Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante facts for kids

Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante was a very large piece of land in what is now Riverside County, California. It was about 48,847 acres (which is about 197.67 square kilometers). This land was given out as a Mexican land grant in 1846 by the Governor of California at the time, Pío Pico. The land was given to a woman named María del Rosario Estudillo de Aguirre.

The name "Sobrante" means "surplus" or "leftover." This rancho was made from the extra land that wasn't part of two other nearby ranchos: Rancho San Jacinto Viejo (belonging to Jose Antonio Estudillo) and Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero (belonging to Miguel Pedrorena). Today, the area of this rancho includes Lake Mathews.

When the United States officially recognized the land grant, Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante was part of San Bernardino County, California. Later, in 1893, Riverside County was created. This new county was formed using land from both San Diego and San Bernardino Counties.

History of the Rancho

María del Rosario Estudillo was the daughter of José Antonio Estudillo. Her father was the person who received the land grant for Rancho San Jacinto Viejo. In 1840, José Antonio Estudillo was put in charge of Mission San Luis Rey.

Three large land grants were given to the Estudillo family in the San Jacinto area. These grants covered over 133,000 acres (about 538 square kilometers) of land that used to belong to Mission San Luis Rey.

• Rancho San Jacinto Viejo was given to José Antonio Estudillo in 1842.
• Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero was given to his son-in-law, Miguel Pedrorena, in 1846.
• Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante was given to his daughter, María del Rosario Estudillo, also in 1846. This rancho was about five square leagues in size.

Family Connections

María del Rosario Estudillo was married to José Antonio Aguirre (1799–1860). Before marrying María del Rosario, Aguirre had been married to her older sister, Francisca Estudillo. José Antonio Aguirre also owned half of another rancho called Rancho El Tejón. In 1853, José Antonio Aguirre bought Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero. He bought it from the family of his brother-in-law, Miguel Pedrorena, after Miguel had passed away.

Land Claims After the 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 land grants given by Mexico would still be honored by the U.S. government.

To make sure these land grants were official, people had to file a claim. This was required by the Land Act of 1851. So, a claim for Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852.

In 1854, the Commission decided that María del Rosario Estudillo de Aguirre was allowed to have five square leagues of land. However, in 1855, a U.S. District Court said she was allowed to have eleven square leagues. This was if that much "sobrante" (surplus land) was found. If there was less, she would get all that was there.

The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1863, the Supreme Court agreed that she should receive eleven square leagues. Finally, the official land patent (a document proving ownership) was given to María del Rosario Estudillo de Aguirre in 1867.

Later Disputes Over the Land

Soon after the 1855 court decision, a group of people bought the land grant. Many of these buyers were connected to the U.S. Land Office. This included the Surveyor General (who oversees land surveys), his chief clerk, and the deputy who was supposed to measure the land.

There were claims that the location of the grant was moved. People said this was done so it would include valuable tin ores that were not originally within its true boundaries. In 1888, the United States government tried to get the U.S. Supreme Court to cancel the land patent. They argued that the survey was unfair and done by people who would benefit from it. However, the United States was not successful in this attempt.