Until recently, many Angelinos had never heard of Del Rey, confusing it with Marina Del Rey, or assuming it was part of Culver City or Mar Vista. But in fact, the name Del Rey pre-dates all these neighborhoods. In the early 1800s, Augustin and Ygnacio Machado and Felipe and Tomas Talamantes were given full charge of Rancho La Ballona, the land that makes up much of present day Del Rey and Culver City. By 1868, the division of the great ranch had begun as Rancho La Ballona had been partitioned into 23 separate parcels of land. The grazing lands of Rancho La Ballona were irrigated by Ballona Creek which ended its course in a great lagoon — the now protected Ballona Wetlands. During the great flood of 1862, 50” of rain fell during the winter, and the area from present day Washington Boulevard to the Westchester Bluffs was under water for six months. Even after the flood waters retreated, La Ballona was considered a “swamp” with little potential. But in 1887, the Ballona Harbor and Improvement Company was organized to lay out Port Ballona. A mere two years later the funds for Port Ballona had been exhausted, and tides had swept away most of the wharf, making Port Ballona an unfulfilled dream.