Rancho La Liebre
Encyclopedia
Rancho La Liebre was a 48800 acres (197.5 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Kern County, California
and Los Angeles County
given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico
to Jose Maria Flores
. Liebre means "Rabbit" in Spanish and the rancho was named as such because of the abundance of jack rabbits in the area. The rancho was mostly in the mountainous terrain of the Tehachapi Mountains
, in the northwest part of Los Angeles County, to the west of the Antelope Valley
and Mojave Desert
. The rancho is now a part of the 270000 acres (1,093 km²) Tejon Ranch
.
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. Flores nearly lost his entitlement to the rancho when the Public Land Commission
declared the grant to be fraudulently obtained. The Land Commission contended that Pico back dated many of the land grants he issued and that Rancho La Liebre was granted while California was under American control and no longer a part of Mexico. However, Flores won an appeal and kept the title. The grant was patented
to Jose Maria Flores in 1875.
In 1855 Edward Beale
purchased Rancho La Liebre from Flores. It was the first of the four Mexican Land Grants (Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente
, Rancho El Tejon
, and Rancho Castac
) that Beale would acquire to create the present Tejon Ranch.
. The house was the administrative headquarters for the nearly 270000 acres (1,093 km²)of ranch land that expanded over both Los Angeles and Kern Counties. It is a half mile south of State Route 138, approximately ten miles east of Interstate 5.
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 Kern County, California
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
and Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
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 Jose Maria Flores
José Mariá Flores
General José María Flores was an officer in the Mexican Army and was a member of la otra banda. He was appointed Governor and Comandante General pro tem of Alta California from 1846 to 1847.-Mexican-America War:...
. Liebre means "Rabbit" in Spanish and the rancho was named as such because of the abundance of jack rabbits in the area. The rancho was mostly in the mountainous terrain of the Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
, in the northwest part of Los Angeles County, to the west of the Antelope Valley
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
and Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
. The rancho is now a part of the 270000 acres (1,093 km²) Tejon Ranch
Tejon Ranch
The Tejon Ranch Company , based in Lebec, California, is one of the largest private landowners in California. [The federally-gifted lands still held by the Catellus Corporation, a successor to the Southern Pacific Land Company, are much more extensive.] It was incorporated in 1936 to organise the...
.
History
Flores was the commander and chief of the Mexican forces in California during the Mexican-American War.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. Flores nearly lost his entitlement to the rancho when 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...
declared the grant to be fraudulently obtained. The Land Commission contended that Pico back dated many of the land grants he issued and that Rancho La Liebre was granted while California was under American control and no longer a part of Mexico. However, Flores won an appeal and kept the title. 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 Jose Maria Flores in 1875.
In 1855 Edward Beale
Edward Fitzgerald Beale
Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale was a national figure in 19th century America. He was naval officer, military general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affairs superintendent, California rancher, diplomat, and friend of Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill Cody and Ulysses S. Grant...
purchased Rancho La Liebre from Flores. It was the first of the four Mexican Land Grants (Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente
Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente
Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente was a Mexican land grant in present day Kern County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Francisco Lopes, Luis Jordan and Vicente Botiller. The name means "Cottonwoods and Warm Water Ranch" in Spanish. The native riparian Fremont Cotonwood grow...
, Rancho El Tejon
Rancho El Tejon
Rancho El Tejon was a Mexican land grant in the Tehachapi Mountains, in present day Kern County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to José Antonio Aguirre and Ygnacio del Valle...
, and Rancho Castac
Rancho Castac
This is an article about a former California rancho. For a community of a similar name in the same general area, see Castaic, California.Rancho Castac or Rancho Castec was a Mexican land grant in present-day Kern and Los Angeles counties, California, made by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Jose...
) that Beale would acquire to create the present Tejon Ranch.
Historic sites of the Rancho
La Casa del Rancho La Liebre is the adobe built by Edward F. Beale in the late 1850s in Bear Canyon (Canon de las Osas). By the time Beale acquired La Liebre, he had married Mary Edwards and had a son named TruxtunTruxtun Beale
Truxtun Beale was an American diplomat.-Biography:Beale was born in San Francisco to Edward Fitzgerald Beale and Mary Engle Edwards; his siblings were Mary and Emily . He was named for his grand-father Commodore Thomas Truxtun...
. The house was the administrative headquarters for the nearly 270000 acres (1,093 km²)of ranch land that expanded over both Los Angeles and Kern Counties. It is a half mile south of State Route 138, approximately ten miles east of Interstate 5.