Rancho Corral de Piedra
Encyclopedia
Rancho Corral de Piedra was a 30911 acres (125.1 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day San Luis Obispo County, California
consisting of two square leagues given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José María Villavicencio, with an extension of five square leagues given in 1846, by Governor Pio Pico
. The grant was located between present day San Luis Obispo
and Arroyo Grande
, and bounded on the south by Arroyo Grande Creek.
) and Maria Ildefonsa Berges. José María Villavicencio retired as captain of the militia at Monterey
, and was administrator at Mission San Antonio
and Mission San Fernando
. Villavicencio married Rafaela Rodríguez the daughter of Sebastian Rodríguez grantee of Rancho Bolsa del Pajaro
. His brother, Rafael Villavicencio was the grantee of Rancho San Geronimo
.
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 Corral de Piedra was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to José María Villavicencio in 1867.
When José María Villavicencio died in 1853, he left the rancho to his seven children. In 1860, his widow Rafaela borrowed money of her brother Jacinto Rodriguez. In 1866, Rodríguez convinced the heirs to sell him the entire rancho, which he sold to dairymen George Steele and his brothers Edgar W., Isaac C., and Rensselaer E. Steele. In 1867, that heirs decided that the sale to Rodríguez was not legal, and sold six-sevenths of the rancho to George Alexander.
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 San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
consisting of two square leagues given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José María Villavicencio, with an extension of five square leagues given in 1846, by Governor Pio Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
. The grant was located between present day San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
and Arroyo Grande
Arroyo Grande, California
Arroyo Grande is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 17,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Arroyo Grande is a small coastal town with historic, suburban, and rural elements located at...
, and bounded on the south by Arroyo Grande Creek.
History
José María Teodoro Villavicencio (1800–1853), called for brevity Villa, was the second son of Rafael de Jesus Villavicencio (a soldier and member of the Portola expeditionPortola expedition
250px|right|Point of San Francisco Bay DiscoveryThe Portolá Expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá from July 14, 1769 to January 24, 1770. It was the first recorded Spanish land entry and exploration of present day California, United States...
) and Maria Ildefonsa Berges. José María Villavicencio retired as captain of the militia at Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, and was administrator at Mission San Antonio
Mission San Antonio de Padua
Mission San Antonio de Padua was founded on July 14, 1771, the third mission founded in Alta California by Father Presidente Junípero Serra, and site of the first Christian marriage and first use of fired-tile roofing in Upper California.-History:...
and Mission San Fernando
Mission San Fernando Rey de España
Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary" , 1797. The settlement is located on the former Encino Rancho in the Mission Hills community of northern Los Angeles, near the site of the first gold discovery in Alta California.-History:Mission San Fernando Rey de...
. Villavicencio married Rafaela Rodríguez the daughter of Sebastian Rodríguez grantee of Rancho Bolsa del Pajaro
Rancho Bolsa del Pajaro
Rancho Bolsa del Pajaro was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Sebastian Rodríguez. The name means "pocket of the Pajaro". Pocket usually refers to land surrounded by slough - in this case the Watsonville Slough...
. His brother, Rafael Villavicencio was the grantee of Rancho San Geronimo
Rancho San Geronimo (Villavicencio)
Rancho San Geronimo was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Rafael Villavicencio. The granted extended along the Pacific coast from south of present day Harmony to north of Cayucos...
.
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 Corral de Piedra 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 José María Villavicencio in 1867.
When José María Villavicencio died in 1853, he left the rancho to his seven children. In 1860, his widow Rafaela borrowed money of her brother Jacinto Rodriguez. In 1866, Rodríguez convinced the heirs to sell him the entire rancho, which he sold to dairymen George Steele and his brothers Edgar W., Isaac C., and Rensselaer E. Steele. In 1867, that heirs decided that the sale to Rodríguez was not legal, and sold six-sevenths of the rancho to George Alexander.