Rancho Lompoc facts for kids
Rancho Lompoc was a very large piece of land, about 42,085-acre (170.31 km2). It was a special gift of land, called a Mexican land grant, given in 1837. The land was located in what is now Santa Barbara County, California. Governor Juan B. Alvarado gave this grant to two brothers, Joaquín Carrillo and José Antonio Carrillo. Rancho Lompoc stretched from the area of modern-day Lompoc all the way west to the Pacific Ocean.
Contents
The Story of Rancho Lompoc
Who Were the Carrillo Brothers?
Joaquín Carrillo and José Antonio Carrillo were important people in early California. They were the sons of Domingo Antonio Ygnacio Carrillo and Maria Concepcion Nicanor Pico. José Joaquin Carrillo, one of the brothers, later became a judge in Santa Barbara County from 1851 to 1853. The Carrillo brothers also owned another large piece of land nearby called Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisma.
How Did the Land Become Part of the United States?
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States in 1848. This change was agreed upon in a document called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty said that the land grants given by Mexico, like Rancho Lompoc, would still be honored.
To make these land claims official under U.S. law, a special process was created. In 1853, a claim for Rancho Lompoc was filed with the Public Land Commission. This commission was set up to check and approve these old land grants. Finally, in 1873, the grant for Rancho Lompoc was officially given to Joaquín Carrillo and José Antonio Carrillo.
New Owners for Rancho Lompoc
By the mid-1850s, the cattle business in California started to slow down. Because of this, in 1860, the Carrillo brothers decided to sell Rancho Lompoc to a group of brothers known as the More brothers.
The More brothers became very big landowners in Santa Barbara County. At that time, Santa Barbara County was much larger and even included what is now Ventura County. Besides Rancho Lompoc, the More brothers owned other large ranches, including the nearby Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisma, Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy, Santa Rosa Island, and Rancho Sespe.
However, severe droughts in the early 1860s caused problems for the More brothers. They had to end their business partnership and divide their lands. In 1863, Rancho Lompoc and Rancho Mission Vieja de la Purisma were bought by new owners. These buyers included Col. W.W. Hollister, W.H. Hollister, Joseph W. Cooper, and Thomas Dibblee. They were known for raising sheep.
A New Community is Born
In 1874, the Hollister-Dibblee partners sold Rancho Lompoc again. This time, it was bought by a group called the Lompoc Land Company. This company had a special plan: they wanted to create a new community. This community would be a temperance colony, meaning people living there would agree to avoid alcohol. This was how the town of Lompoc began!
