Cypress is located in Southern California and a city in the northwestern part of Orange County. The first people that lived in the area where the present-day Cypress stands were the Gabrielino or the Tongva tribe. The Native Americans were then displaced upon the arrival of the European settlers on the site. The Spanish government took hold of the area until 1821 when Mexico gained its independence from the former. During that period, the Spanish dons held immense tracts of land throughout the state of California, which were then given in place of payment to the Spanish soldiers. One of the earliest Spanish dons who held ground in the area was Manuel Nieto, and his sons retained the Rancho Los Nietos after his death in 1804. However, these lands eventually distributed, and among them was in 1833 by a grant from the Mexican governor.