Rancho San Miguelito
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Miguelito was a 14198 acres (57.5 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Miguel Ávila, and an addition granted in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico
. The grant extended along the Pacific coast, and included Point San Luis, San Luis Obispo Bay, and present day Avila Beach
.
. In 1816 Miguel Avila was in the Monterey company, and in 1824 he was corporal of the guard at Mission San Luis Obispo
. In 1826 he was transferred to Monterey
for quarreling with the mission priests. In Monterey, he married Maria Inocenta Pico (1810-), daughter of Jose Dolores Pico. Avila was granted Rancho San Miguelito in 1842. Miguel Avila was alcalde
of San Luis Obispo
in 1849.
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. A claim for Rancho San Miguelito, filed as required by the Land Act of 1851, with the Public Land Commission
in 1852 was confirmed. A claim by Miguel Avila an addition to Rancho San Miguelito filed with the Land Commission in 1852 was confirmed. A claim by Miguel Avila for a two square league addition to Rancho San Miguelito filed with the Land Commission in 1852 was rejected. The grant was patented
to Miguel Avila in 1877.
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 given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Miguel Ávila, and an addition granted 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 extended along the Pacific coast, and included Point San Luis, San Luis Obispo Bay, and present day Avila Beach
Avila Beach, California
Avila Beach , pronounced AH-vuh-luh, is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, USA and located about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles, and about 200 miles south of San Francisco. The ZIP Code is 93424. The community is inside area code 805...
.
History
Miguel Avila (1796 - 1874) was a son of Jose de Santa Ana Avila, a Spanish soldier stationed at the presidio of Santa BarbaraPresidio 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...
. In 1816 Miguel Avila was in the Monterey company, and in 1824 he was corporal of the guard at Mission San Luis Obispo
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded 1772 on the Central Coast of California on a site located halfway between Santa Barbara and Monterey. It was named after Saint Louis of Anjou, the bishop of Toulouse. The Mission church of San Luis Obispo is unusual in its design in that its...
. In 1826 he was transferred to 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...
for quarreling with the mission priests. In Monterey, he married Maria Inocenta Pico (1810-), daughter of Jose Dolores Pico. Avila was granted Rancho San Miguelito in 1842. Miguel Avila was alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of 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...
in 1849.
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. A claim for Rancho San Miguelito, filed as required by the Land Act of 1851, 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 was confirmed. A claim by Miguel Avila an addition to Rancho San Miguelito filed with the Land Commission in 1852 was confirmed. A claim by Miguel Avila for a two square league addition to Rancho San Miguelito filed with the Land Commission in 1852 was rejected. 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 Miguel Avila in 1877.