Rancho La Laguna facts for kids

Rancho La Laguna was a very large piece of land, about 13,339 acres (which is about 54 square kilometers), given out by the Mexican government in 1844. This land grant was located in what is now Riverside County, California. Governor Manuel Micheltorena gave the land to Julian Manriquez. Today, the cities of Lake Elsinore and Wildomar are built on parts of this old rancho. When the United States officially recognized the land grant, Rancho Laguna was part of San Diego County. Riverside County was created later, in 1893, from parts of San Bernardino and San Diego Counties.

History of Rancho La Laguna

Julian Manriquez received the land grant in 1844. His adobe ranch house, a building made of sun-dried earth bricks, was located at the north end of the west side of the lake. In 1851, Manriquez sold the land to Abel Stearns.

After the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war, promised that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored. Because of a law called the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho La Laguna was officially filed in 1852. The land was formally given to Abel Stearns in 1872.

Stearns then sold Rancho Laguna to Augustin Machado in 1858. Augustin Machado built his own house and other buildings near the southwest corner of the lake. From 1857 to 1861, the rancho was an important stop for the Butterfield Overland Mail, a stagecoach service that carried mail and passengers between Los Angeles and Fort Yuma. The old Manriquez adobe house was used as the stage station.

In 1862, during the American Civil War, the rancho was used by the Union Army as Camp Laguna Grande. This camp was a place where horses could graze. After Augustin Machado passed away in 1865, his oldest son, Juan Bautista Machado, inherited the property.

In 1873, Juan Machado sold almost all of the rancho, except for 500 acres (about 2 square kilometers), to Charles A. Sumner, an English settler. Juan Machado kept the 500 acres on the west corner of the lake, where his house still stands. Sumner moved to the rancho with his family and lived in a ranch house that was a frame building.

In 1883, Franklin Heald, along with Donald Graham and William Collier, bought Rancho Laguna from Sumner. They worked together to create a new community. This community officially became the city of Elsinore (now Lake Elsinore) in 1888.

Historic Places of the Rancho

Manriquez Adobe: Laguna Grande Butterfield Stage Station Site

The first adobe building on the rancho was built on the south side of the lake. This building and the lake were described by Judge Benjamin Hayes in 1850. He noted that the lake water was salty and that the house was a strong adobe building.

Manriquez sold the rancho to Abel Stearns in 1851. In 1858, Stearns sold it to Augustin Machado. Soon after, Augustin Machado's Rancho La Laguna became the site of the Laguna Grande station for the Butterfield Overland Mail stage line. This station was about 20 miles north of the Temecula station and 10 miles south of the Temescal station.

The stage station was likely the former Manriquez Adobe. This building, which later had additions and a second story, stood until it was taken down in 1964. It was located at 32912 Macy Avenue, on the north end of the west side of the lake. At the turn of the century, it even served as the Willard post office. Today, three palm trees still grow in front of the vacant lot where the building once stood.

Machado House

Juan Machado, Augustin Machado's son, built an adobe home on the southwest side of the west corner of the lake. This house still exists today at 15410 Grand Avenue in Lake Elsinore. Juan built this home on the small piece of the rancho that he kept after selling the rest to Charles Sumner. The adobe house was later made part of a larger frame home, but it has recently been restored to its original two-room adobe form. This historic adobe is a short distance northwest of the old Laguna Grande Station site.

On September 2, 2017, the Machado House was damaged by a fire. The property had been empty for some time. Community leaders in Lake Elsinore started a campaign to raise money. This money would be used as a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the fire. Funds might also help with fixing and preserving this important historical building.

Willard, California

Willard was a small community that used to exist in Riverside County, California. It was located at the west corner of Lake Elsinore. Willard had its own post office, which was located in the old Laguna Butterfield Stage Station building at 32912 Macy Avenue. This post office operated from November 18, 1898, until September 30, 1902, when it was combined with the Elsinore post office. Willard later became part of the city of Lake Elsinore. The old post office building was torn down in 1964. Today, three palm trees still stand in front of the property along Macy Avenue.

The Willard Fault, which is part of the larger Elsinore Fault Zone, is named after this former town.