Rancho San Lucas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Rancho San Lucas
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 13⁄4 mi. SW of jct. of Paris Valley Rd. and Rancho San Lucas entry rd., San Lucas, California |
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| Area | 3,600 acres (1,500 ha) |
| Built | 1865 |
| Architect | Trescony, Catherine |
| Architectural style | Transverse adobe barn |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000530 |
| Added to NRHP | May 06, 1991 |
Rancho San Lucas was a very large piece of land in California. It was about 8,875 acres (3,591 hectares) big. This land was given as a Mexican land grant in 1842. A land grant meant the Mexican government gave land to people. This ranch was located in what is now Monterey County, California. It was along the west side of the Salinas River, south of the town called San Lucas.
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History of Rancho San Lucas
Early Owners of the Ranch
In 1842, a man named José Rafael Estrada received the land grant for Rancho San Lucas. He was the half-brother of Governor Juan B. Alvarado, who was the governor of California at that time.
Later, Rafael Estrada sold Rancho San Lucas to Captain James McKinley. Captain McKinley was a sailor from Scotland. He came to Monterey in the 1820s and became a very successful trader. He worked with other important people in business. Captain McKinley married Carmen Amesti. Her father owned another large ranch called Rancho Los Corralitos.
Changes After the Mexican-American War
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States in 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, which said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored.
Because of a new law called the Land Act of 1851, James McKinley had to file a claim for Rancho San Lucas. He did this in 1853. The United States government officially recognized his ownership of the land in 1882.
The Trescony Family Takes Over
In 1862, James McKinley sold Rancho San Lucas to Alberto Trescony. This happened during a time when many cattle ranches in California were struggling because of a bad drought.
Alberto Trescony was born in Italy and came to Monterey in 1842. He started as a tinsmith, making metal pans. He made enough money making pans for the California Gold Rush miners to start buying land.
Mr. Trescony bought more land, including parts of Rancho San Bernardo and all of Rancho San Benito. This made his ranch holdings around San Lucas about 20,000 acres (8,094 hectares) in total. He also bought Rancho Tularcitos.
In 1871 and 1872, another drought hit, and many of Trescony's sheep died. In 1876, he moved to Santa Cruz. He gave the job of running the ranch to his son, Julius A. Trescony.
Alberto Trescony later moved back to Monterey County. He passed away in 1892 in Salinas. He is buried in a cemetery in San Lucas, on land that he had given for the cemetery. His ranch was then divided among his three children.
