Besides geologic forces, people who inhabited the area in the past have been ones to also affect the land. There were different reasons for people to come into the area. Some came to live and others to work the land. The first groups to live in the mountains were the Native American tribes called the Chumash and the Tongva who lived here for thousands of years. Then came the Spanish Explorers, Rancheros, and Homesteaders (after the Homestead Act of 1862) from other areas of the country, who worked the land. The Homesteaders brought new ideas and cultures that shaped the landscape and mindset of the area, and California overall. Up to this day, people continue to live, work, and recreate in the Santa Monica Mountains.