Rancho San Miguel 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 Ventura County, California given in 1841 by Governor

Juan Bautista 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 independe ...

to Felipe Lorenzana and Raymundo Olivas. The grant encompassed the area of present-day City of Ventura not within

Rancho Ex-Mission San Buenaventura Rancho Ex-Mission San Buenaventura was a Mexican land grant in present-day Ventura County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to José de Arnaz. The grant derives its name from the secularized Mission San Buenaventura, and was called ...

, with the Santa Clara River marking its southern boundary.

History

Felipe Lorenzana was one of the orphans who traveled from Mexico City to California, 1799–1800. Lorenzana married María de Natividad Ruiz. Raymundo Olivas (1801-1879), born in Los Angeles, joined the Mexican Army at the age of 16 and was assigned to the Presidio of Santa Barbara. Raymundo married Teodora Lopez in Santa Barbara in 1832. They had 21 children - eight girls and thirteen boys. In return for their army service, Olivas and Lorenzana, were granted one and a half square leagues in 1841. 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 Rancho San Miguel 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 Raymundo Olivas and Felipe Lorenzana in 1873. In 1864, Felipe Lorenzana sold his half of the Rancho to Dixie W. Thompson. Raymundo Olivas died in 1879, and his half of the Rancho was divided amongst his heirs.

Historic sites of the Rancho

Olivas Adobe The Olivas Adobe in Ventura, California is an adobe structure built in 1837 by Raymundo Olivas on the north bank of the Santa Clara River about a mile from the estuary where it flows into the Santa Barbara Channel. Olivas received, in recogn ...

. Adobe home built in 1841 by Raymundo Olivas.Olivas Adobe
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References

{{California history San Miguel (Olivas) San Miguel (Olivas) Ventura, California 1841 establishments in Alta California