Rancho La Laguna (Gutierrez) facts for kids
Rancho La Laguna was a huge piece of land in what is now Santa Barbara County, California. It was about 48,704-acre (197.10 km2), which is like 76 square miles! In 1845, the Mexican governor, Pio Pico, gave this land to Octaviano Gutierrez. The name "La Laguna" means "the Lake" in Spanish. This large ranch stretched along the Santa Ynez Valley, near where the town of Los Alamos is today.
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History of Rancho La Laguna
Octaviano Gutierrez and the Grant
Octaviano Gutierrez was born in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1794. He was a soldier at the Presidio of Santa Barbara, which was like a fort. In 1827, he married Maria Caledonia Ruiz. After serving in the Mexican army as an artillery sergeant, he was given the Rancho La Laguna. This was a special land grant from the government.
Changes After the Mexican-American War
California became part of the United States after the Mexican–American War ended in 1848. The peace treaty, called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid.
To make sure these land claims were official, the U.S. government created the Land Act of 1851. This law required landowners to prove they owned their land. Octaviano Gutierrez filed his claim for Rancho La Laguna in 1852. His ownership was officially confirmed in 1867.
New Owners and the Town of Los Alamos
In 1865, Octaviano Gutierrez sold a big part of his rancho to Dr. Samuel B. Brinkerhoff. Dr. Brinkerhoff was born in New York and moved to Santa Barbara in 1852. He worked there as a doctor.
Later, in 1876, a rich businessman from San Francisco named Thomas Bell bought land from Rancho La Laguna. His son, John S. Bell, and another person, James B. Shaw, also bought parts of the rancho. They also bought land from the neighboring Rancho Los Alamos.
The Bell and Shaw families decided to create a new town. They each gave up some of their land to form the town of Los Alamos. They made "Centennial Street" the main road in the new town.
