Rancho Santa Rosa (Moreno)
Encyclopedia
Rancho Santa Rosa was a 47815 acres (193.5 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Riverside County, California
given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico
to Juan Moreno. At the time of the US patent
, Rancho Santa Rosa was a part of San Diego County
. Riverside County was created by the California Legislature in 1893 by taking land from both San Bernardino
and San Diego Counties.
became Rancho Santa Rosa under an 1846 Mexican land grant to cattle and sheep rancher Juan Moreno.
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 Santa Rosa was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented to Juan Moreno in 1872.
Moreno sold the rancho to neighboring Rancho La Laguna
owner Augustin Machado in 1855. In 1876, Rancho Santa Rosa was sold to Englishman John Dear, who had sent his son, Parker, from England to inspect the rancho lands. Following flood events that twice destroyed the railroad connection of the California Southern Railroad
with San Diego, Parker Dear was forced to put the ranch into receivership in 1894. Walter Vail, already a successful ranch owner in Arizona and owner of Santa Rosa Island
, bought Rancho Santa Rosa in 1904. The Vails continued to operate their cattle ranch for the next sixty years. In 1964, the Vails sold the ranch to the Kaiser Steel Company
, which master-planned Rancho California - the communities that today comprise the cities of Temecula
and Murrieta
.
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 Riverside County, California
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
to Juan Moreno. At the time of the US patent
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 Santa Rosa was a part of San Diego County
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
. Riverside County was created by the California Legislature in 1893 by taking land from both San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
and San Diego Counties.
History
The Santa Rosa PlateauSanta Rosa Plateau
The Santa Rosa Plateau is an upland plateau and southeastern extension of the Santa Ana Mountains in Riverside County, southern California. It is bounded by the rapidly urbanizing Inland Empire cities of Murrieta to the northeast, and Temecula to the southeast.The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological...
became Rancho Santa Rosa under an 1846 Mexican land grant to cattle and sheep rancher Juan Moreno.
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 Santa Rosa 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 to Juan Moreno in 1872.
Moreno sold the rancho to neighboring Rancho La Laguna
Rancho La Laguna (Manriquez)
Rancho La Laguna was a Mexican land grant in present day Riverside County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Julian Manriquez. The rancho lands include the present day city of Lake Elsinore. At the time of the US Patent, Rancho Laguna was a part of San Diego County...
owner Augustin Machado in 1855. In 1876, Rancho Santa Rosa was sold to Englishman John Dear, who had sent his son, Parker, from England to inspect the rancho lands. Following flood events that twice destroyed the railroad connection of the California Southern Railroad
California Southern Railroad
The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego,...
with San Diego, Parker Dear was forced to put the ranch into receivership in 1894. Walter Vail, already a successful ranch owner in Arizona and owner of Santa Rosa Island
Santa Rosa Island, California
Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres . Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, Census Tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the 2000 census showed an official population of 2 persons. It is part of...
, bought Rancho Santa Rosa in 1904. The Vails continued to operate their cattle ranch for the next sixty years. In 1964, the Vails sold the ranch to the Kaiser Steel Company
Kaiser Steel
Kaiser Ventures is an American corporation, headquartered in Ontario, California. It was founded by Henry J. Kaiser to provide steel plate for the Pacific Coast shipbuilding industry, which expanded during World War II, then shrank, then expanded again during the Korean War...
, which master-planned Rancho California - the communities that today comprise the cities of Temecula
Temecula, California
Temecula is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States with a population of 100,097 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it the lowest populated American city over 100,000 population. It was incorporated on December 1, 1989...
and Murrieta
Murrieta, California
Murrieta has a Mediterranean climate or Dry-Summer Subtropical . Murrieta has plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of 263 sunshine days and 35 days with measurable precipitation annually....
.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Moreno and Machado Adobes. Two unrestored mid-19th-century adobes that are Riverside County’s oldest standing structures. The 8300 acres (33.6 km²)reserve now has four owners: the California Department of Fish and GameCalifornia Department of Fish and GameThe California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
, Riverside County, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniaMetropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniaThe Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the largest supplier of treated water in the US. The name is usually shortened to the "Metropolitan Water District" or simply "MWD". It is a cooperative of 14 cities and 12 municipal water districts that indirectly provides water to 18...
, and The Nature ConservancyThe Nature ConservancyThe Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
.