Rancho Niguel
Encyclopedia
Rancho Niguel was a 13316 acres (53.9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Orange County, California
given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Juan Avila. The rancho was named for a local Indian village called "Niguili." The grant extended along the Pacific coast from Laguna Canyon
and Laguna Beach
, past Aliso Creek to Dana Point
and San Juan Creek
. The rancho encompassed those present day places and Laguna Niguel
, Aliso Viejo
, and Laguna Hills
.
. In 1832, Juan Avila married Maria Soledad Thomasa Capistrano Yorba (–1867). He and Soledad Yorba de Avila had three children who survived to adulthood: Rosa Modesta, who married Pablo Pryor; Guadalupe who married Marco Forster; and Manuel Donanciano who married Delfina Rodriguez. Marco Forster (1839–1904) was the son of John (Don Juan) Forster
, owner of the adjacent Rancho Trabuco
and Rancho Misión Vieja
. Juan Avila was granted the three square league Rancho Niguel in 1842. He was a "judge of the plains" at Los Angeles in 1844, and justice of the peace at San Juan Capistrano
in 1846.
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 Niguel was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Juan Avila in 1873.
Juan Avila retained ownership of Rancho Niguel until 1865, when after the droughts of 1863-64, he sold the property to John Forster. Soledad Yorba de Avila died of smallpox in 1867. Rancho Niguel passed from John Forster to Marco Forster to Lewis Moulton and his partner, Jean Pierre Daguerre, who obtained it in 1895.
Lewis Fenno Moulton (1854-1938), the son of J. Tilden Moulton and Charlotte Harding Fenno, was born in Chicago
, and after his father's death, the family moved to Boston
. In 1874 Moulton came to California via Panama
. He worked on Rancho San Joaquin
, and subsequently went into the sheep raising business for several years. After his first purchase in 1895 of Rancho Niguel (which adjoined Rancho San Joaquin), additional property was acquired and eventually the ranch consisted of 22000 acres (89 km²).
Jean Pierre Daguerre (1856-1911), a native of Hasparren
, France
, came to Los Angeles in 1874 with the French Basque Amestoy family
and worked on the Amestoy's ranch near Gardena
. In 1882, Daguerre formed a partnership with Marco Forster. In 1886, Daguerre married Maria Eugenia Duguet, who came from France on the same boat as Daguerre. After dissolving the partnership with Marco Forster, Daguerre formed a partnership with Lewis Moulton, and owned a one third interest in Rancho Niguel.
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 Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Juan Avila. The rancho was named for a local Indian village called "Niguili." The grant extended along the Pacific coast from Laguna Canyon
Laguna Canyon
Laguna Canyon is a canyon, formerly a water gap, that cuts through the San Joaquin Hills in southern Orange County in the U.S. state of California, directly west of the city of Irvine...
and Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...
, past Aliso Creek to Dana Point
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...
and San Juan Creek
San Juan Creek
San Juan Creek, also called the San Juan River, is a stream in Orange County, California that consists of a catchment basin encompassing . Its mainstem rises in the Santa Ana Mountains, in the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest...
. The rancho encompassed those present day places and Laguna Niguel
Laguna Niguel, California
Laguna Niguel is an affluent city located in southern Orange County, California. The name "Laguna Niguel" is derived from the Spanish word "Laguna" which means lagoon, and the word "Nigueli" which was the name of a Juaneño Indian village that was once located on Aliso Creek. The population was...
, Aliso Viejo
Aliso Viejo, California
Aliso Viejo is a city in Orange County, California. It had a population of 47,823 as of the 2010 census, up from 40,166 as of the 2000 census. It became Orange County's 34th city on July 1, 2001, the only city in the county to incorporate since 2000...
, and Laguna Hills
Laguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Laguna Woods—are similarly named.-Geography:...
.
History
Juan Avila (1812–1889) was the son of Antonio Ygnacio Avila, grantee of Rancho Sausal RedondoRancho Sausal Redondo
Rancho Sausal Redondo was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Antonio Ygnacio Avila by Juan Alvarado Governor of Alta California. The Spanish words, Rancho Sausal Redondo, mean a large circular ranch of pasture with a grove of willows on it...
. In 1832, Juan Avila married Maria Soledad Thomasa Capistrano Yorba (–1867). He and Soledad Yorba de Avila had three children who survived to adulthood: Rosa Modesta, who married Pablo Pryor; Guadalupe who married Marco Forster; and Manuel Donanciano who married Delfina Rodriguez. Marco Forster (1839–1904) was the son of John (Don Juan) Forster
John (Don Juan) Forster
John Forster was born in England; became a Mexican citizen of early California, and was one of the largest landowners in California.-Early life:...
, owner of the adjacent Rancho Trabuco
Rancho Trabuco
Rancho Trabuco was a Mexican land grant in present day Orange County, California. The five square league grant consisted of two square leagues given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Santiago Argüello plus three square leagues given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to John Forster. The name...
and Rancho Misión Vieja
Rancho Mission Viejo
Rancho Mission Viejo was a land grant given in 1845 to John Forster. Later it became a cattle ranch and leased land operation in what is now Mission Viejo, California, in southeast Orange County, California.-Mexican land grant:...
. Juan Avila was granted the three square league Rancho Niguel in 1842. He was a "judge of the plains" at Los Angeles in 1844, and justice of the peace at San Juan Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano, California
San Juan Capistrano is a city in southern Orange County, California, located approximately southeast of Downtown Santa Ana. The current OMB metropolitan designation for San Juan Capistrano and the Orange County Area is “Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA.” The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census,...
in 1846.
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 Niguel 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 Juan Avila in 1873.
Juan Avila retained ownership of Rancho Niguel until 1865, when after the droughts of 1863-64, he sold the property to John Forster. Soledad Yorba de Avila died of smallpox in 1867. Rancho Niguel passed from John Forster to Marco Forster to Lewis Moulton and his partner, Jean Pierre Daguerre, who obtained it in 1895.
Lewis Fenno Moulton (1854-1938), the son of J. Tilden Moulton and Charlotte Harding Fenno, was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and after his father's death, the family moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In 1874 Moulton came to California via Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. He worked on Rancho San Joaquin
Rancho San Joaquin
Rancho San Joaquin, the combined Rancho Cienega de las Ranas and Rancho Bolsa de San Joaquin, was a Mexican land grant in present day Orange County, California given to José Antonio Andres Sepúlveda...
, and subsequently went into the sheep raising business for several years. After his first purchase in 1895 of Rancho Niguel (which adjoined Rancho San Joaquin), additional property was acquired and eventually the ranch consisted of 22000 acres (89 km²).
Jean Pierre Daguerre (1856-1911), a native of Hasparren
Hasparren
Hasparren is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.The name means 'before or down the rock' in Basque. A resident of Hasparren is known as a 'Haspandar'.-External links:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, came to Los Angeles in 1874 with the French Basque Amestoy family
Dominique Amestoy
Domingo Amestoy was a Basque sheepherder, and banker, one of the original founders to provide the financing for the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Los Angeles, California, in 1871.-Life:...
and worked on the Amestoy's ranch near Gardena
Gardena, California
Gardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gardena is located at ....
. In 1882, Daguerre formed a partnership with Marco Forster. In 1886, Daguerre married Maria Eugenia Duguet, who came from France on the same boat as Daguerre. After dissolving the partnership with Marco Forster, Daguerre formed a partnership with Lewis Moulton, and owned a one third interest in Rancho Niguel.
See also
- Ranchos of CaliforniaRanchos of CaliforniaThe 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...
- List of Ranchos of California