Rancho San Juan de Las Secuas facts for kids

Rancho San Juan de Las Secuas, also known as Rancho Secuan or Rancho Sequan, was a special piece of land in California's history. It was first given out by a mission, then later a man tried to make it a Mexican land grant. But he ended up leaving it, and the land became public again.

A Look Back: Rancho Secuan's Story

How It Started: Mission Land

In 1833, the leaders of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá wanted to protect some of their best grazing lands. They gave land near the Sweetwater River, close to where Dehesa is today, to a loyal church member named Apolinaria Lorenzana. She received official papers for this land. She also received land that later became Rancho Jamacha and Rancho Cañada de los Coches. For these two, she later got official Mexican land grants.

Rancho San Juan de Secuas included a village of the Kumeyaay people called Sequan. People from this village helped work on the ranches of Jamacha and Secuan. This village later became the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. Today, the Sycuan Reservation is located on this historic site.

A New Owner: Juan Bautista Lopez

Later, a man named Juan Bautista Lopez bought Rancho Secuan from Apolinaria Lorenzana. On May 2, 1839, he asked the government for an official grant for Rancho Secuan. The land was granted to him in 1839.

Lopez and his family lived on the ranch for a short time. However, they left it in 1840 for reasons we don't fully know. One idea is that there were conflicts with the Kumeyaay people from the mountains. These conflicts caused many ranch owners to leave their lands east of San Diego around that time. Another idea is that the Sequan village, which had helped Apolinaria Lorenzana, might not have been as happy with the new owner of Rancho Secuan.

What Happened Next

By 1843, Lopez had moved to San Vicente Valley. In 1846, he received another large land grant. This was for 13,316 acres (about 53.89 square kilometers) in the valley. This new rancho was called Rancho Cañada de San Vicente y Mesa del Padre Barona. He received it from Pío Pico, who was a former ally. In 1850, Lopez gave this rancho to his nephew, Domingo Yorba. In return, his nephew promised to take care of Lopez and his wife when they were old. Rancho Secuan was not part of this agreement.

The grant for Rancho Secuan was never officially presented to the Land Commission. This was different from Rancho Cañada de San Vicente, which was presented in 1852. Because it was not claimed, Rancho Secuan became public land. Later, a homesteader named John Stewart Harbison settled there. Today, this area is known as Dehesa.