How El Prieto Canyon Got Its Name

How El Prieto Canyon Got Its Name. . , You're looking out at El Prieto Canyon. In Spanish "El Prieto" refers to the dark one - and this scenic place was named for Robert Owens. He settled here in the early 1850s, after being born into slavery and through years of hard labor saving enough to buy his freedom. He left Texas for California, which had recently entered the Union as a free state, but with a history of unfree labor. Native Americans and people of African or Chinese descent had few rights. Despite these obstacles, Owens dealt in lumber and supplied building materials to the US Army, earning enough to buy the freedom of his wife Winnie and their children, who joined him in the canyon. His success allowed the family to move to Los Angeles, where he opened a livery stable downtown with John Hall, another African American. He built a real estate portfolio and eventually became wealthy. The Owens' home became a center of the African-American community, where early religious meetings and business gatherings took place. , Freeing Biddy Mason , Robert Owens is linked with another famous Angelino: Biddy Mason. Robert Smith brought Mason from Utah to a Mormon community in San Bernardino. Smith held her and others in bondage for nearly five years after California outlawed slavery. Finally, in late 1855, Robert Owens and his son Charles helped to apprehend Smith, who was challenged in court, resulting in Mason and 13 others winning freedom. Mason went on to a successful career in midwifery, nursing, real estate, and philanthropy. She used her substantial wealth to help others in need, including the hospitalized and incarcerated. Charles Owens married Mason's daughter Ellen, and the two became prominent in the Los Angeles African-American community.