Rancho Jamacha 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 Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Apolinaria Lorenzana. Jamacha is an Indian name. The grant extended eastward from

Rancho de la Nación Rancho de la Nación was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present-day southern San Diego County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to John (Don Juan) Forster. The grant encompassed present-day National City, California, ...

along the Sweetwater River Valley. The southwestern section of the rancho is now covered by the waters of the Sweetwater Reservoir created in 1888.

History

Apolinaria Lorenzana (1790–1884) came to California with her mother in 1800. When her mother returned to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Apolinaria moved to San Diego, under the care of Raymundo Carrillo. Apolinaria Lorenzana remained a single woman devoted to the church. As a result of her religious devotion, she was called "La Beata", meaning "the pious one". In 1840, Lorenzana received a two square league grant of some of the San Diego Mission's grazing land. She was also grantee of the small

Rancho Cañada de los Coches Rancho Cañada de los Coches was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Diego County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Apolinaria Lorenzana. This small land grant was located just west of Flinn Springs and in the ...

. Lorenzana continued to live at the mission. Following a further decline in the San Diego Mission, Lorenzana moved to

San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for "St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St. ...

in 1846, hiring

John (Don Juan) Forster Don Juan Forster (born ''John''; 1814 – February 20, 1882) was an English-born Californio ranchero and merchant. Born in England, he emigrated to Mexico at age 16 and became a Mexican citizen. Soon after, he moved to California (then a prov ...

as her agent for Rancho Jamacha. 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 was filed for Rancho Jamacha 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 Apolinaria Lorenzana in 1871. Unlike northern California, where gold seekers constituted the majority of new emigrants, military men made up most of the Americans in the San Diego area following the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. Among the newly arrived military personnel were Colonel John Bankhead Magruder, First Lieutenant Asher R. Eddy, Eugene B. Pendleton, Frank Ames, and Robert Kelly. John Bankhead Magruder (1807-1871), a native of Virginia, graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1830 and came to California with the US Army forces occupying California following the Mexican–American War. Asher R. Eddy(1823-1879), of Colonel Magruder's staff, graduated from West Point in 1844. Robert Kelly (1825–1890) was a native of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

who came to the United States with his family in 1841, and arrived in San Diego in 1851. In 1851, Magruder obtained permission from John Forster to graze the Army's livestock on Rancho Jamacha. In 1853, Colonel Magruder purchased the Rancho Jamacha from Lorenzana, and sold an undivided two-thirds to Eddy, Kelly, Ames, and Pendleton. Colonel Magruder financed the purchase through a mortgage made by Lorenzana. In 1860 Lorenzana sold the mortgage to Eddy, ending her ownership, and she moved to Santa Barbara. Kelly sold his interest in Rancho Jamacha in 1858, and was a merchant in San Diego until in 1860, when he acquired

Rancho Agua Hedionda Rancho Agua Hedionda was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Diego County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Juan María Marrón. The name means "stinking water" in Spanish. The grant extended south along the Pacific C ...

. In the middle 1860s, the price of cattle collapsed, and ownership of Rancho Jamacha began to be divided among a number of individuals. In 1869, Eddy sold all of Rancho Jamacha to his wife - even though Magruder, Pendleton, and Ames, still held their respective interests. Rancho Jamacha was further divided between 1872 and 1880. Ownership of the property had become even more confused, when in 1878, Lorenzana sold Rancho Jamacha to Monica Romero de Ruiz of Santa Barbara - even though Lorenzana no longer held legal title. The division of Rancho Jamacha amongst the various claimants was decided in a partition suit brought in 1881."Legal Hocus-Pocus" The Subdivision of Jamacha Rancho
Stephen Van Wormer

References

{{California history

Jamacha Jamacha (pronounced: ) is a neighborhood in the Southeast San Diego, southeastern area of San Diego, California. It is generally bounded by the city of Lemon Grove, California, Lemon Grove to the north, Unincorporated area, unincorporated La Pre ...

1840 establishments in Alta California