Rancho San Jacinto Viejo facts for kids
Rancho San Jacinto Viejo was a very large piece of land, about 35,503 acres (which is about 144 square kilometers). It was a Mexican land grant given in 1842 by Governor Manuel Jimeno. This land is now in Riverside County, California.
The grant was given to José Antonio Estudillo. Today, the cities of Hemet and San Jacinto are located on what used to be this ranch. When the United States officially recognized the land grant, this area was part of San Diego County. Later, in 1893, Riverside County was created from parts of San Diego and San Bernardino Counties.
History of the Rancho
The Estudillo family was very important in early California. José María Estudillo was a captain at the Presidio of San Diego, which was like a military fort. His son, José Antonio Estudillo, was a lieutenant in the Mexican army.
In 1824, José Antonio Estudillo married María Victoria Dominguez. Her father, Juan José Dominguez, also had a large land grant called Rancho San Pedro. José Antonio Estudillo also worked as an administrator at Mission San Luis Rey starting in 1840.
The Estudillo family received several large land grants in the San Jacinto area. These grants came from lands that once belonged to Mission San Luis Rey. Rancho San Jacinto Viejo was given to José Antonio Estudillo in 1842. It was about four square leagues in size.
Two other ranches were also given to his family members. Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero was given to his son-in-law, Miguel Pedrorena, in 1846. His daughter, María del Rosario Estudillo, received Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante in 1846. Together, these three grants covered over 133,000 acres.
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty promised that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored.
So, in 1852, a claim for Rancho San Jacinto Viejo was filed with the Public Land Commission. This commission was set up to check and approve these old land grants. The grant was officially approved and given to José Antonio Estudillo's family in 1880.
