Rancho San Luisito facts for kids
Rancho San Luisito was a large piece of land, about 4,389 acres (17.76 km2), in what is now San Luis Obispo County, California. This land was given as a Mexican land grant in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to a person named José de Guadalupe Cantúa. The rancho was located between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo, following along San Luisito Creek and Chorro Creek. It also included a mountain called Hollister Peak.
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History of Rancho San Luisito
The story of Rancho San Luisito begins with the Cantua family. Ygnacio Cantua, an important ancestor, arrived in California as a soldier in 1774 with the De Anza Expedition. He was one of the first people to settle in San Juan Bautista in 1788.
The Cantua Family and Their Land
Ygnacio's son, José de Guadalupe Cantúa (born in 1786), also served in the army. He was stationed in San Juan Bautista and explored the area around Arroyo Cantúa. A creek, Cantua Creek, is named after him.
José de Guadalupe Cantúa had several children. His daughter, Maria Guadalupe Cantua, married Jose Hermenegildo Vásquez. Their son, Tiburcio Vásquez, became a well-known figure in California history.
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 promised that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid.
To make sure these land grants were official under U.S. law, a special claim for Rancho San Luisito was filed in 1852. This was required by the Land Act of 1851. The land was officially granted to Guadalupe Cantua in 1860.
New Owners and Important Figures
In 1859, Guadalupe Cantua sold part of Rancho San Luisito to Captain John Wilson. Captain Wilson (1797–1861) was a sea captain and trader from Scotland who came to California in 1830. He is even mentioned in a famous book called Two Years Before the Mast.
In 1837, Captain Wilson married María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco (1812–1888). She was the widow of José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco. María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco was also the owner of another large land grant called Rancho Suey. Her mother, Maria Ygnacia Lopez de Carrillo, owned Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa.
Captain Wilson and his business partner, James Scott, owned other ranchos too, including Rancho El Chorro and Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay. In 1845, Captain Wilson moved his family to Rancho Cañada de los Osos & Pacheco y Islay, where he built an adobe home and lived until he passed away in 1860.
After a big drought between 1862 and 1864, Rancho San Luisito was sold to William Welles Hollister.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
The Hollister Adobe
The Hollister Adobe is an important historic building on the rancho. Guadalupe Cantua added to the original San Luisito Adobe in 1841. Parts of this old adobe building are still standing today on the Cuesta College campus. It is now known as the Hollister Adobe because the Joseph Hollister family moved to this ranch and into the adobe in 1866.
