Rancho Piedra Blanca
Encyclopedia
Rancho Piedra Blanca was a 48806 acres (197.5 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day San Luis Obispo County, California
given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José de Jesús Pico. The name means "white rock" and refers to rocks painted white by its bird population. The grant extended south along the Pacific
Coast below Big Sur
from Ragged Point to Arroyo del Padre Juan Moreno, south of San Simeon
.
. His brother, Antonio Maria Pico, was the grantee of Rancho Pescadero
. Another brother was the bandit Salomon Pico
. José de Jesús Pico was a soldier, and married Francisca Zaviera Trinidad Antonia Gabriela Villavicencio (b.1813) in 1832. Originally part of the Mission San Miguel
coastal grazing land, the eleven square league Rancho Piedra Blanca was granted to Pico in 1840. In 1841 Pico was appointed administrator of Mission San Miguel.
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 Piedra Blanca was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to José de Jesús Pico in 1876.
Pico sold parts of the rancho to Mariano Pacheco, Juan Castro, Peter Gillis and others. In 1865, George Hearst
(1820 – 1891), a successful miner during the California Gold Rush
era and later a US Senator, started to acquire land in the area. By 1865, 17000 acres (69 km²) of the rancho had already been sold, but Hearst was able to buy 30000 acres (121 km²) of Rancho Piedra Blanca from Pico. Hearst continued to buy lots whenever they became available. He also bought most of Rancho San Simeon
, and part of Rancho Santa Rosa
.
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...
given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José de Jesús Pico. The name means "white rock" and refers to rocks painted white by its bird population. The grant extended south along the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
Coast below Big Sur
Big Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...
from Ragged Point to Arroyo del Padre Juan Moreno, south of San Simeon
San Simeon, California
San Simeon is a census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. Its position along State Route 1 is approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each of those cities being roughly 230 mi away...
.
History
José de Jesús Pico (1806-1892), son of Jose Dolores Pico and Isabel Cota, was born in MontereyMonterey, 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...
. His brother, Antonio Maria Pico, was the grantee of Rancho Pescadero
Rancho Pescadero (Pico)
Rancho Pescadero was a Mexican land grant in present day San Joaquin County, California and Alameda County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Antonio Maria Pico. Pescadero means "the fishery" or "the place to fish" in Spanish...
. Another brother was the bandit Salomon Pico
Salomon Pico
Salomon Maria Simeon Pico was a Californio, the cousin of Pío Pico, who led a bandit band in the early years of the California Gold Rush in the counties of the central coast of California. Considered by Mexicans as a patriot who opposed the American conquest of Alta California from Mexico and...
. José de Jesús Pico was a soldier, and married Francisca Zaviera Trinidad Antonia Gabriela Villavicencio (b.1813) in 1832. Originally part of the Mission San Miguel
Mission San Miguel Arcángel
Mission San Miguel Arcángel was founded on July 25, 1797 by the Franciscan order, on a site chosen specifically due to the large number of Salinan Indians that inhabited the area, whom the Spanish priests wanted to evangelize. It is located at 775 Mission Street, San Miguel, in San Luis Obispo...
coastal grazing land, the eleven square league Rancho Piedra Blanca was granted to Pico in 1840. In 1841 Pico was appointed administrator of Mission San Miguel.
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 Piedra Blanca 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 de Jesús Pico in 1876.
Pico sold parts of the rancho to Mariano Pacheco, Juan Castro, Peter Gillis and others. In 1865, George Hearst
George Hearst
George Hearst was a wealthy American businessman and United States Senator, and the father of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst.-Early life and education:...
(1820 – 1891), a successful miner during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
era and later a US Senator, started to acquire land in the area. By 1865, 17000 acres (69 km²) of the rancho had already been sold, but Hearst was able to buy 30000 acres (121 km²) of Rancho Piedra Blanca from Pico. Hearst continued to buy lots whenever they became available. He also bought most of Rancho San Simeon
Rancho San Simeon
Rancho San Simeon was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Ramón Estrada. The grant extended along the Pacific Coast from Rancho Piedra Blanca south to San Simeon Creek....
, and part of Rancho Santa Rosa
Rancho Santa Rosa (Estrada)
Rancho Santa Rosa was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Julian Estrada...
.