Rancho Guejito (pronounced wa-hee-to) is 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 ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, approximately seven miles east of Escondido. The ranch has expanded to a total of 22,359 acres through its purchases of adjacent land. It is among the last Mexican land grants (along with Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores) still a single parcel of land.

History

In 1845, the Rancho Guejito y Cañada de Palomia was granted by Mexican Governor Pio Pico to

customs inspector A customs officer is a law enforcement agent who enforces customs laws, on behalf of a government. Canada Canadian customs officers are members of the Canada Border Services Agency. It was created in 2003 and preceded by the Canada Customs and ...

and

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

José María Orozco. With the cession 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 Guejito y Cañada de Palomea 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 to George W. Hamley May 24, 1866. Subsequent owners purchased adjacent properties, expanding the total acreage to about . In 1974, the state parks division recommended acquiring Rancho Guejito as a park and nature reserve, but the purchase was vetoed by incoming Gov. Jerry Brown due to the cost. In 1974, industrialist Benjamin Coates purchased the land for $10 million. Since then, the land has remained mostly undeveloped and used as a cattle ranch. Coates died in 2004. The land is owned by The Rodney Company, headed by Coates's daughter Theodate Coates. Between 2003 and 2007, approximately 93 percent of the area was burned in several wildfires. An October 22, 2007 fire that began in the San Pasqual Valley near Guejito Creek, which is across the highway from Rancho Guejito, was dubbed the "Guejito Fire." The Guejito Fire merged into the Witch Fire early on October 22, which went on to burn homes in Rancho Bernardo and resulted in two deaths. The fires later resulted in settlements from utilities related to power lines that ignited the fire.

Modern development

The ranch taps a water supply deep below the surface of the ground, which has facilitated its investment in agriculture and the expansion of its historic cattle ranching business. Starting in 2007, the ranch has planted approximately 500 acres of organic avocado groves, citrus trees and wine grapes. The ranch has pioneered local adoption of water-efficient technology including moisture sensors and a high-density planting method, allowing it to grow crops with one-fourth of the water used by other growers. In 2009, representatives from The Rodney Co. contacted the county to discuss plans for developing the tract. Representatives proposed building approximately 10,000 homes and preserving about 16,000 of the in its natural state. Conservationists and residents of nearby communities have opposed development of the land. In 2022, after 177 years of selling ranch-raised beef at auction, Rancho Guejito launched a direct-to-consumer beef program.

References

External links

Rancho Guejito: A Priceless Treasure
- The California Chaparral Institute
Rancho's future: 10,000 houses?
from ''

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