Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo facts for kids
Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo was a large piece of land, about 3,506-acre (14.19 km2), in what is now San Luis Obispo County, California. It was given as a Mexican land grant in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Concepción Boronda. The word "Potrero" means "pasture" in Spanish, which tells us it was likely used for grazing animals. This rancho was located north of the city of San Luis Obispo and included the area where Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is today.
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History of the Rancho
The story of Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo begins with the Boronda family. Manuel Boronda (1750-1826) was an important family member. He traveled with Junípero Serra to Alta California a long time ago. By 1790, Manuel Boronda was working at the Presidio of San Francisco. He married Maria Gertrudis Higuera.
The Boronda Family and the Grant
Manuel and Gertrudis Boronda had three sons. One of them was José Canuto Boronda (born 1792). He was a soldier in different places like Monterey and at Missions San Antonio, San Miguel, and San Juan Bautista.
José Canuto Boronda married Francisca Castro, and they had nine children. It seems he received the land grant for Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo around 1842. His daughter, Maria Concepcion "Chona" Boronda (1820-1906), later officially received the land title in 1870. She married Oliver Deleissegues, a French sea captain. After he passed away, she married Jose Maria Munoz, who was a lawyer, in 1851.
California Becomes Part of the United States
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This happened because of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty promised that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid.
To make sure these land grants were official under U.S. law, a special claim had to be filed. For Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo, a claim was made to the Public Land Commission in 1853. The official land title, called a patent, was given to María Concepción Boronda in 1870.
New Owners of the Rancho
In 1854, a man named Francisco Estevan Quintana (1809–1880) bought Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo. He bought it from Maria Concepcion "Chona" Boronda Munoz. Quintana had visited Alta California in 1839 and 1841. He had even bought another ranch near Paso Robles.
In 1843, Quintana traveled from New Mexico with his family and animals. They used the Old Spanish Trail to reach the San Bernardino Valley. Then they continued to San Luis Obispo in 1844. While there, he served as the alcalde (a type of mayor or judge) of San Luis Obispo in 1845 and 1849.
When Estevan Quintana passed away in 1880, his wife, Maria de Guadalupe Lujan Quintana, inherited the ranch house and the farm lands around it. The other half of the rancho went to the children of his daughter Manuela, who had also passed away. These children were Francisco, Estevan, and Benito Herrera, and their sisters Dolores and Hellena Herrera.
