Rancho Punta de Laguna
Encyclopedia
Rancho Punta de Laguna was a 26648 acres (107.8 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day northern Santa Barbara County, California
and southern San Luis Obispo County
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Luis Arellanes and Emigdio Miguel Ortega. The name of this rancho means "point of the lagoon" and refers to the irregular lake lying within its territory. The grant is east of Rancho Guadalupe
and encompassed present day Santa Maria
and Betteravia
.
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 Punta de Laguna was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Luis Arellanes and Emigdio Miguel Ortega in 1873.
Rancho Punta de Laguna shared a common border Rancho Guadalupe, but a combination of vague definition and government errors produced three different surveys and two patents and lengthy litigation. A third survey pushed the boundary with Rancho Punta de Laguna east. However, the boundary of Rancho Punta de Laguna, was fixed by its patented in 1873. After seven more years of litigation, in 1880 the US confirmed the owners of Rancho Guadalupe, leaving the owners of Rancho Punta de Laguna short. The Rancho Punta de Laguna owners then turned to the U.S. Congress
. In 1890, Congress gave the Rancho Punta de Laguna owners rights to unoccupied California land equal to what they had lost.
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 northern 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:...
and southern San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
to Luis Arellanes and Emigdio Miguel Ortega. The name of this rancho means "point of the lagoon" and refers to the irregular lake lying within its territory. The grant is east of Rancho Guadalupe
Rancho Guadalupe
Rancho Guadalupe was a Mexican land grant in present day northwestern Santa Barbara County and southwestern San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Diego Olivera and Teodoro Arellanes...
and encompassed present day Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...
and Betteravia
Betteravia, California
Betteravia, named for the French word for sugar beet roots, was a community in northern Santa Barbara County, California on Betteravia Road, six miles west of Santa Maria...
.
History
Luis Arellanes and Emigdio Miguel Ortega were granted the six square league Rancho Punta de Laguna in 1844. Emigdio Miguel Ortega (1813–1893), son of Juan Capistrano Martin Ortega (1776–1818) and Maria Rafela Arellanes (1790-), married Maria Concepcion Jacinta Dominguez (1817–) in 1836.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 Punta de Laguna 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 Luis Arellanes and Emigdio Miguel Ortega in 1873.
Rancho Punta de Laguna shared a common border Rancho Guadalupe, but a combination of vague definition and government errors produced three different surveys and two patents and lengthy litigation. A third survey pushed the boundary with Rancho Punta de Laguna east. However, the boundary of Rancho Punta de Laguna, was fixed by its patented in 1873. After seven more years of litigation, in 1880 the US confirmed the owners of Rancho Guadalupe, leaving the owners of Rancho Punta de Laguna short. The Rancho Punta de Laguna owners then turned to the U.S. Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. In 1890, Congress gave the Rancho Punta de Laguna owners rights to unoccupied California land equal to what they had lost.