Warner's Ranch
Encyclopedia
Warner's Ranch near Warner Springs, California
, was notable as a way station for large numbers of emigrants on the Southern Trail from 1849 to 1861, as it was a stop on both the Gila River Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail
stagecoach line (1859-1861). It also was operated as a pioneering cattle ranch.
The property, with two adobe
buildings from 1849 and 1857, was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1961. There is evidence that travelers stayed at the original 1849 ranch house.
Now operated as a hot springs resort, the ranch is located 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Warner Springs
.
Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station
, about 20 miles (32.2 km) to the northwest, is the only surviving station building from the stage line. It is also a National Historic Landmark.
American Indians
, who first encountered Europeans when Spanish
missionaries arrived in the area. The Cupeño were forced into the colonial
mission system and over time lost control of their land, although under Mexican law they were supposed to receive rights to land which they tilled and settled. They continued to live and work in the area, however.
In 1830 an American-born citizen called John Trumbull Warner left Connecticut and headed to California, passing through this valley. He worked as a fur trader and merchant in Los Angeles. By 1844, he had become a naturalized Mexican citizen and changed his name to Juan Jose Warner
. He received the Rancho San Jose del Valle
Mexican land grant. Warner established a successful cattle ranch.
On December 2, 1846, Stephen Watts Kearney, with a small command, reached the ranch on what proved to be his way to the Battle of San Pasqual
.
More importantly, from 1849-1861, Warner operated part of the ranch to serve travelers on the Gila River Emigrant Trail (part of the Southern Trail). He opened the only trading post between New Mexico and Los Angeles on a wagon road developed after the Mexican–American War
. Thousands of emigrants began flowing to California. This trail later was used by the Butterfield Overland Mail
stagecoach line, from 1857-1861.
When California became part of the United States, new obligations for taxes were applied to the Cupeño
. Many of them worked on the Warner ranch, which had a negative reputation for severe treatment of Indians. In 1851, at the beginning of the Garra Revolt, an uprising by the local Cupeño tribe under Antonio Garra, Warner was attacked at his ranch. He sent his family to Los Angeles. Some of the ranch buildings were burned, but Warner continued to operate it, until his grant was challenged by a former claimant.
Warner's Ranch was a stop on the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line
in 1857 and the Butterfield Overland Mail
stagecoach line between 1858 and 1860. It was linked to San Diego by the San Diego - Fort Yuma
mail route via the road through Santa Isabel to San Diego. Travelers rested here along their journey, after the trip through the desert.
During the American Civil War
, Union
troops established Camp Wright on the grounds of Warner's Ranch on October 18, 1861. The installation was designed to protect California from attack along the route of the emigrant travel route between Arizona
and California. Due to difficulties caused by frequent high winds on the exposed position, the location of the camp was moved by Major Edwin A. Rigg, 1st California Infantry
on November 23, 1861, to Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station
some 20 miles (32.2 km) to the north, also in San Diego County.
The ranch passed through several hands, until in 1880, John G. Downey
, former governor of California, became sole owner of Warner's Ranch. He started legal efforts in 1892 to evict the Cupeño. They challenged his actions under provisions of Mexican and United States law, but lost their case in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1901. The court ruled they were correct in their assessment of rights to the land, but had waited too long to press their claim. The case was followed closely by many citizens who had sympathy for the Cupeño. They tried to purchase their own land but were unable to raise sufficient funds. The local tribe was relocated to Pala Indian Reservation
on May 12, 1903.
The first advertising for the hot springs was in 1894. Gradually a resort was developed, called Warner Hot Springs, which became popular in the 1950s.
The remaining area of the ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1961. The property of 221 acre (0.89435606 km²) holds the remnants of the 1849 adobe ranch house and 1857 barn, both constructed during Warner's tenure. They have been stabilized.
The resort remains open and popular.
Warner Springs, California
Warner Springs is a small unincorporated community in northern San Diego County, California. It is associated with two National Historic Landmarks, the Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station and Warner's Ranch, both connected to the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. It is also near the...
, was notable as a way station for large numbers of emigrants on the Southern Trail from 1849 to 1861, as it was a stop on both the Gila River Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
stagecoach line (1859-1861). It also was operated as a pioneering cattle ranch.
The property, with two adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
buildings from 1849 and 1857, was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1961. There is evidence that travelers stayed at the original 1849 ranch house.
Now operated as a hot springs resort, the ranch is located 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Warner Springs
Warner Springs, California
Warner Springs is a small unincorporated community in northern San Diego County, California. It is associated with two National Historic Landmarks, the Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station and Warner's Ranch, both connected to the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. It is also near the...
.
Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station
Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station
Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station is located in Warner Springs, California and is the only surviving station on the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line...
, about 20 miles (32.2 km) to the northwest, is the only surviving station building from the stage line. It is also a National Historic Landmark.
History
This area had long been inhabited by the CupeñoCupeño
The Cupeño are a Native American tribe from Southern California. Their name in their own language is Kuupangaxwichem.They traditionally lived about inland and north of the modern day U.S.-Mexico border in the Peninsular Range of Southern California...
American Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, who first encountered Europeans when Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
missionaries arrived in the area. The Cupeño were forced into the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
mission system and over time lost control of their land, although under Mexican law they were supposed to receive rights to land which they tilled and settled. They continued to live and work in the area, however.
In 1830 an American-born citizen called John Trumbull Warner left Connecticut and headed to California, passing through this valley. He worked as a fur trader and merchant in Los Angeles. By 1844, he had become a naturalized Mexican citizen and changed his name to Juan Jose Warner
Juan Jose Warner
Juan Jose Warner , a naturalized American-Mexican citizen, developed Warner's Ranch in Warner Springs, California. From 1849-1861, the ranch was important as a stop for emigrant travelers on the Southern Trail, including the Gila River Emigrant Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line...
. He received the Rancho San Jose del Valle
Rancho San Jose del Valle
Rancho San Jose del Valle was a Mexican land grant in present day San Diego County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Jose Antonio Pico, and then given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Juan Jose Warner...
Mexican land grant. Warner established a successful cattle ranch.
On December 2, 1846, Stephen Watts Kearney, with a small command, reached the ranch on what proved to be his way to the Battle of San Pasqual
Battle of San Pasqual
The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican-American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley community of the city of San Diego, California. On December 6 and December 7, 1846, General Stephen W...
.
More importantly, from 1849-1861, Warner operated part of the ranch to serve travelers on the Gila River Emigrant Trail (part of the Southern Trail). He opened the only trading post between New Mexico and Los Angeles on a wagon road developed after the Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
. Thousands of emigrants began flowing to California. This trail later was used by the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
stagecoach line, from 1857-1861.
When California became part of the United States, new obligations for taxes were applied to the Cupeño
Cupeño
The Cupeño are a Native American tribe from Southern California. Their name in their own language is Kuupangaxwichem.They traditionally lived about inland and north of the modern day U.S.-Mexico border in the Peninsular Range of Southern California...
. Many of them worked on the Warner ranch, which had a negative reputation for severe treatment of Indians. In 1851, at the beginning of the Garra Revolt, an uprising by the local Cupeño tribe under Antonio Garra, Warner was attacked at his ranch. He sent his family to Los Angeles. Some of the ranch buildings were burned, but Warner continued to operate it, until his grant was challenged by a former claimant.
Warner's Ranch was a stop on the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line
San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line
The San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line, also known as the Jackass Mail, was the earliest overland stagecoach and mail operation from the eastern United States to California. It was the creation of organized and financed by James E. Birch the head of the California Stage Company. Birch was awarded the...
in 1857 and the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
stagecoach line between 1858 and 1860. It was linked to San Diego by the San Diego - Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma is a fort in California that is located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861 and was abandoned May 16, 1883, and transferred to the Department of the Interior. The Fort Yuma Indian School and a...
mail route via the road through Santa Isabel to San Diego. Travelers rested here along their journey, after the trip through the desert.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
troops established Camp Wright on the grounds of Warner's Ranch on October 18, 1861. The installation was designed to protect California from attack along the route of the emigrant travel route between Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and California. Due to difficulties caused by frequent high winds on the exposed position, the location of the camp was moved by Major Edwin A. Rigg, 1st California Infantry
1st California Infantry
The 1st Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States.-History:...
on November 23, 1861, to Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station
Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station
Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station is located in Warner Springs, California and is the only surviving station on the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line...
some 20 miles (32.2 km) to the north, also in San Diego County.
The ranch passed through several hands, until in 1880, John G. Downey
John G. Downey
John Gately Downey was an Irish-American politician and the seventh Governor of California from January 14, 1860 to January 10, 1862. Until the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003, Downey was California's only foreign-born governor...
, former governor of California, became sole owner of Warner's Ranch. He started legal efforts in 1892 to evict the Cupeño. They challenged his actions under provisions of Mexican and United States law, but lost their case in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1901. The court ruled they were correct in their assessment of rights to the land, but had waited too long to press their claim. The case was followed closely by many citizens who had sympathy for the Cupeño. They tried to purchase their own land but were unable to raise sufficient funds. The local tribe was relocated to Pala Indian Reservation
Pala Indian Reservation
The Pala Indian Reservation is located in the middle San Luis Rey River Valley in northern San Diego County, California, east of the community of Fallbrook, and has been assigned feature ID 272502. Historic variant names used to describe the area include Mission Indian Reservation and Mission...
on May 12, 1903.
The first advertising for the hot springs was in 1894. Gradually a resort was developed, called Warner Hot Springs, which became popular in the 1950s.
The remaining area of the ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1961. The property of 221 acre (0.89435606 km²) holds the remnants of the 1849 adobe ranch house and 1857 barn, both constructed during Warner's tenure. They have been stabilized.
Today
The historic portion includes an adobe ranch and barn which are severely deteriorated.The resort remains open and popular.
External links
- Camp Wright
- Warner Springs Resort
- Library of Congress, America's Memory
- Ranch House, Warner Ranch: 32 photos, 4 drawings, 99 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey
- Barn-Trading Post, Warner Ranch: 18 photos, 3 drawings, 14 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey