Rancho Dos Pueblos
Encyclopedia
Rancho Dos Pueblos was a 15535 acres (62.9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Santa Barbara County, California
given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Nicolas A. Den. The land extended along the Pacific coast to the northwest of the pueblo and Presidio of Santa Barbara
, from Goleta Slough
west to Dos Pueblos Canyon.
in 1836. Den had studied to become a medical doctor in Dublin, and although not yet graduated, became the first medical doctor in the Santa Barbara area. He married Rosa Hill, a daughter of Daniel A. Hill. He died in 1862, leaving ten children. In his will Den bequeathed the western half of the original Rancho Dos Pueblos grant to his wife Rosa Den, and the remaining half was placed in trust to be apportioned equally to their ten children when they came of age.
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 Dos Pueblos was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Nicolas A. Den in 1877.
In 1869, Rosa Den sold the easternmost 3600 acres (14.6 km²) to Colonel W.W. Hollister (1818 - 1886)
who named it Rancho Glen Annie in honor of his wife, Annie James Hollister. The minor heirs of Nicolas A. Den were still alive and there was a question of whether the property could be sold. Den's descendant Alfonso Den inherited the land now called Isla Vista
; he and some of his nine siblings were plaintiffs in a law suit, because when they were minors their land had been illegally sold to Hollister in 1869. San Francisco
lawyer, Thomas B. Bishop
, who specialized in transfers of Mexican land rights, sued Hollister on behalf of the Den children in 1876, and won the case in 1890. Bishop received much of the land owned by the Den children as a legal fee - land now called Bishop Ranch, near Glen Annie Road in the city of Goleta
.
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 Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Nicolas A. Den. The land extended along the Pacific coast to the northwest of the pueblo and Presidio of Santa Barbara
Presidio of Santa Barbara
The El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, was a military installation in Santa Barbara, California. It was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California...
, from Goleta Slough
Goleta Slough
The Goleta Slough is an area of estuary, tidal creeks, tidal marsh, and wetlands near Goleta, California, USA. It primarily consists of the filled and unfilled remnants of the historic inner Goleta Bay about 8 miles west of Santa Barbara...
west to Dos Pueblos Canyon.
History
Rancho Dos Pueblos was granted by the Mexican Government to Nicolas A. Den (1812 - 1862) in 1842. Den was an Irish immigrant who moved to Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
in 1836. Den had studied to become a medical doctor in Dublin, and although not yet graduated, became the first medical doctor in the Santa Barbara area. He married Rosa Hill, a daughter of Daniel A. Hill. He died in 1862, leaving ten children. In his will Den bequeathed the western half of the original Rancho Dos Pueblos grant to his wife Rosa Den, and the remaining half was placed in trust to be apportioned equally to their ten children when they came of age.
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 Dos Pueblos 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 Nicolas A. Den in 1877.
In 1869, Rosa Den sold the easternmost 3600 acres (14.6 km²) to Colonel W.W. Hollister (1818 - 1886)
William Welles Hollister
William Welles Hollister was a Californian rancher and entrepreneur.-Ancestors and early life :William Welles Hollister, was born on Jan...
who named it Rancho Glen Annie in honor of his wife, Annie James Hollister. The minor heirs of Nicolas A. Den were still alive and there was a question of whether the property could be sold. Den's descendant Alfonso Den inherited the land now called Isla Vista
Isla Vista, California
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
; he and some of his nine siblings were plaintiffs in a law suit, because when they were minors their land had been illegally sold to Hollister in 1869. San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
lawyer, Thomas B. Bishop
Thomas B. Bishop
Thomas Benton Bishop was a well known and successful San Francisco attorney.-Biography:Bishop practiced law as Garber, Thornton & Bishop; Garber, Boalt & Bishop; Garber & Bishop; Bishop& Wheeler; Bishop, Wheeler & Hoefler; and as Bishop, Hoefler, Cook & Harwood.In 1890, Bishop acquired one...
, who specialized in transfers of Mexican land rights, sued Hollister on behalf of the Den children in 1876, and won the case in 1890. Bishop received much of the land owned by the Den children as a legal fee - land now called Bishop Ranch, near Glen Annie Road in the city of Goleta
Goleta, California
Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...
.