Editing Laguna Niguel, California (section)

===Early inhabitants and settlers===
The first recorded inhabitants of the Laguna Niguel area were the [[Juaneño|Acjachemem]] Native Americans, who may have had a village called "Niguili" near the confluence of [[Aliso Creek (Orange County)|Aliso Creek]] and [[Sulphur Creek (California)|Sulphur Creek]].<ref name="LNhistory" /> Aliso Creek marked the boundary between the Acjachemem and [[Tongva people]]. In the 1700s, during the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]], Spanish missionaries established the nearby [[Mission San Juan Capistrano]] to convert the Acjachemem to Christianity. The Mission lands, which included the present-day boundaries of Laguna Niguel, were divided into private [[Ranchos of California|land grants]] in 1821 upon [[Mexico]]'s independence from Spain.

In 1842, the {{convert|13316|acre|ha|adj=on}} [[Rancho Niguel]] was granted to [[Juan Avila]]; he retained ownership of the land through the [[Mexican–American War]] (when California became part of the United States) until 1865, when a severe drought forced him into bankruptcy. In 1895 Lewis Moulton and Jean Pierre Daguerre bought the Rancho Niguel and other portions of the surrounding area from farmers who were struggling due to persistent drought conditions. The Moulton Company was established to oversee {{convert|19000|acre|ha}} of local land which was used, mainly for orchards and sheep ranching, well into the mid-20th century.<ref name="LNhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.cityoflagunaniguel.org/index.aspx?NID=388|title=History and Statistics|publisher=City of Laguna Niguel|access-date=July 25, 2016}}</ref> In 1951 the land was divided between the Moulton and Daguerre families, the latter inheriting {{convert|8056|acre|ha}} in the future location of Laguna Niguel. In 1954 the Daguerres sold {{convert|7200|acre|ha}} to the Shumaker Group and 
[[File:Laguna Nigel City Limit Sign.jpg|thumb|Laguna Nigel City Limit Sign]]
{{convert|856|acre|ha}} of oceanfront to [[George Capron]], a former Major League Baseball player who established the Capron Ranch.<ref name="niguelshores">{{cite web|url=http://niguelshores.org/Niguel%20Shores%20History.pdf|title=Niguel Shores - A History|publisher=Niguel Shores Community Association|access-date=July 25, 2016}}</ref>