Cahuenga Treaty Stamp Is Sought

A North Hollywood historical group has launched a drive to create a commemorative postage stamp to mark the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga, an event that ended hostilities in California during the Mexican-American War.

Guy Weddington McCreary, president of the Campo de Cahuenga Historical Assn., said Friday that his 20-member group will try to garner support in a petition drive to have the stamp printed in 1997. The petition already has 100 signatures, he said.

The treaty was signed in 1847 by U.S. Army Lt. Colonel John C. Fremont and Mexican General Andres Pico at the Campo de Cahuenga, a former adobe home that is now a city historical monument in North Hollywood.

“When they signed that treaty, it was a symbol of manifest destiny,” McCreary said. “The fighting stopped in California. The country soon became a whole nation from one ocean to another.”

The following year, Mexico gave up claims to California, which joined the United States, a victory for those settlers who had risen up against Mexican rule in 1846. At a cost of 13,780 American lives, California became the 31st state in 1850.

But getting a stamp may be a battle in itself. As many as 30,000 requests for commemorative and decorative stamps go through the U.S. Postal Service each year, said David Mazer, manager of corporate relations in the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Postal Service.

“It’s usually something of a national nature, rather than a local nature,” Mazer said. “That’s not to say that the North Hollywood Historical Assn.’s idea would not happen. Obviously, if a lot of people were to write in on something, it might have a bearing. There are no guidelines given.”