name. This particular one was known as the Compton-Jaboneria Road from 1890 until 1959, when residents requested that the “Compton” be dropped. Poor Compton.
Find it on the map:
