Rancho Arroyo Seco was a

Mexican land grant The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...

in the

Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley is one of the major valleys and most productive Agriculture, agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. The Salinas River (Califo ...

, in present-day

Monterey County, California Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Monte ...

. It was given in 1840 by Governor

Juan B. Alvarado Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo (February 14, 1809 – July 13, 1882) was a Californio politician that served as Governor of Alta California from 1837-42. Prior to his term as governor, Alvarado briefly led a movement for independen ...

Joaquín de la Torre Rancho Arroyo Seco was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in present-day Monterey County, California. It was given in 1840 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Joaquín de la Torre. The grant extended along the west b ...

. The grant extended along the west bank of the Salinas River at Arroyo Seco Creek, and encompassed present-day Greenfield.

History

José Joaquín de la Torre was a soldier who was

alcalde Alcalde (; ) 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'' (the municipal council) a ...

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

, and afterwards secretary to Governor

Pablo Vicente de Solá Pablo Vicente de Solá (1761–1826) was a Spanish officer and the twelfth and last Spanish colonial governor of Alta California (1815-1822). He was born in Mondragón, Gipuzkoa, Spain. Land grants Solá granted in 1821 the Rancho Rincon de los B ...

. Torre married Maria Los Angeles Cota (1790–1877) in 1803. Torre was granted the two square league

Rancho Bolsa del Potrero y Moro Cojo Rancho Bolsa del Potrero y Moro Cojo (or ''Pocket of the Pasture and the Lame Moor'' and ''La Sagrada Familia'' or ''The Holy Family'') was a Mexican land grant in the northern Salinas Valley, in present-day Monterey County, California. Tradition ...

in 1822 by Governor Sola, and the four square league Rancho Arroyo Seco in 1840 by Governor Alvarado. In 1845, Joaquin de la Torre and a detachment of fifty-six armed and mounted volunteers, was sent by Alvarado to capture Los Angeles. The raid upon the unsuspecting pueblo was accomplished quickly and the Pico brothers, along with

José Antonio Carrillo Captain José Antonio Ezequiel Carrillo (1796–1862) was a Californio politician, ranchero, and signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served three terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). History A member of the prominent Carrillo ...

, were taken into custody. Joaquín de la Torre commanded

José Castro José Antonio Castro (1808 – February 1860) was a Californio politician, statesman, and general who served as interim Governor of Alta California and later Governor of Baja California. During the Bear Flag Revolt and the American Conquest of ...

's troops at the

Battle of Olompali A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in 1846. With the

cession The act of cession is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty. Ballentine's Law Dictionary defines cession as "a surrender; a giving up; a relinquishment of jurisdictio ...

of California to the United States following the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexicans, Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% ...

, the 1848

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...

provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Arroyo Seco was filed with the

Public Land Commission The California Land Act of 1851 (), enacted following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the admission of California as a state in 1850, established a three-member Public Land Commission to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican la ...

in 1852, and the grant was

patented A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

to Joaquín de la Torre in 1859. Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886
John S. Clark founded the California Home Extension Association which in 1902, purchased of of Rancho Arroyo Seco. The colony grew and became known as Clark City, and eventually as Greenfield.

References

{{California history Arroyo Seco (Torre) Arroyo Seco Arroyo Seco

History

See also

References