Rancho El Tejón facts for kids
Rancho El Tejón was a very large piece of land, about 97,617 acres (39,504 km²), located in what is now Kern County, California. It was a Mexican land grant, which means it was given by the Mexican government to private citizens. In 1843, Governor Manuel Micheltorena granted this land to two people: José Antonio Aguirre and Ygnacio del Valle.
The name "El Tejón" means "The Badger" in Spanish. Today, this historic rancho is part of the much larger Tejon Ranch, which covers about 270,000 acres (1,093 km²).
Contents
History of Rancho El Tejón
How the Rancho Started: The Mexican Era
Rancho El Tejón was first given out during the time when California was part of Mexico. The two men who received the land, José Antonio Aguirre and Ygnacio del Valle, were important figures.
- José Antonio Aguirre (1799–1860) was a successful merchant. He lived in cities like Santa Barbara and San Diego.
- Ygnacio del Valle (1808–1880) owned a lot of land himself. He even served as an alcalde, which was like a mayor, for the Pueblo of Los Angeles.
Neither Aguirre nor del Valle lived on Rancho El Tejón. Instead, they hired a "mayordomo," or ranch foreman. This foreman was in charge of the vaqueros, who were skilled cowboys. The vaqueros' job was to look after the cattle on the vast rancho.
Changes Under American Rule: The American Era
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This change happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty promised that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored by the U.S. government.
To make these land grants official under U.S. law, a special process was created. In 1852, a claim for Rancho El Tejón was filed with the Public Land Commission. This commission checked if the land grant was valid. Finally, in 1863, the rancho was officially "patented" to Aguirre and del Valle. This means they received a legal document proving their ownership from the U.S. government.
The Sebastian Indian Reservation
From 1853 to 1864, a special place called the Sebastian Indian Reservation was located within a part of Rancho El Tejón. This was the very first Indian reservation in California. It was mainly used to help manage the Emigdiano band of the Chumash tribe. Edward F. Beale, who was the federal Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California, helped set up this reservation.
How Tejon Ranch Was Formed
Over time, the ownership of Rancho El Tejón changed.
- In 1857, José Antonio Aguirre sold his half of Rancho El Tejón to Jonathan (Juan) Temple.
- Then, in 1865, Edward F. Beale, the same person who helped create the Indian reservation, bought Rancho El Tejón from both Ygnacio del Valle and Juan Temple.
Edward F. Beale didn't stop there. He also bought three other large Mexican land grants: Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente, Rancho Castac, and Rancho La Liebre. By combining these four huge ranchos, Beale created what we know today as the Tejon Ranch.
