Rancho Valle de San Felipe facts for kids
Rancho Valle de San Felipe was a large piece of land, about 9,972 acres, given out by the Mexican government in 1846. It was located in what is now San Diego County, California, in the San Felipe Valley. The land was granted by Governor Pío Pico to a person named Felipe Castillo. This rancho was found in the Laguna Mountains, east of where Julian is today.
Contents
History of the Rancho
The Rancho Valle de San Felipe was given to Felipe Castillo in 1846. When he passed away in 1848, Castillo left the land to his four children: Loreto, Manuel, Refugio, and Elena.
In 1850, Castillo's children sold the rancho to John Forster. John Forster was born in England in 1815 and came to California in 1833. He married Ysidora Pico, who was the sister of Governor Pío Pico. John Forster owned other large land areas, like Rancho de la Nación and Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores.
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States in 1848. The peace agreement, called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid. So, in 1852, a claim for Rancho Valle de San Felipe was made to the United States government. John Forster officially received the land title in 1866.
Later, Forster sold the rancho to François Louis Alfred Pioche, a banker from San Francisco. Many years later, in 1890, Felipe Castillo's daughter tried to claim a part of the land back, but she was not successful.
San Felipe Station: A Desert Stop
The land of the rancho near what is now called Scissors Crossing became an important rest stop for travelers. People crossing the Colorado Desert on the Southern Emigrant Trail would stop here to recover. From 1857, it was used as a water and rest stop by the San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line.
The Butterfield Overland Mail Headquarters
Later, this spot became known as San Felipe Station. It was a major stop for the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach service. It even served as the main office for the Mail Agent who managed twelve other stage stations between Warner's Ranch and Fort Yuma.
San Felipe Station was located about 10 miles southeast of Warner's Ranch. It was also 18 miles northeast of Vallecito Station. The station was a huge storage place for supplies. It could hold up to 48 tons of barley and 36 tons of hay for the horses used at other desert stops. The nearby fields were used for horses to rest and get strong again before they went back to work.
The station also had a harness maker to fix or create new harnesses for the stagecoaches. Two coaches and their drivers were also based there. To help travelers, there was a cook and a hotel keeper who provided food and beds. Staff and their families also lived at the station.
Military Outpost During the Civil War
From 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War, San Felipe Station became a military outpost for the Union Army. It was called Camp San Filipe. Soldiers used it as a rest stop on the road between California and Fort Yuma, and on the way to the Arizona and New Mexico areas.
After the war, other stagecoach lines used the station from 1867 to 1877. However, when the railroad reached Fort Yuma, stagecoach travel became less common, and the station was no longer needed.
Today, the site of the San Felipe Station is on private land. It is just west and a little north of Scissors Crossing. 33°5′52″N 116°29′22″W / 33.09778°N 116.48944°W
