In 1872, Judge Erskine Mayo Ross purchased the ranch land which came to be known as Rossmoyne from his uncle, Captain Cameron Erskine Thom. Captain Thom’s land was former Spanish land-grant land purchased directly from Catalina Verdugo prior to the “Great Partition” of 1871. As leaders of the community, and along with other founding fathers, Captain Thom and Judge Ross founded the township of Glendale which was officially recorded in 1887. Aside from his career as a judge serving the California Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for Southern California and the Circuit Court, Judge Ross became a well known horticulturalist in the area. As a farmer, Judge Ross planted citrus and olive groves on his ranch, establishing a successful fruit packing plant and olive oil business. Many of the citrus and olive trees from the original Ross ranch can still be found on Rossmoyne properties today.
