Rancho Buena Vista facts for kids
Rancho Buena Vista was a large piece of land, about 2,288 acres, given out by the Mexican government in 1845. It was located in what is now San Diego County, California. The land was given by Governor Pío Pico to a Native American man named Felipe. The name "Buena Vista" means "good view" in Spanish. This land was south of the San Luis Rey River and Rancho Monserate. It covered the area where the city of Vista is today.
History of Rancho Buena Vista
This land was once part of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia. The grant was first given to Felipe Subria, a Native American from the mission. His daughter, Maria La Garcia, later inherited the property. She was married to William B. Dunn. Maria then sold the land to Jesus Machado.
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States in 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, which said that land grants from Mexico would still be valid. A new law, the Land Act of 1851, required people to prove they owned their land. So, in 1853, a claim for Rancho Buena Vista was filed. The land was officially given to Jesús Machado.
Jesús Machado was born in 1823. In 1850, he married Lugarda Osuna de Alvarado. Her first husband, José María Alvarado, had died in the Pauma massacre. After Jesús Machado died, his son, Luis G. Machado, took over the rancho. Later, in 1860, Lorenzo Soto gained ownership of the rancho. This happened because of a foreclosure, which means he took the property when a loan wasn't paid back.
Lorenzo Soto was born in 1821. He was the son of Francisco Soto from Rancho San Lorenzo Baja. Lorenzo married María Ygnacia Morena after his first wife passed away in 1857. After Lorenzo Soto died, his wife married Tomas Alvarado from Rancho Monserate. They then sold Rancho Buena Vista to Cave Johnson Couts in 1866.
Cave Johnson Couts was born in Tennessee in 1821. He was a nephew of Cave Johnson. Couts graduated from West Point in 1843. He came to California in 1849 as a lieutenant with the United States Army. The army was in California after the Mexican-American War. Couts later left the army and settled in San Diego. In 1849, he was asked to map the lands of San Diego.
In 1851, Cave Johnson Couts married Ysidora Bandini. She was the daughter of Juan Bandini. Couts started buying a lot of land and became important in the area. He also owned Rancho Guajome and Rancho Vallecitos de San Marcos. In 1853, he was put in charge of helping the San Luis Rey Native Americans. Couts used Native American workers to improve his properties. After Couts died, his son, Cave J. Couts, Jr., managed the rancho.
In 1874, Couts' wife, Ysidora Bandini, gave Rancho Buena Vista to their daughter, Maria Antonia. This was a wedding gift when Maria Antonia married Chalmers Scott. Scott moved to San Diego, and Maria Antonia then gave the rancho to her sister, Ysidora. Ysidora was married to George Fuller.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Rancho Buena Vista Adobe.
