Rancho Potreros de San Juan Capistrano facts for kids
Rancho Potreros de San Juan Capistrano was a large piece of land in California, about 1,168 acres (4.7 square kilometers). It was a special type of land called a Mexican land grant. This grant was given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to a person named John Forster.
The rancho was made up of three separate areas. These areas were called Rancho Potrero los Pinos (523 acres), Rancho Potrero el Cariso (168 acres), and Rancho Potrero de la Cienega (477 acres). These lands were located in the Santa Ana Mountains. Today, they are part of the Cleveland National Forest in what is now Orange County and Riverside County, California.
History of the Rancho Land Grant
In 1845, John Forster received these three small mountain areas. They were called potreros, which means "pasture areas" in Spanish. These lands used to belong to the Mission San Juan Capistrano. The three areas were Potrero Los Pinos, Potrero El Cariso, and Potrero de Los Cienega. Potrero Los Pinos and El Cariso were in the upper part of the San Juan Creek watershed. Potrero de Los Cienega was in the upper part of San Mateo Creek.
Changes After the Mexican-American War
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This change happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty said that the United States would respect the land grants given by the Mexican government.
To make sure these land grants were official, a new law was passed in 1851. This law was called the Land Act of 1851. It required people who owned land grants to file a claim with the government. John Forster filed a claim for Rancho Potreros de San Juan Capistrano in 1852. His ownership of the land was officially confirmed, or "patented," in 1866.
