Rancho Jamul facts for kids

Rancho Jamul was a large piece of land, about 8,926 acres (36.12 km²), in what is now San Diego County, California. It was given as a Mexican land grant in 1829 by Governor José María de Echeandía to Pío Pico. Governor Manuel Victoria confirmed the grant again in 1831. This land stretched from the area we now call Jamul southeast towards Dulzura.

History of Rancho Jamul

Early Days of the Rancho

Pío Pico first received a temporary grant for this land from Governor Victoria in 1831. His brother, Andrés Pico, managed the rancho for a few years, from 1836 to 1838. Sadly, in 1837, the rancho was attacked by Native Americans, and everyone had to leave the land.

Changing Owners and Legal Battles

After California became part of the United States following the Mexican–American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo promised that old land grants would still be valid. Pío Pico tried to claim his land for Rancho Jamul in 1852, but his request was turned down in 1855. This happened because he didn't have enough paperwork to prove his ownership. Pico said his important papers were lost during the Native American attack on the rancho.

Meanwhile, in 1851, Pico's brother-in-law, John Forster, claimed he was selling Rancho Jamul for Pico. He sold it to Bonifacio Lopez, Philip Crosthwaite, Richard Rust, and William E. Rust. However, it seems nothing much came from this sale, and it later caused many legal problems about who truly owned Rancho Jamul.

The Burton Family Takes Over

In 1854, Captain Henry Stanton Burton and his wife, María Amparo Ruiz, moved onto Rancho Jamul. Captain Burton was stationed in San Diego at the time. María Burton later stated that her husband bought the land interests from Lopez, Crosthwaite, and the Rust brothers in 1853 and 1854.

Years later, in 1867, efforts began to officially recognize the grant for the Burton family. In 1870, María Burton arranged for Pío Pico to state that he had sold all his rights to the land to Captain Burton. Finally, in 1876, the official land grant for Rancho Jamul was given to Captain Henry S. Burton's family: his wife María A. Burton, his son Henry H. Burton, and his daughter Nellie Burton Pedrorena. Nellie had married Miguél de Pedrorena in 1875.

Later Years and New Businesses

Even after the grant was official, the rancho was used as a guarantee for loans, and many claims were made against the family's property. The legal issues continued for years, and Captain Burton's estate wasn't fully settled until 1891. The ownership of the rancho changed many times after that.

In 1889, María Burton and her son, Henry Burton, started a company called the Jamul Portland Cement Manufacturing Company. However, this business went bankrupt in 1892.

Later, in 1915, a well-known businessman named John D. Spreckels sold Rancho Jamul to Louis J. Wilde.