Rancho Guadalasca
Encyclopedia
Rancho Guadalasca was a 30594 acres (123.8 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Ventura County, California
given in 1836 by Governor Mariano Chico
to Ysabel Yorba. The grant was in the southern part of the county, bordering on Los Angeles County
. The grant extended along the Pacific coast near Point Mugu
for about eight miles, and extending into the interior along Guadalasca Creek in the Santa Monica Mountains
for about ten miles.
and used for trade and purchasing items. The trade and commerce was also motivated by each distinct area and what unique items they could offer for trade. Coastal villages would trade sea food and shells with inland villages that would trade game and obsidian which utilized the trade route that ran through the rancho. Rancho Guadalasca has been an important part of commerce and community for thousands of years.
a European immigrant from Catalonia
and his second wife, Maria Josefa Grijalva, an espanola, was born in San Diego and eventually married Jose Joaquin Maitorena in 1805 while he was still a cadet in the Spanish army
. Maitorena eventually reached the rank of lieutenant
in 1827 and was stationed at the Presidio of Santa Barbara
. Maitorena was sent to Mexico
as a member of congress for 1829-30, and died there of apoplexy
caused by his particular dissipation.
After the death of her husband, the newly widowed Yorba petitioned the governor for a land grant
based on the military service record of her late husband Jose Joaquin Maitorenas, citing the justification, “That being the owner of 500 head of cattle, and 40 head of broken horses, and some mares, and having no place for said stock…” On the 5th of July, 1836 then Governor Chico granted Rancho Guadalasca to Ysabel Yorba with the exclusion of lands described as the lagoon and plain due to the acting Mission's need for those lands. The next year the guardian of the mission changed hands from Father Ordaz to a new leader who saw to fit to exclude the lagoon and plain from necessary Mission land and leave it open for purchase. Soon after Yorba applied for the acquisition of that land in addition to the rest of Rancho Guadalasca and was granted the additional territory which enlarged the total size of the Rancho to 30,573 acres. By 1837 the Rancho owner had built a palizada house, and an adobe
house the year after that. The locations of the houses have yet to be found but their existence are documented. The statistical records from 1960 document Yorba as having 925 heads of cattle valued at 22,000 dollars and approximately 70 horses. She adopted Isabel Lugo and four other children after she received her 1836 land grant then added Josefina Bonilla and Isabel "Jennie" Dominguez later on. Before her death at age 82, Ysabel Yorba sold her rancho for $28,000 in U.S. gold coin, while her large estate was left to her four adopted daughters. The widowed Yorba was illiterate yet operated Rancho Guadalasca from Santa Barbara and was referred to as one of the prominent woman of early California history according to J.N. Bowman.
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 Guadalasca was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Ysabel Yorba in 1873.
By the 1870s Rancho owners and their heirs and descendants came under pressure to sell or relinquish their land holdings to new immigrants. Selling of the land was prevalent in the late Rancho period due to the Hispanic
pattern of living in town and taking care of the rancho from afar which was quite common on California land at that time. The practice of distance maintenance made it desirable for Rancho heirs to sell off their lands to newcomers and prospectors willing to pay in gold coin. Breaking up the Ranchos in the late 19th century became a slow process however that could take twenty or more years to confirm land grants. The slow process and lawyer fees put pressure on landholders to give up on their land grants and created a land boom which would in turn lead to a population increase and result in the breakup of Ventura and Santa Barbara County in 1873. Upon the breakup of the counties Rancho El Conejo
along with Guadalasca were sold off and parceled out to investors.
These first investors would soon re-sell their land and it was not uncommon to have land owners that were the fourth party in the succession of title for lands once known as Rancho Guadalasca. These local developments created the opportunities for future prospectors like William Richard Broome to purchase Rancho Guadalasca land back in the 1870s. The first sale of Rancho Guadalasca however was to land investors such as the J.M. Dickerson group made up of Thomas and John Dickerson in addition to John Funk. A small coastal property of 8 acres along Mugu Lagoon was also owned by the partners Goodall and Nelson who owned their own coastal steamship line, one of the first for the area.
A 23000 acres (93.1 km²) southern part of the rancho was purchased in 1871 by William Richard Broome (d.1891), an Englishman living in Santa Barbara
.
A tenant rancher, L.J. Rose, tells of how he leased 2,300 acres of land on the Guadalasca Ranch from William Broome for a period of five years in the late 1800s. During this time Mr. Rose sued Mr. Broome’s wife, who was managing the land, for losses of $45,000 due to a Texas fever tick epidemic that devastated his herd of cattle. He was awarded $11,000.
Upon the death of William Richard Broome, he attempted to entail the property, by his will, and the great rancho has been held for many years by Mrs. Frances Broome, the widow, to the exclusion the three children. About the year 1910, Thornhill Francis Broome instituted proceedings in the Superior Court of Santa Barbara county to remove his mother as executrix and trustee of the estate. After a long legal battle, he was successful in his contention, and Judge S.E. Crow declared the provisions of Lord Broome’s will to be invalid, as creating a trust not known to the laws of California. Judge Crow distributed Rancho Guadalasca one-third to Mrs. Frances Broome, the widow, and two-ninths each to the three children.
An 8200 acres (33.2 km²) northern part was purchased by Joseph F. Lewis in 1906. Lewis was a business associate of Adolfo Camarillo
. In 1932, the State of California purchased 1760 acres (7.1 km²) of the Lewis ranch for $415,000 and established the Camarillo State Mental Hospital
. In 2004, the state hospital was renovated and transformed into California State University, Channel Islands
. The university library was funded in large by John "Jack" Spoor Broome
(1918–2009), the grandson of William Richard Broome.
John S. Broome took over management of the family citrus produce business, Rancho Guadalasca, in 1946. At the time of his death he owned approximately 3,000 acres of the original 23,000. In addition to the $5,000,000 donation for the CSUCI library (one of the largest donations in Ventura County history), Mr. Broome also helped launch Casa Pacifica, a home for abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children, also within the Rancho Guadalasca region.
The name Guadalasca survives today on the property of Pt. Mugu state park with a popular biking and walking trail being named after Ysabel Yorba's original Rancho, and sometimes referred to as Guadalasco.
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 Ventura County, California
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
given in 1836 by Governor Mariano Chico
Mariano Chico
Colonel Mariano Chico served one of the briefest terms as Alta California governor from April 1836 to July 1836. He was both preceded and succeeded by the equally unpopular Lieutenant Colonel Nicolas Gutierrez, who joined him in exile in Mexico on November 5, 1836, by a northern...
to Ysabel Yorba. The grant was in the southern part of the county, bordering on Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
. The grant extended along the Pacific coast near Point Mugu
Point Mugu, California
Point Mugu , California is an unincorporated area and geographical promontory on the Pacific coast in Ventura County, near the town of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian term Muwu, meaning beach, which was first mentioned by Cabrillo in...
for about eight miles, and extending into the interior along Guadalasca Creek in the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
for about ten miles.
Prehistory
Long before this land was claimed as a rancho or national park it was occupied by the Chumash people. They lived, raised families and developed communities for over 9,000 years on this land. The Chumash lived primarily in small seasonal camps with a few main villages that were occupied year round. One of these villages, located on Rancho Guadalasca, was called Satwiwa which translates to “bluff”. The topography of this part of the ranch allowed it to be a main trade route for the Chumash Indians. The rancho’s wide canyon provided access to the Satwiwa village for commerce which was an important part of the Chumash society. The Chumash had developed an economic system based on beads & shells that were traded amongst the villages. Another instrument that was important to the Chumash advances in trade was the “Tomol” or canoe that was used for ocean travel. Monitory beads & shells were bought from the Channel IslandsChannel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and used for trade and purchasing items. The trade and commerce was also motivated by each distinct area and what unique items they could offer for trade. Coastal villages would trade sea food and shells with inland villages that would trade game and obsidian which utilized the trade route that ran through the rancho. Rancho Guadalasca has been an important part of commerce and community for thousands of years.
Ysabel Yorba
Ysabel Yorba (1789–1871), the daughter of José Antonio YorbaJosé Antonio Yorba
José Antonio Yorba , also known as Don José Antonio Yorba I, was a Spanish soldier and early settler of Spanish California.-Spanish Soldier:...
a European immigrant from Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and his second wife, Maria Josefa Grijalva, an espanola, was born in San Diego and eventually married Jose Joaquin Maitorena in 1805 while he was still a cadet in the Spanish army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
. Maitorena eventually reached the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1827 and was stationed at the Presidio of Santa Barbara
Presidio of Santa Barbara
The El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, was a military installation in Santa Barbara, California. It was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California...
. Maitorena was sent to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
as a member of congress for 1829-30, and died there of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
caused by his particular dissipation.
After the death of her husband, the newly widowed Yorba petitioned the governor for a land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
based on the military service record of her late husband Jose Joaquin Maitorenas, citing the justification, “That being the owner of 500 head of cattle, and 40 head of broken horses, and some mares, and having no place for said stock…” On the 5th of July, 1836 then Governor Chico granted Rancho Guadalasca to Ysabel Yorba with the exclusion of lands described as the lagoon and plain due to the acting Mission's need for those lands. The next year the guardian of the mission changed hands from Father Ordaz to a new leader who saw to fit to exclude the lagoon and plain from necessary Mission land and leave it open for purchase. Soon after Yorba applied for the acquisition of that land in addition to the rest of Rancho Guadalasca and was granted the additional territory which enlarged the total size of the Rancho to 30,573 acres. By 1837 the Rancho owner had built a palizada house, and an adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house the year after that. The locations of the houses have yet to be found but their existence are documented. The statistical records from 1960 document Yorba as having 925 heads of cattle valued at 22,000 dollars and approximately 70 horses. She adopted Isabel Lugo and four other children after she received her 1836 land grant then added Josefina Bonilla and Isabel "Jennie" Dominguez later on. Before her death at age 82, Ysabel Yorba sold her rancho for $28,000 in U.S. gold coin, while her large estate was left to her four adopted daughters. The widowed Yorba was illiterate yet operated Rancho Guadalasca from Santa Barbara and was referred to as one of the prominent woman of early California history according to J.N. Bowman.
19th through 21st Century History
With the cessionMexican 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 Guadalasca 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 Ysabel Yorba in 1873.
By the 1870s Rancho owners and their heirs and descendants came under pressure to sell or relinquish their land holdings to new immigrants. Selling of the land was prevalent in the late Rancho period due to the Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
pattern of living in town and taking care of the rancho from afar which was quite common on California land at that time. The practice of distance maintenance made it desirable for Rancho heirs to sell off their lands to newcomers and prospectors willing to pay in gold coin. Breaking up the Ranchos in the late 19th century became a slow process however that could take twenty or more years to confirm land grants. The slow process and lawyer fees put pressure on landholders to give up on their land grants and created a land boom which would in turn lead to a population increase and result in the breakup of Ventura and Santa Barbara County in 1873. Upon the breakup of the counties Rancho El Conejo
Rancho El Conejo
Rancho El Conejo was a Spanish land grant in California given in 1803 to Jose Polanco and Ygnacio Rodriguez that encompassed the area now known as the Conejo Valley in southeastern Ventura and northwestern Los Angeles Counties. El Conejo means "The Rabbit" in Spanish, and refers to the many...
along with Guadalasca were sold off and parceled out to investors.
These first investors would soon re-sell their land and it was not uncommon to have land owners that were the fourth party in the succession of title for lands once known as Rancho Guadalasca. These local developments created the opportunities for future prospectors like William Richard Broome to purchase Rancho Guadalasca land back in the 1870s. The first sale of Rancho Guadalasca however was to land investors such as the J.M. Dickerson group made up of Thomas and John Dickerson in addition to John Funk. A small coastal property of 8 acres along Mugu Lagoon was also owned by the partners Goodall and Nelson who owned their own coastal steamship line, one of the first for the area.
A 23000 acres (93.1 km²) southern part of the rancho was purchased in 1871 by William Richard Broome (d.1891), an Englishman living in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.
A tenant rancher, L.J. Rose, tells of how he leased 2,300 acres of land on the Guadalasca Ranch from William Broome for a period of five years in the late 1800s. During this time Mr. Rose sued Mr. Broome’s wife, who was managing the land, for losses of $45,000 due to a Texas fever tick epidemic that devastated his herd of cattle. He was awarded $11,000.
Upon the death of William Richard Broome, he attempted to entail the property, by his will, and the great rancho has been held for many years by Mrs. Frances Broome, the widow, to the exclusion the three children. About the year 1910, Thornhill Francis Broome instituted proceedings in the Superior Court of Santa Barbara county to remove his mother as executrix and trustee of the estate. After a long legal battle, he was successful in his contention, and Judge S.E. Crow declared the provisions of Lord Broome’s will to be invalid, as creating a trust not known to the laws of California. Judge Crow distributed Rancho Guadalasca one-third to Mrs. Frances Broome, the widow, and two-ninths each to the three children.
An 8200 acres (33.2 km²) northern part was purchased by Joseph F. Lewis in 1906. Lewis was a business associate of Adolfo Camarillo
Adolfo Camarillo
Adolfo Camarillo, was a prominent land owner, horse breeder, rancher, and philanthropist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Ventura County area of California, U.S.A. Adolfo, along with his brother Juan, Jr., owned much of what later became the town known by their family name, Camarillo...
. In 1932, the State of California purchased 1760 acres (7.1 km²) of the Lewis ranch for $415,000 and established the Camarillo State Mental Hospital
Camarillo State Mental Hospital
Camarillo State Mental Hospital, also known as Camarillo State Hospital, was a psychiatric hospital for both developmentally disabled and mentally ill patients in Camarillo, California. The hospital closed in 1997. The site has been redeveloped as the California State University, Channel Islands...
. In 2004, the state hospital was renovated and transformed into California State University, Channel Islands
California State University, Channel Islands
California State University Channel Islands is a four-year public university located in Camarillo, California, in Ventura County. CSUCI opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the California State University system, succeeding the Ventura County branch campus of CSU Northridge...
. The university library was funded in large by John "Jack" Spoor Broome
John "Jack" Spoor Broome
John "Jack" Spoor Broome , was born in Chicago, IL. He was born into a successful ranching family, became an aviator and philanthropist....
(1918–2009), the grandson of William Richard Broome.
John S. Broome took over management of the family citrus produce business, Rancho Guadalasca, in 1946. At the time of his death he owned approximately 3,000 acres of the original 23,000. In addition to the $5,000,000 donation for the CSUCI library (one of the largest donations in Ventura County history), Mr. Broome also helped launch Casa Pacifica, a home for abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children, also within the Rancho Guadalasca region.
The name Guadalasca survives today on the property of Pt. Mugu state park with a popular biking and walking trail being named after Ysabel Yorba's original Rancho, and sometimes referred to as Guadalasco.