Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal facts for kids
Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal was a very large piece of land, about 14,335 acres (which is about 58 square kilometers), located in what is now San Luis Obispo County, California. It was given out as a Mexican land grant in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to a person named Francisco Quijada. This rancho stretched along the Pacific coast, just south of a place called Oceano today. It was bordered by Rancho Pismo to the north and Rancho Guadalupe to the south.
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A Gift of Land: Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal
This section will explain how Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal came to be and who owned it over time.
The First Owners: The Quijada Family
The story of Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal begins with the Quijada family. Vicente Quijada (born around 1755) arrived in California in 1781 as part of an expedition. He was one of the first soldiers to help establish the Santa Barbara garrison in 1782. Vicente had a son named Francisco Quijada, who was the first person to officially receive the land grant for Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal in 1837.
Changing Hands: From Quijada to Burton
Over time, parts of the rancho were sold. Pedro Regalado Cordero, who was married to Maria Dolores Claudia Quijada (Vicente's daughter), sold his share of Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal in 1846. Other members of the Quijada family, including Manuela, Nasario, and Francisco Quijada, also sold their parts of the land.
The person who bought these shares was Lewis T. Burton (1809–1879). He was from Tennessee and came to California in 1831. He was an important person in the area, even becoming the first American Mayor of Santa Barbara in 1850.
The United States Takes Over
After the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, which said that the US would respect the land grants given by Mexico.
To make sure these land claims were official, the US government created the Public Land Commission in 1851. Lewis T. Burton filed a claim for Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal in 1852. After a review, the land was officially "patented" to him in 1867. This means he received a special document proving his ownership from the US government.
New Owners: Branch and Steele
In 1856, Lewis T. Burton sold Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal to Francis Ziba Branch (1802–1874). Francis Branch already owned several other ranchos in the area, including Rancho Santa Manuela and parts of Rancho Arroyo Grande and Rancho Pismo.
Later, in 1866, Francis Branch sold a part of Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal to a family of dairymen: George Steele and his brothers Edgar W., Isaac C., and Rensselaer E. Steele. This shows how the large rancho began to be divided into smaller pieces over time.
