Rancho Cañada de los Pinos facts for kids

Rancho Cañada de los Pinos, also known as College Rancho, was a very large piece of land in what is now Santa Barbara County, California. It was about 35,499 acres (143.66 square kilometers) big. This land was given out by the Mexican government as a land grant. It stretched along the north bank of the Santa Ynez River. The ranch included the area where Mission Santa Inés and the town of Santa Ynez are today, in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley.

A Look Back: The History of Rancho Cañada de los Pinos

This large ranch was first given to the Seminary of Santa Inez. This was a school for priests. The Catholic Church kept control of this land. This happened even after the missions, which were religious settlements, changed how they were managed.

How the Land Became Part of the United States

After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States. This change was called the Mexican Cession. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848. This treaty said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be respected.

In 1853, a leader of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, asked for the return of all former mission lands. The United States had a law called the Land Act of 1851. This law required people to prove they owned their land. So, a claim for Rancho Cañada de los Pinos was filed. This claim went to the Public Land Commission in 1853.

Finally, in 1861, the ownership of the land was officially confirmed. It was given to Bishop J. S. Alemany, who represented the Catholic Church. This meant the church officially owned the land.