This post is about how the Dodgers obtained the land where Dodger Stadium is built. It was an acrimonious endeavor. And it all started long before the Dodgers arrived in Los Angeles.
The Ravine is an L shaped Canyon. It was named for Julian Chavez, a LA Councilman in the 19th century who originally purchased the land in the Elysian Park area. Chavez was born in New Mexico and moved to the area in the early 1830’s. He became a local leader quickly and in 1844 he purchased 83 acres.
No records exist of what Chavez did with the land, but during the 1850’s and 60’s, there were smallpox epidemics.