Rancho El Chorro was a 3167 acres (12.8 km²) Mexican land grant

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 San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico

Pío Pico

Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...

 to business partners James (Diego) Scott and John (Juan) Wilson. The grant between Morro Bay

Morro Bay, California

Morro Bay is a waterfront city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,234, down from 10,350 at the 2000 census.- History :...

 and San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...

 extended along the north bank of Chorro Creek.

History

Captain John D. Wilson (-1860), a Scottish-born sea captain and trader,came to California in 1837. In 1837 Wilson married María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco (1812 –1888), widow of José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco, who was killed at the Battle of Cahuenga Pass

Battle of Cahuenga Pass

The Battle of Cahuenga Pass of 1831 was fought near Los Angeles between the unpopular Mexican Governor of California , and local settlers. Two men, Pacheco on the one side and Avila on the other, were killed...

 in 1831. Carrillo, was a daughter of Maria Ygnacia Lopez de Carrillo, the grantee of Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa

Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa

Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa was an Mexican land grant in present day Sonoma County, California given in 1841 by Governor pro tem Manuel Jimeno to María Ygnacia López. The grant was along Santa Rosa Creek, and encompassed present day Santa Rosa, California....

, and María's sister married General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...

. María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco was the grantee of Rancho Suey

Rancho Suey

Rancho Suey was a Mexican land grant in present day southern San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco...

. James G. Scott (-1851), also a native of Scotland, came to California with his business partner Captain Wilson.

Wilson and Scott also owned Rancho Los Guilicos

Rancho Los Guilicos

Rancho Los Guilicos was a Mexican land grant in present day Sonoma County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to John Wilson...

 in Sonoma County

Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....

, and Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay

Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay

Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California. The grant consists of Canada de Los Osos granted in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Victor Linares, and Pecho y Islay granted in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to...

. They were granted the one square league Rancho El Chorro in 1845. Wilson also bought Rancho San Luisito

Rancho San Luisito

Rancho San Luisito was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José de Guadalupe Cantúa...

 and Rancho Huerta de Romualdo

Rancho Huerta de Romualdo

Rancho Huerta de Romualdo was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado and in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Romualdo. The name means Romualdo's vegetable garden...

. In 1845, Wilson moved his family from San Luis Obispo to Rancho Cañada de los Osos & Pacheco y Islay, built an adobe home and lived there until his death in 1860.

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 El Chorro 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, and the grant was 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...

 to John Wilson in 1871.

After the 1862-4 drought, Rancho El Chorro was sold to William Welles Hollister

William Welles Hollister

William Welles Hollister was a Californian rancher and entrepreneur.-Ancestors and early life :William Welles Hollister, was born on Jan...

in 1865.

Historic sites of the Rancho

• Vasquez-Hollister adobe. Adobe built between the years 1800 and 1830.