Rancho San Jacinto Viejo 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

Riverside County, California Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...

given in 1842 by Governor Pro-tem Manuel Jimeno to

José Antonio Estudillo José Antonio Estudillo (November 5, 1803 – July 20, 1852) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and soldier, who served as Alcalde of San Diego and as San Diego County Assessor. He was a member of the Estudillo family of California, a pro ...

. At the time of the US Patent, Rancho San Jacinto Viejo was a part of

San Diego County 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 ...

. The County of Riverside was created by the California Legislature in 1893 by taking land from both

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...

and San Diego Counties. The grant encompassed present-day

Hemet Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 89,833 at the 2020 census. The foundin ...

and San Jacinto.

History

José María Estudillo José María Estudillo (died April 8, 1830) was a Spanish-born Californio military officer and early settler of San Diego. He is the founder of the Estudillo family of California and served as Commandant of the Presidio of San Diego. Life Comm ...

was the captain of the

Presidio of San Diego El Presidio Real de San Diego (Royal Presidio of San Diego) is a historic fort in San Diego, California. It was established on May 14, 1769, by Gaspar de Portolá, leader of the first European land exploration of Alta California—at that time an ...

. His eldest son, José Joaquín Estudillo (1800 – 1852) was the grantee of

Rancho San Leandro Rancho San Leandro was a Mexican land grant in present-day Alameda County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Joaquín Estudillo. The grant extended along the east San Francisco Bay from San Leandro Creek south to San Lor ...

. José Antonio Estudillo (1805 – 1852) was his second son. In 1824, José Antonio Estudillo, a lieutenant in the Mexican army, married María Victoria Dominguez. María Victoria's father, Juan José Dominguez, was the grantee of

Rancho San Pedro Rancho San Pedro was one of the first California land grants and the first to win a patent from the United States. The Spanish Crown granted the of land to soldier Juan José Domínguez in 1784, with his descendants validating their legal claim ...

. José Antonio Estudillo was appointed administrator and major domo at

Mission San Luis Rey Mission San Luis Rey de Francia ( es, Misión San Luis Rey de Francia) is a former Spanish mission in San Luis Rey, a neighborhood of Oceanside, California. This Mission lent its name to the Luiseño tribe of Mission Indians. At its prime, ...

in 1840. Three grants, comprising over of the former Mission San Luis Rey lands in the San Jacinto area were made to the Estudillo family: the four square league Rancho San Jacinto Viejo to José Antonio Estudillo in 1842;

Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero was a Mexican land grant in present-day Riverside County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Miguel Pedrorena. At the time of the US Patent, Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero was a part of San ...

to his son-in-law,

Miguel Pedrorena Don Miguel de Pedrorena (c. 1808–March 21, 1850) was a Spanish-born Californio ranchero, merchant, and a signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He also served briefly as acting Alcalde of San Diego (mayor). Life Miguel Pedrorena was b ...

, in 1846; and

Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante was a Mexican land grant in present-day Riverside County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to María del Rosario Estudillo de Aguirre. The Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante grant was of the surplus or "sobra ...

to his daughter, María del Rosario Estudillo, 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 San Jacinto Viejo 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 the heirs of José Antonio Estudillo in 1880. Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886

References

{{California history San Jacinto Viejo San Jacinto Viejo San Jacinto Mountains Hemet, California 1842 establishments in Alta California San Jacinto, California

History

See also

References