Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica was a 33000 acres (133.5 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Los Angeles County, California
given by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Francisco Sepulveda soldier and citizen of Los Angeles
. The rancho included what are now Santa Monica
, Brentwood
, Mandeville Canyon
, and parts of West Los Angeles
.
which also included the "potrero" of Santa Monica. In 1840 Francisco Sepulveda petitioned governor Alvarado to place him in "...pacific possession of the property, as Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes have given a bad example of disobedience and that under the strength of discordant documents they remain in possession of the place called Santa Monica".
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 Vicente y Santa Monica was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852. The dispute over the boundaries continued and was not settled until the question came into the United States courts. After long litigation, the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica grant was patented
to the Sepulveda heirs at 30260 acres (122 km²) in 1881.
In 1872, the Sepulveda's sold their Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica property to Robert S. Baker
. Baker sold a three quarter interest in the land to the Comstock
millionaire John Percival Jones in 1874.
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 Los Angeles County, California
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 by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Francisco Sepulveda soldier and citizen of Los Angeles
Pueblo de Los Angeles
El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles was the Spanish civilian pueblo founded in 1781, which by the 20th century became the American metropolis of Los Angeles....
. The rancho included what are now Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, Brentwood
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
Brentwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States. The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State...
, Mandeville Canyon
Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, California
Mandeville Canyon is a small community in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Its center is Mandeville Canyon Road, which begins at Sunset Boulevard and extends north towards Mulholland Drive, though it stops short of Mulholland and there is no automotive route between the two. Mandeville...
, and parts of West Los Angeles
West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
West Los Angeles is a district in Los Angeles, California, within a larger region known as the "Westside."-Geography and transportation:...
.
History
In 1839, Governor Alvarado gave possession to Francisco Sepulveda of the lands known as San Vicente, with a piece of pasture (potrero) named Santa Monica. But the boundaries of the lands were not well defined and there was soon a dispute as to the territory included. In 1839 Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes had received the grant to Rancho Boca de Santa MonicaRancho Boca de Santa Monica
Rancho Boca de Santa Monica was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Ysidro Reyes and Francisco Marquez.-History:...
which also included the "potrero" of Santa Monica. In 1840 Francisco Sepulveda petitioned governor Alvarado to place him in "...pacific possession of the property, as Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes have given a bad example of disobedience and that under the strength of discordant documents they remain in possession of the place called Santa Monica".
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 Vicente y Santa Monica 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. The dispute over the boundaries continued and was not settled until the question came into the United States courts. After long litigation, the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica 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 the Sepulveda heirs at 30260 acres (122 km²) in 1881.
In 1872, the Sepulveda's sold their Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica property to Robert S. Baker
Robert Symington Baker
Colonel Robert Symington Baker was a businessman and landowner originally from Rhode Island. He came to California in 1849 and engaged in mining supplies business in San Francisco...
. Baker sold a three quarter interest in the land to the Comstock
Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...
millionaire John Percival Jones in 1874.
Historic sites of the Rancho
The Sepulveda Adobe was the home of Jose Dolores Sepulveda, one of the sons of Francisco Sepulveda. It was probably located in the Sawtelle area, near the intersection of Bundy Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, close to springs discovered by Portola. The building no longer exists.External links
- Map of old Spanish and Mexican ranchos in Los Angeles County
- Diseño del Rancho San Vicente at The Bancroft Library
- otro Diseño del Rancho San Vicente at The Bancroft Library