Foundation of Mexican-American War Treaty Site Uncovered

The diggers on Lankershim Boulevard in Studio City knew what they were after. They just had no idea it would be so impeccably preserved after lying under just six inches of earth for about 100 years.

Archeologists working with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the subway project showed off their latest find Monday: large sections of the original foundation of Campo de Cahuenga. It was where Gen. Andres Pico and Lt. Col. John C. Fremont in 1847 signed the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War in California and paved the way for statehood.

“It symbolizes where world history changed,” said John Foster of Greenwood and Associates, an archeological firm retained by the MTA. “We believe it burned. We have sections of the floor that show where burning wooden beams fell. And much of the adobe just washed away.”