Rancho Santa Margarita facts for kids
Rancho Santa Margarita is a very old and large piece of land in central California. It's located in the Santa Lucia Mountains in San Luis Obispo County. This land was once a huge ranch, about 17,735-acre (71.77 km2)!
It was given as a "land grant" by the Mexican government in 1841. A land grant was like a special gift of land. Governor Manuel Jimeno Casarin gave this land to a person named Joaquín Estrada. Today, the town of Santa Margarita is part of this historic area. The land is still used as a ranch today.
Contents
History of Rancho Santa Margarita
Early Days and the Estrada Family
Joaquín Tomas Estrada (born in 1815) was born in Monterey. At that time, California was part of Spain. The land for Rancho Santa Margarita was originally part of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. In 1841, Joaquín Estrada received this large land grant. His older half-brother, Juan Bautista Alvarado, was the Governor of California for independent Mexico at that time.
Joaquín Estrada and his wife, Maria de Jesus, lived at the ranch headquarters. His brother, Pedro Estrada, also received a nearby land grant called Rancho Asuncion in 1845. This happened after a law called the Mexican secularization act of 1833. This law changed how mission lands were used. Joaquín Estrada later became involved in local government. He was elected to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors in 1852. He also served as County Treasurer.
California Becomes Part of the United States
After the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, which said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid.
Because of a new law called the Land Act of 1851, Joaquín Estrada had to file a claim for his land. He did this in 1852. His ownership of Rancho Santa Margarita was officially confirmed in 1861.
The Murphy Family Takes Over
In 1861, Joaquín Estrada sold the rancho to Martin Murphy Jr. and his wife, Mary. They were from Sunnyvale and had come to California in 1844. The Murphys asked their son, Patrick Murphy, to manage the ranch. Patrick Murphy was a General in the California National Guard.
Patrick Murphy managed Rancho Santa Margarita, along with two other large ranches nearby: Rancho Atascadero and Rancho Asuncion. Together, these lands were huge, about 61,000 acres (247 km2)! Patrick Murphy married Mary Kate O'Brien in 1870. In 1876, he also bought another large ranch called Rancho Cojo.
Railroad and New Owners
In 1889, Patrick Murphy wanted to bring the Southern Pacific Railroad to Rancho Santa Margarita. He sold them land near the ranch house to make this happen. However, his plans to bring more people to buy land didn't work out very well. Patrick Murphy passed away in 1901.
In 1904, the Murphy family sold Rancho Santa Margarita to three brothers: Ferdinand, Christian, and Gustav Reis. These brothers were from Germany and had become wealthy during the California Gold Rush.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
- Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia – This was a sub-mission (a smaller mission outpost) that was started in 1782. It was built on land that later became part of Rancho Santa Margarita.
