Rancho Boca de la Playa
Encyclopedia
Rancho Boca de la Playa was a 6607 acres (26.7 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Orange County, California
given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico
to Emigdio Vejar. The name refers to the wetland
s estuary
at the 'mouth of the beach,' or 'boca de la playa' in Spanish
. This is the most southerly grant in Orange County, and extended along the Pacific coast from San Juan Creek
in the south of present day San Juan Capistrano
south to San Clemente
.
, and Juez de Paz at San Juan Capistrano in 1844-45. In 1843, he married María Rafaela Avila (1818–), daughter of Antonio Ygnacio Avila. In 1845, he delivered the Mission and all that belonged to it to John Forster
. Véjar was granted Rancho Boca de la Playa, one and half square leagues of former Mission San Juan Capistrano land, in 1846. In 1852, Emigdio Vejar married Ysabel Cota.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Boca de la Playa was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Emigdio Vejar in 1879.
In 1860, Véjar sold the rancho to Juan Avila, grantee of Rancho Niguel
, who later conveyed it to his son-in-law, Pablo Pryor. Pablo Pryor (1839–1878), the son of Nathaniel Miguel Pryor and Maria Teresa Sepulveda, married Rosa Modesta Avila, Juan Avila's daughter, in 1864. In 1855, Pablo Pryor, filed a lawsuit to perfect title in his claimed two-fifths interest in the Rancho de los Palos Verdes
. Pablo Pryor was poisoned and died in 1878.
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
in present day Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
to Emigdio Vejar. The name refers to the wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
at the 'mouth of the beach,' or 'boca de la playa' in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. This is the most southerly grant in Orange County, and extended along the Pacific coast from San Juan Creek
San Juan Creek
San Juan Creek, also called the San Juan River, is a stream in Orange County, California that consists of a catchment basin encompassing . Its mainstem rises in the Santa Ana Mountains, in the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest...
in the south of present day San Juan Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano, California
San Juan Capistrano is a city in southern Orange County, California, located approximately southeast of Downtown Santa Ana. The current OMB metropolitan designation for San Juan Capistrano and the Orange County Area is “Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA.” The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census,...
south to San Clemente
San Clemente, California
San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish...
.
History
Emigdio Véjar (1810–1863) born in Los Angeles, was the son Francisco Salvador Véjar, who came to Alta California in 1790 as a leather jacket soldier (Soldado de Cuero). Emigdio Véjar was Juez de Campo at Los Angeles, in 1838. He was mayordomo of Mission San Juan CapistranoMission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was a Spanish mission in Southern California, located in present-day San Juan Capistrano. It was founded on All Saints Day November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order...
, and Juez de Paz at San Juan Capistrano in 1844-45. In 1843, he married María Rafaela Avila (1818–), daughter of Antonio Ygnacio Avila. In 1845, he delivered the Mission and all that belonged to it to John Forster
John (Don Juan) Forster
John Forster was born in England; became a Mexican citizen of early California, and was one of the largest landowners in California.-Early life:...
. Véjar was granted Rancho Boca de la Playa, one and half square leagues of former Mission San Juan Capistrano land, in 1846. In 1852, Emigdio Vejar married Ysabel Cota.
With the cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Boca de la Playa was filed with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1852, and the grant was patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
to Emigdio Vejar in 1879.
In 1860, Véjar sold the rancho to Juan Avila, grantee of Rancho Niguel
Rancho Niguel
Rancho Niguel was a Mexican land grant in present day Orange County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Juan Avila. The rancho was named for a local Indian village called "Niguili." The grant extended along the Pacific coast from Laguna Canyon and Laguna Beach, past Aliso...
, who later conveyed it to his son-in-law, Pablo Pryor. Pablo Pryor (1839–1878), the son of Nathaniel Miguel Pryor and Maria Teresa Sepulveda, married Rosa Modesta Avila, Juan Avila's daughter, in 1864. In 1855, Pablo Pryor, filed a lawsuit to perfect title in his claimed two-fifths interest in the Rancho de los Palos Verdes
Rancho de los Palos Verdes
Rancho de los Palos Verdes was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to José Loreto and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda. The name means "range of green trees"...
. Pablo Pryor was poisoned and died in 1878.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Pablo Pryor Adobe/Hide House. This is possibly the oldest standing adobe dwelling in California. Hides from Mission San Juan Capistrano were tanned and stored here between 1820 and 1840. In 1936 it was occupied by Theresa Pryor Yorba (1866–), a daughter of Pablo Pryor and Rosa Avila, the wife of Miguel Yorba.