Rancho Lomas de la Purificacion was a 13341 acres (54 km²) Mexican land grant

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 Santa Barbara County, California

Santa Barbara County, California

Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...

 given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena

Manuel Micheltorena

Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...

 to Agustín Janssens. The name refers to the hills of Mission La Purísima Concepción

Mission La Purísima Concepción

Mission La Purisima Concepción, or La Purisima Mission, with the original Spanish name being La Misión de La Purísima Concepción de la Santísima Virgen María, was founded on the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin on December 8, 1787...

. The grant extended between the Santa Ynez Mountains

Santa Ynez Mountains

The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America, and are one of the northernmost mountain ranges in Southern California.-Geography:...

 and the south bank of the Santa Ynez River

Santa Ynez River

The Santa Ynez River is one of the largest rivers on the Central Coast of California. It is long, flowing from east to west through the Santa Ynez Valley, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Surf, near Vandenberg Air Force Base and the city of Lompoc....

 opposite Rancho Cañada de los Pinos

Rancho Cañada de los Pinos

Rancho Cañada de los Pinos or College Rancho was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California. The grant extended along the north bank of the Santa Ynez River opposite Rancho Lomas de la Purificacion and encompassed Mission Santa Inés and present day Santa Ynez, in the...

, and south east of Mission Santa Inés

Mission Santa Inés

Mission Santa Inés was founded on September 17, 1804 by Father Estévan Tapís, who had succeeded Father Fermín Lasuén as President of the California mission chain...

 and present day Santa Ynez

Santa Ynez, California

Santa Ynez is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley, and features the Santa Ynez Airport for general aviation with a paved 2804 x 75 foot runway. The population was 4,418...

, in the Santa Ynez Valley

Santa Ynez Valley

The Santa Ynez Valley is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Valley is separated from the Los Alamos Valley, to the...

.

History

Victor Eugene Agustin Janssens (1817–1894), born in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, came to California from Mexico with the Híjar-Padrés Colony expedition in 1834. In 1842, he married Maria Antonia Pico, the daughter of Jose Vicente Pico (1797-1863), major domo at Mission San Buenaventura

Mission San Buenaventura

Mission San Buenaventura was founded on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782 in Las Californias, part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain. Named for a Franciscan theologian, Saint Bonaventure, it was the last of the missions founded by Father Serra...

 and one of the grantees of Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia

Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia

Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia was a Mexican land grant in present day Ventura County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Valentine Cota et al...

. Janssens was granted the three square league Rancho Lomas de la Purificacion in 1844, where he lived with his family until 1856, when he moved to 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...

.

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 Lomas de la Purificacion 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 Agustín Janssens in 1871.

Thomas W. Moore bought Rancho Lomas de la Purificacion in 1859. Thomas W. Moore (1819-1881), born in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, came to California 1849, and to Santa Barbara in 1855. He openned a store and rented Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes

Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes

Rancho Cañada de Salsipuedes was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Pedro Cordero. Salsipuedes means "get out if you can", and the name refers to the narrow winding canyons and trails...

for some years. In 1859 he purchased Rancho Lomas de la Purificacion, which he made his home until he built a residence in the city of Santa Barbara.