Rancho San Jose
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Jose was a 22340 acres (90.4 km²) Mexican land grant
in northeastern Los Angeles County given in 1837 by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado
to Ygnacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar. Today, the communities of Pomona
, LaVerne
, San Dimas
, Diamond Bar
, Azusa
, Covina
, Walnut
, Glendora
, and Claremont
are located in whole or part on land that was once part of the Rancho San Jose.
owned by Maria Rita Valdez de Villa. The place was too crowded for the livestock of three families, so Palomares and Vejar sought their own land. In 1837, Mexican Governor Alvarado granted Rancho San Jose to Palomares and Vejar. The Rancho was created from land from the secularized Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
. The boundaries were laid out by Palomares and Vejar on March 19, 1837, the feast day of St. Joseph, thus leading the men to name the ranch after the saint. Father José Maria de Zalvidea
accompanied the party from the San Gabriel Mission, performing the first Christian religious ceremony in the Pomona Valley when he performed a benediction for settlers of the rancho under an oak tree located at what is now 458 Kenoak Place in Pomona
.
Luis Arenas, Ygnacio Palomares' brother-in-law, joined up with Palomares and Vejar, and they petitioned Governor Alvarado for additional grazing lands. They were granted the one square league addition, which became known as the Rancho San Jose Addition, in 1840. In 1846, Arenas sold his one third share of Rancho San Jose to Henry Dalton of Rancho Azusa de Dalton
.
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 San Jose was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
at 22340 acres (90.4 km²) to Dalton, Palomares and Vejar in 1875. A claim for the Rancho San Jose Addition was filed with the Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented at 4431 acres (17.9 km²) to Dalton, Palomares and Vejar in 1875.
Palomares and Vejar conducted sheep and cattle operations on Rancho San Jose, also growing crops for consumption by the residents of the rancho. In the early 1860s, a severe drought decimated the ranch's population of sheep and cattle. Ygancio Palomares died in 1864, and his widow began selling the ranch land in 1865. Vejar lost his share by foreclosure
to two Los Angeles merchants, Isaac Schlesinger and Hyman Tischler, in 1864. In 1866, Schlesinger and Tischler sold the ranch to Louis Phillips
.
. Ricardo Vejar married Maria Bendita Soto. Vejar owned a one third share of Rancho San Jose and was also the owner of Rancho Los Nogales
. Vejar was compelled to give up the deed to his section of Rancho San Jose to his creditors in 1864. He lived the rest of his years in the Spadra area with his family. He died in poverty in 1882.
land grant from Governor (pro-tem) Manuel Jimeno. In 1844 Henry Dalton purchased El Susa from Arenas, and also Arenas one third interest in Rancho San Jose. Arenas was a grantee of Rancho Pauba
in 1844, and Rancho Los Huecos
in 1846. His son, Cayetano Arenas, was secretary to Governor Pio Pico
and was the grantee of Rancho San Mateo
.
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 northeastern Los Angeles County given in 1837 by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado
Juan Bautista Alvarado
Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo was a Californio and twice Governor of Alta California from 1836 to 1837, and 1838 to 1842.-Early years:...
to Ygnacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar. Today, the communities of Pomona
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, LaVerne
Laverne, California
Laverne is a former settlement in Marin County, California. It was located west of Mill Valley.A post office operated at Laverne from 1909 to 1914....
, San Dimas
San Dimas, California
San Dimas is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 33,371. The city historically took its name from San Dismas Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above the northern section of present day San Dimas...
, Diamond Bar
Diamond Bar, California
Diamond Bar is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 55,544 at the 2010 census, down from 56,287 at the 2000 census. It is named after the "diamond over a bar" branding iron registered in 1918 by ranch owner Frederick E...
, Azusa
Azusa, California
Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 46,361 at the 2010 census, up from 44,712 at the 2000 census. Though sometimes assumed to be a compaction of the phrase "everything from A to Z in the USA" from an old Jack Benny joke, the place name "Azusa"...
, Covina
Covina, California
Covina is a small city in Los Angeles County, California about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley region. The population was 47,796 at the 2010 census, up from 46,837 at the 2000 census...
, Walnut
Walnut, California
Walnut is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 29,172 at the 2010 census and its current mayor is Tom King, a former Detective from the Los Angeles Police Department....
, Glendora
Glendora, California
Glendora is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the population of Glendora was 50,073....
, and Claremont
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
are located in whole or part on land that was once part of the Rancho San Jose.
History
Ygnacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar, owned a considerable number of horses and cattle, which they kept at Rancho Rodeo de las AguasRancho Rodeo de las Aguas
Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas was a land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in Maria Rita Valdez de Villa. Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas , is named for the streams that emptied into the area from out of the canyons above it, Cañada de las Aguas Frias and Cañada de los Encinos...
owned by Maria Rita Valdez de Villa. The place was too crowded for the livestock of three families, so Palomares and Vejar sought their own land. In 1837, Mexican Governor Alvarado granted Rancho San Jose to Palomares and Vejar. The Rancho was created from land from the secularized Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a fully functioning Roman Catholic mission and a historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. The settlement was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become 21 Spanish...
. The boundaries were laid out by Palomares and Vejar on March 19, 1837, the feast day of St. Joseph, thus leading the men to name the ranch after the saint. Father José Maria de Zalvidea
José Maria de Zalvidea
José Maria de Zalvidea was a Spanish Franciscan missionary.He was born at Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain, and became a Franciscan at the convent of San Mames, Cantabria, 13 December 1798...
accompanied the party from the San Gabriel Mission, performing the first Christian religious ceremony in the Pomona Valley when he performed a benediction for settlers of the rancho under an oak tree located at what is now 458 Kenoak Place in Pomona
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
.
Luis Arenas, Ygnacio Palomares' brother-in-law, joined up with Palomares and Vejar, and they petitioned Governor Alvarado for additional grazing lands. They were granted the one square league addition, which became known as the Rancho San Jose Addition, in 1840. In 1846, Arenas sold his one third share of Rancho San Jose to Henry Dalton of Rancho Azusa de Dalton
Rancho Azusa de Dalton
Rancho Azusa de Dalton was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Luis Arenas. Arenas sold his holdings three years later to Henry Dalton , a wealthy merchant from Los Angeles. Dalton named his holding Rancho Azusa de Dalton...
.
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 San Jose 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...
at 22340 acres (90.4 km²) to Dalton, Palomares and Vejar in 1875. A claim for the Rancho San Jose Addition was filed with the Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented at 4431 acres (17.9 km²) to Dalton, Palomares and Vejar in 1875.
Palomares and Vejar conducted sheep and cattle operations on Rancho San Jose, also growing crops for consumption by the residents of the rancho. In the early 1860s, a severe drought decimated the ranch's population of sheep and cattle. Ygancio Palomares died in 1864, and his widow began selling the ranch land in 1865. Vejar lost his share by foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
to two Los Angeles merchants, Isaac Schlesinger and Hyman Tischler, in 1864. In 1866, Schlesinger and Tischler sold the ranch to Louis Phillips
Louis Phillips
Louis Phillips was a wealthy land owner and rancher in Los Angeles County, California.-Biography:Louis Phillips was born in Prussia and moved to California in the early 1850s. He moved to Spadra in 1862 and began engaging in sheep herding and cattle raising...
.
Historic sites of the Rancho
Due in part to the slower growth of eastern Los Angeles County, and the early activities of the Historical Society of Pomona Valley, many of the historic buildings of the Rancho San Jose remain in existence today, several of them operated by the Historical Society. Historic sites of Rancho San Jose include the following:- La Casa Primera de Rancho San JoseLa Casa Primera de Rancho San JoseLa Casa Primera de Rancho San Jose is a historic adobe structure built in 1837 in Pomona, California. It is the oldest home located in the Pomona Valley and in the old Rancho San Jose land grant...
- the original adobe home of Ygnacio Palomares built in 1837; now operated by the Historical Society of Pomona Valley - La Casa Alvardo - an adobe home built in 1840 by Palomares' close friend, Yganacio Alvarado, near the Casa Primera
- Ygnacio Palomares AdobeYgnacio Palomares AdobeThe Ygnacio Palomares Adobe, also known as Adobe de Palomares, is a one-story adobe in Pomona, California, built between 1850 and 1855 as a residence for Don Ygnacio Palomares. The adobe was abandoned in the 1880s and was left to the elements until it was acquired by the City of Pomona in the 1930s...
- the second and larger adobe home built by Ygnacio Palomares between 1850 and 1855; now operated by the Historical Society of Pomona Valley - Phillips MansionPhillips MansionThe Phillips Mansion is a Second Empire style historic house in Pomona, Los Angeles County, California. It was built in 1875 by Louis Phillips, who by the 1890s had become the wealthiest man in Los Angeles County. Situated along the Butterfield Stage route, the Phillips Mansion became a center of...
- mansion built in 1875 by Louis PhillipsLouis PhillipsLouis Phillips was a wealthy land owner and rancher in Los Angeles County, California.-Biography:Louis Phillips was born in Prussia and moved to California in the early 1850s. He moved to Spadra in 1862 and began engaging in sheep herding and cattle raising...
, who bought 12000 acres (48.6 km²) consisting of the southern part of the Rancho in 1864; Phillips went on to become the richest man in Los Angeles County; the mansion is now operated by the Historic Society of Pomona Valley - San Dimas HotelSan Dimas HotelThe San Dimas Hotel, also known as Walker House, the Carruthers Home, and the San Dimas Mansion, is a historic structure in San Dimas, California, built by the San Jose Ranch Company in 1887. Originally built as a hotel, the structure had 33 rooms and 14 fireplaces...
- railroad hotel built by the San Jose Ranch Company in 1887 in anticipation of a land boom that went bust; the hotel never had a paying guest and became a private residence; now operated by the City of San Dimas
Ygnacio Palomares
Ygnacio Palomares ( - 1864) was the son of Cristobal Palomares. Ygnacio Palomares married Maria Concepcion Lopez in 1832. Ygnacio Palomares was active in Los Angeles politics in the 1830s and 1840s. He served as Juez de Campo (Country Judge) in 1834, and in 1840. He was Juez de Paz (Justice of the Peace) in 1841 and a regidor (councilman) in 1835, and again in 1838. He was an elector in 1843, voting for Santa Ana for the President of Mexico. In 1844, he was Captain of the Defensores (militia) and the following year he served as an alternate in the assembly. He was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1848.Ricardo Vejar
Nepomuceno Ricardo Vejar (1805 - 1882) was born in San Diego, the son of Francisco Salvador Vejar, a soldier in San Diego. The family moved to Los Angeles (Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas) in 1810. Ricardo Vejar served as Juez de Campo (Country Judge) in Los Angeles in 1833. Vejar's sister, Magdalena Vejar, was married to Jorge Morrillo, grantee of Rancho Potrero de Felipe LugoRancho Potrero de Felipe Lugo
Rancho Potrero de Felipe Lugo was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Teodoro Romero and Jorge Morillo. The name means pasture of Felipe Lugo. Felipe Lugo was the son of Antonio Maria Lugo of Rancho San Antonio...
. Ricardo Vejar married Maria Bendita Soto. Vejar owned a one third share of Rancho San Jose and was also the owner of Rancho Los Nogales
Rancho Los Nogales
Rancho Los Nogales was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Jose de la Luz Linares. The name means "Ranch of the Walnut Trees" in Spanish...
. Vejar was compelled to give up the deed to his section of Rancho San Jose to his creditors in 1864. He lived the rest of his years in the Spadra area with his family. He died in poverty in 1882.
Luis Arenas
Luis Arenas came to California, possibly in 1834, with a group of colonists. He was married to Josefa Palomares (1815 - 1901), the sister of Ygnacio Palomares. He was the alcalde of Los Angeles in 1838. On November 8, 1841, Luis Arenas received the Rancho El SusaRancho Azusa de Dalton
Rancho Azusa de Dalton was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Luis Arenas. Arenas sold his holdings three years later to Henry Dalton , a wealthy merchant from Los Angeles. Dalton named his holding Rancho Azusa de Dalton...
land grant from Governor (pro-tem) Manuel Jimeno. In 1844 Henry Dalton purchased El Susa from Arenas, and also Arenas one third interest in Rancho San Jose. Arenas was a grantee of Rancho Pauba
Rancho Pauba
Rancho Pauba was a Mexican land grant in present day Riverside County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Vicente Moraga and Luis Arenas. The grant was east of present day Temecula. At the time of the US patent, Rancho Pauba was a part of San Diego County...
in 1844, and Rancho Los Huecos
Rancho Los Huecos
Rancho Los Huecos was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Luis Arenas and John A. Rowland. The grant extended along the San Felipe Valley between present day Gilroy and Hollister at the foot of the Diablo Range. -History:Luis...
in 1846. His son, Cayetano Arenas, was secretary to Governor Pio Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
and was the grantee of Rancho San Mateo
Rancho San Mateo
Rancho San Mateo was a Mexican land grant in present day San Mateo County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Cayetano Arenas. Rancho San Mateo extended from the foothills to the bay and included Coyote Point, about one-half the present city of San Mateo, all of Burlingame and most...
.
External links
- Map of old Spanish and Mexican ranchos in Los Angeles County
- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assetserver/controller/view/search/CHS-6113 Photo of San Jose Ranch House, built by Ygnacio Palomares and owned by Louis PhillipsLouis PhillipsLouis Phillips was a wealthy land owner and rancher in Los Angeles County, California.-Biography:Louis Phillips was born in Prussia and moved to California in the early 1850s. He moved to Spadra in 1862 and began engaging in sheep herding and cattle raising...
, Spadra, ca.1875. The two-story house features an extended roof supported by posts that provides for a covered walkway around the building on both the first and second floors. Picket fence surrounds the house. People can be seen lounging on the walkways of the house. A man on a horse and two men on a horse-drawn carriage are visible in the foreground. A large hill, now called Elephant Hill, is visible behind the house to the south. From the University of Southern California, Digital Library. photographer, Charles C. Pierce, (1861-1946)]