Preserving the historical record of the L.A County Sheriff's Department spans from the Wild West era to 2025, a task he faithfully maintains.
Remembering the Barton Mound Massacre: A Tragic Reminder of the Past
In the year 1857, a grim event took place in Southern California that still resonates today. Known as the Barton Mound massacre, this ambush resulted in the death of four law enforcement men, including Sheriff Barton, Deputy Charles Daly, and constables Charles Baker and William Little, at the hands of a posse led by horse thief Juan Flores.
This event, which occurred when Orange County was part of Los Angeles County and California was newly a state, now holds a place in the history of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) as its deadliest day more than 160 years ago. Mike Fratantoni, the LASD's staff historian, marked the event to highlight the longstanding dangers law enforcement officers face, paralleling it with modern sacrifices made by the department.
The victims of the Barton Mound massacre were initially buried at the old City Cemetery downtown but were moved to Rosedale Cemetery in Mid-City in 1914, with no tombstones marking their graves. However, efforts to commemorate the massacre include a plaque recognizing it.
The connection to the LASD is both historical and symbolic: the Barton Mound massacre is considered one of the earliest and deadliest incidents involving the department's deputies, underscoring the persistent risks faced by law enforcement in the region over time. Most recently, Sheriff Robert Luna referenced the massacre during a news conference following a tragic accident that killed three deputies, emphasizing the continuity of sacrifice across the department's history.
Mike Fratantoni, who has been the department's staff historian for a decade, expressed sadness over the fact that people who lost their lives are often forgotten. He often speaks to the latest class of recruits annually, sharing photos and stories to help them understand their role in the department's history. Fratantoni also attends community events in vintage uniforms or old department cars, fostering conversations with the public.
Fratantoni sits on the committee charged with putting names on the Los Angeles County Peace Officers' Memorial. He also attends to preserving and imparting the history of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department to its current and future members, as entrusted by Sheriff Robert Luna.
In recent times, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department collectively had 74 years of law enforcement experience among the three detectives killed in an explosion last month. The three detectives, Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus, and William Osborn, left behind 16 children among them. Fratantoni and others are fundraising for new tombstones for the victims of the Barton Mound massacre.
The L.A. County Sheriff's Department museum, showcasing the histories of the department, district attorney's office, and coroner, receives free rent from L.A. County but is otherwise funded and maintained by the Sheriffs' Relief Foundation and the dollar a month pulled from the paychecks of Sheriff's Department employees who sign up to support.
The story of Daly, a blacksmith who put the shoes on the horses used by Barton and his constables, and was deputized by Barton to join them on the day they would all die, is one of the many tales Fratantoni shares with the recruits. He also mentioned the posse led by Flores, called Las Manillas, who robbed stores and murdered a German shopkeeper in San Juan Capistrano before being ambushed, killing the four men.
The spot where the ambush occurred is now called Barton Mound in Orange County, serving as a poignant reminder of the past. The Barton Mound massacre remains a significant part of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department history, commemorated and remembered as a symbol of the dangers officers face.
- Despite the passage of time, the memory of the Barton Mound massacre in Southern California continues to be marked in the home-and-garden of history, serving as a tragic reminder of the long-standing dangers faced by law enforcement officers, particularly those within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD).
- In a modern-day parallel, the Barton Mound massacre is invoked by the current Sheriff, Robert Luna, invoking the continuity of sacrifice among law enforcement personnel, even in Hollywood.
- Following a series of recent tragedies that claimed the lives of several LASD members, Mike Fratantoni, the department's staff historian, catalyzes an effort to remember the victims of the Barton Mound massacre and provide them the recognition their sacrifices deserve, echoing a lifestyle centered on remembrance for the living and the dead.
