Rancho Santa Ysabel (Arce) facts for kids
Rancho Santa Ysabel was a very large piece of land, about 17,774 acres, in what is now San Luis Obispo County, California. It was given as a Mexican land grant in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to a person named Francisco Arce. This huge rancho was located southeast of today's Paso Robles, between the Salinas River on the west and Huerhuero Creek on the east.
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History of Rancho Santa Ysabel
Francisco Casimiro Arce (1821–1878) came to Monterey as a boy in 1833. He became an officer in the Mexican cavalry. In 1844, he was given the Rancho Santa Ysabel, which was a large area of land that used to belong to Mission San Miguel Arcángel.
In 1846, something important happened on the rancho. A small group of Americans living in the area captured some horses from Lieutenant Arce. These horses were being taken to General José Castro. Taking these horses was one of the first steps in an uprising called the Bear Flag Revolt. This revolt was a big event that led to California becoming part of the United States. After this, Arce left California with José Castro in 1846.
Land Ownership After the War
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored. This meant that people who had received land from Mexico could keep it.
To make sure everyone's land was officially recognized, a new law called the Land Act of 1851 was created. Because of this law, Francisco Arce filed a claim for Rancho Santa Ysabel in 1852. His ownership of the land was officially confirmed in 1866.
Over the years, Arce sold parts of the rancho to different people. He sold land to Jeremiah Clark in 1853, to Manual Castro in 1855, to Theodoro Gonzales in 1859, and to Maurice Dore in 1874. Francisco Arce passed away in 1878.
New Owners and Development
In 1886, Chauncey Hatch Phillips bought Rancho Santa Ysabel. He then divided the large rancho into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces were sold as farm lots to people who wanted to settle in the area. This was happening because the arrival of the railroad made it easier for people to move there.
Chauncey Hatch Phillips's Role
Chauncey Hatch Phillips (1837–1902) was a businessman from San Luis Obispo, California. He was known for buying large Mexican land grants, dividing them, and then selling them to new settlers.
Phillips was born in Ohio. He moved to Napa in 1864 and worked as a teacher. He later studied law and worked for the Internal Revenue Service. In 1871, he moved to San Luis Obispo and opened a bank.
Phillips became very involved in real estate. In 1875, he bought Rancho Moro y Cayucos and helped plan the town of Cayucos. By 1878, he left the bank to focus completely on buying and selling land. In 1886, Phillips started his own company called the West Coast Land Company. He played a big part in developing many areas in California by making large ranchos available for smaller farms and homes.
