Rancho El Chorro (also called Rancho Cañada del Chorro) 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 present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to business partners James (Diego) Scott and John (Juan) Wilson. The grant between

Morro Bay Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 census. The town ...

and

San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly hal ...

extended along the north bank of Chorro Creek.

History

Captain John Wilson (1798-1861), a Scottish-born sea captain and trader, came to California in 1830. In 1837 Wilson married María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco (1812 –1888), widow of José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco, who was killed at the

Battle of Cahuenga Pass The Battle of Cahuenga Pass of 1831 was fought at Cahuenga Pass near Los Angeles between the unpopular Mexican Governor of California (Manuel Victoria), and a force assembled by wealthy local landowners. Only two men, the lancer Pacheco on th ...

in 1831. Maria Carrillo was a daughter of Maria Ygnacia Lopez de Carrillo, the grantee of

Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa was an Mexican land grant in present-day Sonoma County, California given in 1841 by Governor pro tem Manuel Jimeno to María Ygnacia López. The grant was along Santa Rosa Creek, and encompassed present-day Santa Ro ...

, and María's sister married General

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Don (honorific), Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (4 July 1807 – 18 January 1890) was a Californios, Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of ...

. María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco was the grantee of

Rancho Suey Rancho Suey was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present-day southern San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to María Ramona ...

. James G. Scott (-1851), also a native of Scotland, came to California with his business partner Captain Wilson. Wilson and Scott also owned Rancho Los Guilicos in

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...

, and Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay. They were granted the one square league Rancho El Chorro in 1845. Wilson also bought Rancho San Luisito and

Rancho Huerta de Romualdo Rancho Huerta de Romualdo was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado and in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Romualdo. The name means Romualdo's vegetable garden. The grant ...

. In 1845, Wilson moved his family from San Luis Obispo to Rancho Cañada de los Osos & Pacheco y Islay, built an adobe home and lived there until his death in 1860. 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, 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 El Chorro was filed with the Public Land Commission 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 John Wilson in 1871. Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886
After the 1862-4 drought, Rancho El Chorro was sold to

William Welles Hollister William Welles Hollister (1818–1886) was a native of Ohio who came west in the 1850s and became a wealthy rancher and entrepreneur in California. Biography Ancestors and early life William Welles Hollister, was born on Jan. 12, 1818 near H ...

in 1865.

Historic sites of the Rancho

* Vasquez-Hollister adobe. Adobe built between the years 1800 and 1830.

References

{{California history Chorro, El

El Chorro El Chorro ("The Cascade") is a small village located in Málaga (Andalusia) in southern Spain, near the town of Álora. It is one of the most popular rock climbing attractions in Spain as it is located next to ''Desfiladero de los Gaitanes'' ...

History

Historic sites of the Rancho

See also

References