Rancho San Geronimo (Villavicencio) facts for kids
Rancho San Geronimo was a large piece of land in California. It covered about 8,893 acres (36 square kilometers). This land was given out by the Mexican government in 1842. Governor Juan Alvarado gave it to a person named Rafael Villavicencio.
The rancho was located along the Pacific coast. It stretched from south of what is now Harmony to north of Cayucos. A creek called Villa Creek runs through the middle of this land. This creek is named after the Villavicencio family. Rancho San Geronimo was next to another large land grant called Rancho Moro y Cayucos.
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History of Rancho San Geronimo
The Villavicencio Family
Rafael Villavicencio was born in 1803. He married María Ramona Louisa Armas in 1829. In 1842, Rafael was given the Rancho San Geronimo. It was about two square leagues in size.
Rafael, Ramona, and their five children moved to the rancho. Rafael built a large adobe house there. Adobe houses are made from sun-dried earth bricks.
California Becomes Part of the U.S.
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States in 1848. This change was agreed upon in a document called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid.
The U.S. government created a new law in 1851. This law asked landowners to prove they owned their land. Rafael Villavicencio filed a claim for Rancho San Geronimo in 1852. The government officially recognized his ownership in 1876. This official recognition is called a land patent.
Later Owners of the Rancho
After Rafael Villavicencio passed away, his son Roberto inherited most of the rancho. Roberto was born in 1835. He married Maria Guadalupe Higuera. Roberto later shortened the family name to Villa.
In 1865, Roberto sold the rancho to Wesley Burnett. Wesley was from Indiana. Later, in 1880, James H. Blackburn bought the rancho. James was known for owning Rancho Paso de Robles.
