Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente facts for kids

Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente was a huge piece of land in what is now Kern County, California. It was about 26,626 acres, which is like 20,000 football fields! This land was given out in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico, who was a leader in California when it was still part of Mexico. The land was given to three people: Francisco Lopes, Luis Jordan, and Vicente Botiller.

The name "Los Alamos y Agua Caliente" is Spanish and means "Cottonwoods and Hot Springs Ranch." This is because you can find native Fremont Cottonwood trees growing near natural springs on the land. Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente was located in the Tehachapi Mountains, right between two other large Mexican land grants called Rancho El Tejon and Rancho Castac. Today, this historic rancho is part of the much larger Tejon Ranch, which covers about 270,000 acres.

History of the Rancho

Early Land Grants

Before Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente was officially given out, there was an earlier attempt to grant some of this land. In 1843, another governor named Manuel Micheltorena tried to give a grant to Pedro Carrillo. This grant included areas like Hungry Valley and Peace Valley. However, Pedro Carrillo did not follow the rules for the grant. He didn't use the land as he was supposed to.

Governor Pico's Decision

Because Pedro Carrillo didn't follow the rules, Governor Pío Pico decided to take the land back in 1846. He said that since Carrillo hadn't used the land for seven months, it was hurting the area's development. So, Governor Pico decided to give the land to new people. On the very same day, he officially gave the land grant for Los Alamos y Agua Caliente to Francisco Lopes, Luis Jordan, and Vicente Botiller.

Later, in 1866, the ownership of this land was officially confirmed to Agustin Olvera. This new grant covered a slightly different area than the one Pedro Carrillo had failed to develop.

Becoming Part of Tejon Ranch

In 1865, a man named Edward Beale bought Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente. He bought it from Agustin Olvera and two other people, Cristobal Aguilar and James L. Gibbens. Edward Beale was very interested in owning large areas of land. He also bought three other Mexican land grants: Rancho El Tejon, Rancho Castac, and Rancho La Liebre. By combining these four large ranchos, Edward Beale created what we know today as the Tejon Ranch.