Rancho Boca de Santa Monica
Encyclopedia
Rancho Boca de Santa Monica (mouth of Santa Monica) was a 6656 acres (26.9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Los Angeles County, California
given by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Ysidro Reyes and Francisco Marquez.
, and parts of Topanga Canyon.
Francisco Marquez and his wife, Roque Valenzuela, built an adobe house in the upper mesa of the canyon. Marquez built a blacksmith shop and continued to live and work the rancho until his death in 1850.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Boca de Santa Monica was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852. The boundary with Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica
was disputed, and was not finally resolved of until 1882, when the United States courts patented
Rancho Boca de Santa Monica to Marquez and Reyes at 6656 acres (27 km²).
Ysidro Reyes and his wife, Maria Antonia Villa, built a house in what is now the Huntington Palisades
. Ysidro Reyes died in 1861, leaving his undivided one-half interest in the rancho to his widow Maria Antonia. In 1872, Maria Antonia Reyes sold that interest to Col. Robert S. Baker
. In 1874, Baker filed suit to partition the land among himself and the heirs of Francisco Marquez, who jointly held the other one-half interest.
In the mid-1920s, the families sold the land to Santa Monica Land & Water Co., owned by Robert Gillis.
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
in present day Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
given by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Ysidro Reyes and Francisco Marquez.
History
In 1839, Ysidro Reyes (1813 - 1861) and Francisco Marquez (1798 - 1850) were granted Rancho Boca de Santa Monica, comprising what is now Santa Monica Canyon, the Pacific PalisadesPacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California
Pacific Palisades is an affluent neighborhood and district within the U.S. city of Los Angeles, California, located among Brentwood to the east, Malibu and Topanga to the west, Santa Monica to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay to the southwest, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the north. The...
, and parts of Topanga Canyon.
Francisco Marquez and his wife, Roque Valenzuela, built an adobe house in the upper mesa of the canyon. Marquez built a blacksmith shop and continued to live and work the rancho until his death in 1850.
With the cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Boca de Santa Monica was filed with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1852. The boundary with Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica
Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica
Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Francisco Sepulveda soldier and citizen of Los Angeles...
was disputed, and was not finally resolved of until 1882, when the United States courts patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
Rancho Boca de Santa Monica to Marquez and Reyes at 6656 acres (27 km²).
Ysidro Reyes and his wife, Maria Antonia Villa, built a house in what is now the Huntington Palisades
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California
Pacific Palisades is an affluent neighborhood and district within the U.S. city of Los Angeles, California, located among Brentwood to the east, Malibu and Topanga to the west, Santa Monica to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay to the southwest, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the north. The...
. Ysidro Reyes died in 1861, leaving his undivided one-half interest in the rancho to his widow Maria Antonia. In 1872, Maria Antonia Reyes sold that interest to Col. Robert S. Baker
Robert Symington Baker
Colonel Robert Symington Baker was a businessman and landowner originally from Rhode Island. He came to California in 1849 and engaged in mining supplies business in San Francisco...
. In 1874, Baker filed suit to partition the land among himself and the heirs of Francisco Marquez, who jointly held the other one-half interest.
In the mid-1920s, the families sold the land to Santa Monica Land & Water Co., owned by Robert Gillis.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Marquez Family Cemetery.
- Hacienda de Jose Mojica (Hacienda La Finca de la Senoras de Guadelupe) the 1929 house of Mexican opera singer Jose Mojica.
- La Señora Research Institute.