Rancho Paso de Robles facts for kids

Rancho Paso de Robles was a huge piece of land, about 25,993 acres (105.19 km²), given as a Mexican land grant in 1844. This happened in what is now San Luis Obispo County, California. The land was given by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to a person named José Pedro Narváez. The name "Paso de Robles" means "Pass of the Oaks," which sounds pretty cool! Today, the cities of Paso Robles and Templeton are located on what used to be this rancho.

The History of Rancho Paso de Robles

The Rancho Paso de Robles was a very large grant, covering about six square leagues. It was first given to José Pedro Narváez, who was an officer in the Mexican navy. He worked as the captain of the port in Monterey from 1839 to 1844. In 1845, Narváez sold the rancho to Petronilo Ríos.

Petronilo Ríos: A Soldier and Landowner

Petronilo Ríos (1806–1870) was a Mexican soldier who arrived in California in the mid-1820s. He married Catarina Avila in 1832. In the 1830s, Ríos often traveled between Monterey and Mission San Miguel Arcángel. At the mission, he was a corporal, which meant he was a soldier in charge of the mission guard.

In 1835, Ríos built the Rios-Caledonia Adobe with the help of local Native American workers. An adobe is a type of building made from sun-dried earth bricks. In 1839, he was promoted to commander of artillery at the military fort in Monterey. He retired from the military in 1840.

In 1842, Ríos received another land grant called Rancho San Bernabe and moved his family there. However, in 1845, he moved his family again, this time to Rancho Paso de Robles. In 1851, Ríos and his family moved into the Rios-Caledonia Adobe.

California Becomes Part of the United States

After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States. This change was agreed upon in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored by the United States government.

Because of a new law called the Land Act of 1851, people who owned land grants had to prove their ownership. So, in 1852, a claim for Rancho Paso de Robles was filed with the Public Land Commission. This group was set up to check all the land claims. Finally, in 1886, the ownership of the rancho was officially recognized and "patented" to Petronilo Ríos. This meant he was the legal owner under U.S. law.

New Owners and the Rancho's Future

In 1857, Petronilo Ríos sold Rancho Paso de Robles and moved to Santa Clara. The entire rancho was bought by James H. Blackburn, Daniel Drew Blackburn, and Lazard Godchaux. The Blackburn brothers were from Virginia and came to California in 1849.

In 1860, the new owners divided the rancho. D.D. Blackburn took one part of the land that included the famous hot springs. In 1865, D.D. Blackburn sold half of his share to Drury W. James. James had come from Kentucky to California in 1849. He used to drive cattle from Santa Clara to the gold mines and later bought cattle from as far south as Los Angeles. James had actually stopped at the Paso Robles hot springs during a cattle-buying trip way back in 1851!

Interestingly, J.H. Blackburn never married, but D. D. Blackburn and D. W. James married sisters, Celia and Louisa Dunn, in 1866.