Rancho San Juan Capistrano del Camote facts for kids

Rancho San Juan Capistrano del Camote was a very large piece of land, about 44,284 acres, located in what is now San Luis Obispo County, California. Its name means "Saint John Capistrano of the sweet potato." However, the word "Camote" might have been a mistake in the old documents. It was probably meant to be "Camate," which was the name of a stream that flowed through the area. Today, this stream is called Camatta Creek. This rancho was located in the San Juan Valley, southeast of a town called Shandon, California.

History of the Rancho

How the Land Grant Started

On July 11, 1846, the governor of California at the time, Pío Pico, gave this huge piece of land to two men: Tomás Herrera and José María Quintana. Both of them originally came from New Mexico. This land grant was about "ten square leagues," which is a very old way to measure land.

Sheep Ranching in California

Unlike most ranches in Alta California (which was the name for California when it was part of Mexico), Rancho San Juan Capistrano raised sheep. Raising sheep was common in New Mexico. For a long time, California depended on New Mexico for wool products, which were traded for horses and mules along the Old Spanish Trail. But in the 1840s, more people from New Mexico moved to California, bringing their sheep with them. This started to change how ranching was done in California.

During the Mexican-American War

During the war between Mexico and the United States, Tomás Herrera and José María Quintana led a group of about 30 horsemen from New Mexico and Mexico. They fought against the American forces in a battle called the Battle of Natividad on November 16, 1846. After this, in 1847, the new owners of the rancho built two houses and started growing crops like wheat, barley, and some fruit trees. They also had about 400 cattle on the rancho.

The Land Claim is Rejected

After California became part of the United States, the owners of the rancho, Tomás Herrera and José María Quintana, tried to officially claim their land with the U.S. government. They filed their claim on August 14, 1852. However, the government commission rejected their claim on December 26, 1854. The main reason was that their land grant was dated July 11, 1846, which was just four days after American forces took control of Monterey, California. This made their grant seem invalid to the U.S. government.

Why the Rancho Claim Failed

The court officially dismissed the land claim on August 8, 1860. One reason given was that the owners did not continue to pursue the case in court. It was a very remote and challenging area at the time. It was also possible that the grant was truly invalid because it was made so soon after the American forces took control of Monterey. Because of these difficulties, no one else came forward to lend money to the owners or buy the land from them to continue the legal fight.

The San Juan Ranch

Becoming Public Land

After the claim was dismissed in 1860, the rancho became public land. It was surveyed, and then parts of it were sold to new owners.

New Owners and Growth

In 1874, a man from Canada named Robert Flint bought the main part of the old Rancho San Juan. He also bought more land along San Juan Creek and moved onto what he called the San Juan Ranch. Robert Flint raised cattle and grew crops in the fertile areas. He kept buying more land, and by the time he passed away in 1892, he owned a very large property of 58,175 acres.

Flint's two sons inherited the ranch. In 1898, they sold it to Henry Wreden, who was an immigrant from Germany. Henry Wreden passed away in 1931, but his two sons continued to operate the ranch until 1941. At that time, the San Juan Ranch was divided equally among the six remaining Wreden family members. Over time, these six pieces of land were sold and ended up with different owners.

Reassembling the Ranch Today

Even though the land was divided, a part of the original Rancho San Juan still exists as the San Juan Ranch today. It is located southeast of Shandon, California. In 1998, John and Brenda Stephenson bought an 8,300-acre piece of land. This included the original San Juan Ranch headquarters, an old adobe house, and a fresh spring that Tomás Herrera used to water his sheep long ago.

By buying this land, the Stephensons were able to keep the name San Juan Ranch. They have worked hard to buy back more parts of the original ranch. Through several more purchases, they have added another 25,000 acres, bringing the current San Juan Ranch to over 44,000 acres. They hope to buy back all the original land and keep its history of livestock farming alive.

Today, a part of the old San Juan Ranch is also home to the French Camp Vineyards.