Rancho Los Coyotes facts for kids

Rancho Los Coyotes was a very large piece of land, about 48,806 acres (197.5 km²), given out in 1834. This land was part of a bigger grant called Rancho Los Nietos during the time California was under Mexican rule. Today, this area is in southeastern Los Angeles County and northwestern Orange County, California. Cities like Cerritos, La Mirada, Stanton, and Buena Park are now on what used to be Rancho Los Coyotes.

History of Rancho Los Coyotes

Back in 1834, the governor of California, José Figueroa, officially divided a huge land grant called Rancho Los Nietos. This was done because the family of Manuel Nieto, who originally owned the land, asked for it to be split. The original grant was about 167,000 acres (675.8 km²)!

The large Rancho Los Nietos was divided into five smaller ranches:

• Las Bolsas
• Los Alamitos
• Los Cerritos
• Los Coyotes
• Santa Gertrudes

Rancho Los Coyotes was given to Juan José Nieto, who was Manuel Nieto's oldest son.

New Owners and New Names

In 1840, Juan José Nieto sold Rancho Los Coyotes. The new owner was Juan Bautista Leandry, an immigrant from Italy who had moved to California in 1827. He was married to Maria Francisca Uribe.

Juan Bautista Leandry decided to give the rancho a new name: "La Buena Esperanza." This means "The Good Hope" in Spanish. However, most people still called it Los Coyotes.

Sadly, Leandry passed away in 1842. His wife, Maria Francisca Uribe, later married Francisco O'Campo.

California Becomes Part of the United States

After the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The peace agreement, 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 under U.S. law, people had to file them with a special group called the Public Land Commission. A claim for Rancho Los Coyotes was filed in 1852. Finally, in 1875, the ownership of the rancho was officially confirmed for Andrés Pico and Francisca Uribe de O'Campo.

Historic Sites of the Rancho

• Bacon House: This house was built around 1884. It was first built by someone unknown in a quiet part of Rancho Los Coyotes. Later, it became the home of Robert D. Bacon, a farmer from Buena Park who lived around the turn of the 20th century.