Editing Laguna Beach, California (section)

=== American era ===
After the [[Mexican–American War]] ended in 1848, the area of [[Alta California]] was ceded to the United States pursuant to the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]]. The treaty provided that Mexican land grants be honored and [[Rancho San Joaquin]], which included north Laguna Beach, was [[Land patent|granted]] to [[Sepúlveda family of California|José Antonio Andres Sepúlveda]] prior to the war. Following a drought in 1864, Sepúlveda sold the property to [[James Irvine (landowner)|James Irvine]].<ref name="CCC">{{cite book|last=[[California Coastal Commission]]|title=The California Coastal Resource Guide|date=November 6, 1987|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06186-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/californiacoasta00cali/page/324 324–25]|url=https://archive.org/details/californiacoasta00cali/page/324}}</ref> The majority of Laguna Beach was one of the few parcels of coastal land in Southern California that never was included in any Mexican land grant.<ref name="CCC" />
[[File:Hotel Laguna pre-1917.jpg|thumb|left|Pre-1917 postcard of Joseph Yoch's original Hotel Laguna, built in 1888 and replaced in 1930]]
[[File:Laguna Beach Main Beach, Sayles Dance Hall at left, Hotel Laguna Beach in center - Tom Pulley Postcard Collection-L.jpg|thumb|left|View of the Main Beach c. 1915]]
[[File:Laguna Beach, Festival of the Arts Sign.jpg|thumb|Laguna Beach, Festival of the Arts Sign]]
Settlers arrived after the [[American Civil War]]. They were encouraged by the [[Homestead Act]] and [[Timber Culture Act]], which granted up to {{convert|160|acre}} of land to a homesteader who would plant at least {{convert|40|acre}} of trees. In Laguna Beach, settlers planted groves of [[eucalyptus]] trees.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vogel|first=Claire Marie|title=Laguna Beach|series=Images of America|date=March 31, 2009|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-6997-0|page=36}}</ref> In 1871, the first permanent homestead in the area was occupied by the George and Sarah Thurston family of Utah on {{convert|152|acre}} of [[Aliso Creek Canyon]].<ref name="Boyd">{{cite web|url=http://www.lagunabeachindy.com/early-days-of-a-pioneering-laguna-family/|title=Early Days of a Pioneering Laguna Family|last=Boyd|first=Michelle|date=March 31, 2011|publisher=Laguna Beach Independent|access-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Joseph Smith |last=Thurston |year=1947 |title=Laguna Beach of Early Days |publisher=Murray & Gee |oclc=3512568 }}</ref> In 1876, the brothers William and Lorenzo Nathan "Nate" Brooks purchased tracts of land in Bluebird Canyon at present-day Diamond Street. They subdivided their land, built homes and initiated the small community of Arch Beach.<ref name="Turnbull">{{cite book |last=Turnbull|first=Karen|title=A Hundred Years of Yesterdays: Centennial History of the People of Orange County & Their Communities|editor=Ester R. Cramer|date=January 1, 1988 |publisher=Orange County Centennial Inc.|location=Santa Ana|oclc=18979450}}</ref> In his book, ''History of Orange County, California'' (1921), Samuel Armor cited the permanent homestead of Nate Brooks as the beginning of the modern day town and described Brooks as the "Father of Laguna Beach".<ref>{{cite book|last=Armor|first=Samuel|title=History of Orange County, California|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoforangec00armo|year=1921|publisher=Historic Record Company|location=Los Angeles|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyoforangec00armo/page/478 478]–81}}</ref>

The community in Laguna Canyon and around the main beach expanded during the 1880s. The city officially founded a post office in 1887 under the name Lagona, but the postmaster in 1904, Nicholas Isch, successfully petitioned for a name correction to Laguna Beach.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Talber|first1=Thomas B.|last2=MacAuthur|first2=Mildred Yorba|last3=Meadows|first3=Don C.|title=The Historical Volume and Reference Works: Orange County|year=1963|publisher=Historical Publishers|page=241}}</ref> By then Laguna Beach already had developed into a tourist destination.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Clemence|first=Sara|date=May 23, 2005|title=Lavish Laguna Living|journal=Forbes Magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/2005/05/23/cx_sc_0523how.html}}</ref> Hubbard Goff built a large hotel at Arch Beach in 1886, which later was moved and added to Joseph Yoch's Laguna Beach Hotel built in 1888 on the main beach.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vogel|first=Claire Marie|title=Laguna Beach|series=Images of America|date=March 31, 2009|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-6997-0|page=17}}</ref> Visitors from local cities pitched tents on the beaches for vacation during the warm summers.<ref name="Neisser">{{cite journal|last=Neisser|first=JaPatmes|date=April 12, 1979|title=Laguna Beach: Orange County's Eclectic Village|journal=[[Orange Coast Magazine]]|volume=5|issue=4|pages=10–16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zg0EAAAAMBAJ&q=Lagonas+%22Laguna+Beach%22&pg=PA10|access-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref>