Mission Hotel in San Fernando, ca.1888. The city was named for the nearby Mission San Fernando Rey de EspaÃ±a, and was part of the Mexican land grant of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando. In 1874 Charles Maclay, San Fernando founder, bought 56,000 acres (227 km2) of the Rancho.
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Euro-American settlers first came to the area of Smithville in 1808. Smithville became the county seat of modern day Lawrence County in 1837. The county seat was later moved to Powhatan in 1869, after the Civil War. This was done in part to take advantage of riverboat commerce along Black River.